Battleship Directed by: Peter Berg Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: May 18, 2012
TRAILER SCORE: 8/10
Thoughts by TSR: I mocked this when it was first announced, thinking a film based off the game was just about the dumbest idea I’d ever heard. That’s why I’m so surprised to say this, but I think Battleship looks like a lot of fun.
One of the major complaints I’ve seen is that it looks like another Transformers film. Sure, the designs and sound are a bit derivative of those films, but if there is one thing the Transformers movies do well, it is effects – visual and aural. With those aspects looking top notch in this spot, here’s hoping director Peter Berg can make the humans pop. If they do, even slightly, this could be a considerable step up.
The ad doesn’t focus much on the humans, but the film does feature an eclectic cast, for better or worse. For me, Taylor Kitsch and Liam Neeson outweigh the questionable nature of casting Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker as the two primary females. Also, while not human, I really like that the aliens are bipedal. The moment where Kitsch is face to face with one of them looks cool; plus, the way that moment is edited briefly made me forget how little I like Rihanna. That’s impressive.
The aliens using a force field is a clever way of reimagining the board game, but really I’m just looking forward to some maritime Aliens vs. Navy action. Let’s just hope Liam Neeson doesn’t have to say, “You sunk my battleship.” Even he might have a tough time salvaging that line.