'Battleship' – Is It Seaworthy?

The premise of Battleship is a fairly straightforward one: six years after NASA sends a signal into deep space looking to contact intelligent life, aliens come to Earth hell bent on world destruction, using the ocean as a launching point to carry out their plan. Sadly, this isn't the reason that this movie was not enjoyable to watch.

There were several good summer blockbusters in 2012, among them The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Both had excellent scripts, intense action and charismatic characters that jumped off the screen, in large part due to wise casting choices. So a film where Rihanna has more lines and screen time than Liam Neeson does not bear much promise. Indeed, it was the acting and casting that, pardon the pun, sunk Battleship.

The movie’s main lead is Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch), an aimless 26-year old in need of direction. Fed up with his attitude and behavior, his brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgard) orders him to join him in the Navy. Unfortunately, Skarsgard is a talent wasted in this movie, playing a one-dimensional character who is always angry and barking at his brother, while Kitsch comes off as a cocky hot-shot without any redeeming qualities. The Avengers' Tony Stark was a likewise arrogant prick, but he had charm and an ability to make us laugh at the expert hands of Robert Downey Jr. Kitsch's Hopper, on the other hand, is simply a tool — and we're hard-pressed to believe that someone like him could get the attention of a beautiful Admiral’s daughter (Brooklyn Decker) by getting her a chicken burrito. If that were true, Taco Bell’s business would be skyrocketing.

By present day, Hopper has worked himself up into a lieutenant in the Navy, but is on the verge of being discharged for reckless behavior. When the aliens arrive, Hopper is essentially forced to grow up and take command of a ship to save the day. Assisting him is a Japanese naval captain (Tadanobu Asano) and a weapons specialist (Rihanna), whose cringeworthy delivery made it hard not to laugh every time she opened her mouth.

The redeeming factor of this Blu-Ray edition are the special features, mainly showcasing the film's special effects. There is a pre-visualization of an alternate ending not shown in theaters, as well as behind-the-scenes footage of director Peter Berg working with the cast. The best feature, however, is a tour of the USS Missouri, the ship that ultimately plays a big role in the movie; it was an enjoyable history lesson after a disappointing joy ride. In sum, the film is sorely flawed, but offers tolerable entertainment, and the special features bonus on the Blu-Ray ensure that you get your money’s worth.