The first trailer for Battleship has been released today. Universal has reportedly spent $200 million on Peter Berg‘s latest and from this first trailer, it’s easy to see where most of the money went. It looks absolutely ridiculous. The film comes off as an amped up version of Skyline, which isn’t a good thing. Speaking of good things, the only positive thing I can spot here is Liam Neeson. Aside from that, nothing about the film appeals to me.
It seems a bit too identical to Battle: Los Angeles and really, I don’t think Battleship is going to offer very much. Some nifty special effects and a handful of mindless action may be enough to entertain some viewer but for me, I’m sick of all these alien invasion films that skimp out on writing and acting in favor of cool visuals.
Admittedly, I didn’t hate Battle: Los Angeles but Skyline was pretty bad. Plus, I’m just tired of the whole alien invasion trend. Honestly, how many times do we need to see our planet being attacked? It seems like ever since District 9 became a success, more and more alien films have been popping up in Hollywood. And truthfully, none of them have been as good as District 9 was.
Will Battleship make money? Yes, absolutely. Will it be any good though? Likely not. It looks very cheesy and cliched and it just feels like we’ve seen this same film a million times already. If you’re going to do the whole alien invasion thing do it right, like they did with District 9.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m always up for a good action blockbuster but Battleship just looks too recycled and dull to really get me excited. It doesn’t seem like it will offer anything new and aside from Neeson, I see no reason why you should waste your money on this one.
The film stars Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Liam Neeson, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, Josh Pence, Jesse Plemons and Peter MacNicol.
Battleship opens May 18th, 2012.
Peter Berg (Hancock) produces and directs Battleship, an epic action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Based on Hasbro’s classic naval combat game, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper’s fiance, Alexander Skarsgard as Hopper’s older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper’s crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone’s superior (and Sam’s father), Admiral Shane.