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‘Battleship’ is the latest alien themed sci fi drama to come out of Hollywood. Peter Berg has directed and produced this movie and ‘Battleship’ has released here ahead of the United States. Liam Neeson, Tailor Kitsch, Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker play the lead roles in this movie which is an adaptation of the popular Battleship board game. Let us see how ‘Battleship’ stacks up.

Story :

The story line is wafer thin as is the case in films belonging to this genre. Some scientists on earth send out a signal into deep space in the hopes of making contact with alien lifeforms. Just when the major navies of the world converge on Hawaii for a series of war games, alien life forms do decide to pay a visit and all hell breaks loose when they make contact. They wreak havoc in the region and intimidate the navies with their superior technology and firepower.

As all odds mount against mankind, it is upto Lieutenant Alex Hopper ( Tailor Kitsch) and his team of sailors to save the world. To counter the superior technology of the alien race, they use an ancient strategy (battleship board game) to hunt the enemy. The rest of the story is about whether Hopper and team succeed in their mission.

Plus Points :

The movie has some pretty cool action sequences and spell binding special effects. The movie moves along at a pretty rapid pace and there is hardly a boring moment as the action sequences succeed in keeping the interest alive. The movie resembles an enjoyable arcade game and action movie buffs will have a field time.

Among the actors, Liam Neeson steals the show in a brief role. The man has class and it shows. Tailor Kitsch is pretty good as the rebellious sailor and he has performed well in the action sequences. Rihanna makes her acting debut with this movie and she is pretty impressive.

Background music of the film deserves special mention. It is outstanding and elevates the action sequences to a new level. As mentioned before, the CGI work is outstanding and it will be a major attraction. For those who grew up playing the ‘Battleship’ board game, the way its game play has been integrated into the movie will be impressive.

Minus Points :

There is absolutely nothing novel in the story and the concept. There are some major issues with the plot. The concept of turning a decommissioned museum exhibit into a battle ready warship in a matter of a few hours, with barely any resources, is a bit too much to digest.

For movies like this to work, the concept of the underdog has to be very strong. There were hardly any cheers from the crowd once Hopper and team figure out a way to defeat the aliens. In other words, the emotional connect is missing.

Brooklyn Decker has virtually nothing to do, except to provide some visual pleasure in the proceedings. The climax is almost abrupt and once again, there is no euphoria about the victory of mankind over an alien race. And the aliens look utterly atrocious, almost like a poor copy of Master Chief from Halo 3.

Technical Aspects :

Cinematography is top notch and editing is neat. As discussed earlier, background score composed by Steve Jablonsky is outstanding. Visual Effects are neat and they will be be a talking point of the movie.

Action sequences have been composed well. Dialogues are pretty cheesy though and there are hardly any memorable lines worth remembering.

Verdict :

As a pure popcorn entertainer, ‘Battleship’ does not disappoint. The numerous action sequences and superb special effects will keep you engaged. A better script and a more involving narration would have really helped matters. Overall, Battleship is a decent one time watch. If you like action flicks and arcade games, don’t miss this one. And for fans of the board game, this movie is a good tribute.

123telugu.com Rating : 3/5

Reviewed by Mahesh K.S.

Legend:

5 – Flawless

4 – Must Watch

3 – One Time Watch

2 – Wait for the DVD

1 – Stay Away