Jump to content

Battleship (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jemather (talk | contribs) at 03:11, 29 April 2012 (Undid revision 489716392 by WrappedInBlack (talk) rv vandalism, even if clever vandalism.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the film. For the video game based on this film, see Battleship (2012 video game).
Battleship
Promotional poster
Directed byPeter Berg
Written byJon Hoeber
Erich Hoeber
Produced byPeter Berg
Brian Goldner
Duncan Henderson
Bennett Schneir
Scott Stuber
StarringTaylor Kitsch
Alexander Skarsgård
Brooklyn Decker
Rihanna
Liam Neeson
Tadanobu Asano
CinematographyTobias A. Schliessler
Edited byColby Parker Jr.
Billy Rich
Paul Rubell
Music bySteve Jablonsky[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • April 3, 2012 (2012-04-03) (Tokyo, Premiere)
  • April 11, 2012 (2012-04-11) (United Kingdom)
  • April 12, 2012 (2012-04-12) (Australia)
  • May 18, 2012 (2012-05-18) (United States)
Running time
131 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film US
LanguageEnglish
Budget$200 million
Box office$149,918,046[2]

Battleship is a 2012 American science fiction action naval war film based on the game of the same name. The film was directed by Peter Berg and released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, and Liam Neeson.

The film was originally planned to be released in 2011, but was rescheduled to April 11, 2012 in the United Kingdom and May 18, 2012 in the United States.[3] The film's world premiere was in Tokyo, Japan on April 3, 2012.

Plot

In 2005, NASA discovers an extrasolar planet with conditions similar to Earth. On the chance that it contains intelligent life, NASA transmits a powerful signal from a communications array in Hawaii, which will be boosted by a satellite in orbit. Around the same time, the talented but undisciplined slacker Alex Hopper attempts to impress a woman by getting her a chicken burrito; the result of which sees Alex break into a convenience store and be tasered by the police later. The woman is later revealed to be Samantha Shane, daughter of United States Pacific Fleet commanding officer Vice Admiral Shane, who in turn is the superior of Commander Stone Hopper, Alex's elder brother. Fed up and infuriated at Alex for lack of motivation and possibly ruining his own career, Stone forces him to join the United States Navy.

By 2012, Alex is a lieutenant and the Tactical Action Officer aboard the destroyer USS John Paul Jones, while Stone is the commanding officer of USS Sampson. Alex is also now in a committed relationship with Samantha, and wants to marry her, but is afraid of asking her father for permission. During the opening ceremony for the RIMPAC multinational naval exercise, Alex gets into a brawl with Captain Nagata, commanding officer of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer JDS Myōkō; the latest in a string of incidents marring the young officer's career. Alex is given a dressing-down by Admiral Shane, and later learns from his brother that there is a good chance he will be discharged at the end of RIMPAC. Meanwhile, Samantha, a physical therapist, accompanies retired Army veteran and amputee Mick Canales on a hike on Oahu in order to help him adapt to his prosthetic legs.

A small fleet of five alien ships arrives in response to the NASA signal. One ship collides with an orbital satellite and crashes in Hong Kong, while four others land in the waters near Hawaii. Sampson, John Paul Jones, and Myōkō are sent to investigate, but are trapped when one of the ships erects an impenetrable force field around the Hawaiian islands. The three destroyers attempt to establish contact, but the aliens open fire: Sampson and Myōkō are destroyed, with the entire crew of Sampson annihilated, including Stone, and John Paul Jones is damaged with the commanding and executive officers killed. Initially attached to Sampson, Alex, who was one of the few out to take a closer look at the alien vessels, now boards John Paul Jones. Being the most senior officer left on the ship, he is forced to take command. Although initially wanting to attack the alien ships in retaliation for his brother's and his crew's death, Alex is convinced to break off and recover survivors from Myōkō, with Captain Nagata among them; this act prompts the aliens to call off another attack. Although the barrier is preventing the use of radar and sonar, Nagata reveals that they could use the tsunami warning buoys around Hawaii to track the alien vessels' movements by their displacement. During a night-time battle, the aliens and the humans exchange pot shots, with John Paul Jones sinking two, but unable to lock onto the third. An alien soldier is recovered from the water; from the brief contact with the alien, the humans determine that the aliens are very sensitive to sunlight. Alex uses his ship to lure the alien vessel close to shore, where he and Nagata shoot out its bridge windows at sunrise, then proceed to fire at the alien vessel full force. Both ships are destroyed in the ensuing battle.

Because the ship that crashed in Hong Kong was their communications ship, the aliens land soldiers on Oahu and take over the area around the array while using it to signal their home planet. Samantha and Mick narrowly avoid detection and run into a fleeing NASA scientist. Believing that a much larger invasion might be imminent, the scientist goes back to the array and gets a radio, which Samantha uses to warn Alex. He had planned to destroy the array with his ship, but since John Paul Jones has been destroyed, the survivors are forced to return to base and acquire the only available naval vessel, the battleship USS Missouri. Although a museum ship, Alex and his crew are able to reactivate Missouri with the aid of the retired old veterans preserving her. The battleship engages the alien ship and destroys its barrier but ends up with only one high-explosive shell left. Alex uses it to fire on the array, but before the defenseless Missouri can be attacked one more time by the now-decimated alien ship, fighters from the RIMPAC fleet (which scrambled to attack as soon as the barrier was gone) arrive and eliminate the alien ship, while the NASA array explodes, destroying all the aliens and their equipment.

Back on shore, the naval personnel, along with Mick, are honored for their actions in defeating the alien invasion. After the ceremony, Alex finally asks Admiral Shane for his daughter's hand in marriage; the admiral initially refuses, then invites Alex to lunch (by recalling the chicken burrito incident) to discuss the matter.

A post-credits scene set in rural Scotland shows three schoolchildren and a handyman breaking open a car-sized object that has apparently fallen from the sky. They suddenly run off in terror after seeing an alien hand reach out and grab the opening, hinting at a possible sequel.

Cast

Production

Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker and Peter Berg promoting the film at WonderCon 2012.

The estimated US$200 million project was to begin filming in Australia's Gold Coast in 2010, but the production company changed location due to a lack of Australian government tax incentives.[4]

Filming took place in the United States on the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Oahu, as well as in Sherman Oaks, California to do a few apartment scenes and in Playa del Rey, California where they filmed a driving scene along with a shootout.[5] Battleship was also filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[6]

The Science & Entertainment Exchange provided science consultation for the film.[7]

A ship of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force also appeared in the film.[8]

Casting

Jeremy Renner was originally considered for the role of Hopper, but with conflicting schedules, the actor chose to star in a Paul Thomas Anderson drama filming at roughly the same time.[9][10] In April 2010, it was reported that Taylor Kitsch had been cast as Alex Hopper.[10][11] Brooklyn Decker stars as Sam, Hopper's fiancee, Liam Neeson as Admiral Shane, Sam's father and Hopper's superior officer.[12] and Alexander Skarsgård announced as his brother Stone Hopper.[13] Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna makes her acting debut in the film, acting as a sailor.[14] In an interview with GQ, Berg explained how he came up with the idea to cast her. He realized she could act after seeing her 2009 interview about the Chris Brown assault on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer during which he found her "intelligent and articulate", and her appearance on Saturday Night Live.[15] She accepted the role because she wanted "to do something badass" and also because it wasn't a role too big for her to play.[16] Tadanobu Asano will also have a role in the film as the commander of a Japanese destroyer. Double amputee US Army Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Gadson plays the role of a legless recuperating US Army Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales.[17]

The film marks the reunion between former co-stars Kitsch and Jesse Plemons, who previously worked together on Berg's TV series Friday Night Lights. Berg said he loves working with friends and explained he knew how comfortable Kitsch was with Plemons, "I know that he’s really good for Taylor and he makes Taylor better. So, I wrote that whole part for Jesse." He added, "I never thought of it as a Friday Night Lights reunion. I thought of it as protection, bringing a trusted family member in."[18]

Actual U.S. Navy sailors were used as extras in various parts of this film. Sailors from assorted commands in Navy Region Hawaii assisted with line handling to take USS Missouri in and out of port for a day of shooting in mid 2010.[citation needed] A few months later, the production team put out a casting call for sailors in the same area to serve as extras.[citation needed] Sailors were also taken from various ships stationed at Naval Station Mayport, Jacksonville, Florida: USS Hué City, USS Carney and USS Vicksburg were some of the ships that provided sailors.[citation needed]

Release

Taylor Kitsch (left) and Rihanna (right) at the Battleship Australian premiere in April 2012.

The film's world premiere took place in Tokyo on April 3, 2012. The event was attended by director Peter Berg, actors Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Alexander Skarsgård and Rihanna. Later on they initiated a Press Tour visiting Madrid and London to promote the film.

Box office

Battleship has earned $141,558,604 in markets outside North America, as of April 24, 2012.[19] The film opened on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 in many countries outside North America, more than five weeks before its North America release, earning $7.4 million.[20] Through Friday, the film earned a 3-day total of $25 million.[21] By the end of its opening weekend, it earned $55.2 million from 26 markets, ranking second behind Titanic 3D.[22] However, on its second weekend, it topped the box office outside North America, with $60 million.[23] In South Korea, it achieved the highest-grossing opening day for a non-sequel and the third-highest overall ($2.8 million).[21] It also set an opening-day record for Universal Studios in Malaysia ($390,000).[20] In comparison to other Hasbro films, Battleship's opening in the UK ( million) was behind the first Transformers ( million), but did better than G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra ( million).[24]

Critical reception

Reviews of the film were mixed. As of April 18, 2012, Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, has given the film an average score of 43% based on four reviews,[25] while Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 48% based on reviews from 46 critics, and reports a rating average of 4.9 out of 10.[26]

Megan Lehmann of The Hollywood Reporter thought that the "impressive visual effects and [director Peter] Berg's epic set pieces fight against an armada of cinematic clichés and some truly awful dialogue."[27] Empire magazine's Nick de Semlyen felt there was a lack of character development and memorable action shots, and sums up his review of the movie in one word: "Miss".[28]

Many reviews panned the "based on a boardgame" concept driving the film, although some, such as Jason Di Rosso from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National, claimed the ridiculousness of the setup is "either sheer joy or pure hell -- depending on how seriously you take it", while de Semlyen "had to admire [the film's creators] jumping through hoops to engineer a sequence that replicates the board game".[29][28][30] Several compared the film to Michael Bay's Transformers film series in terms of quality and cinematic style, with Giles Hardie of The Sydney Morning Herald claiming that the movie "finds the same balance between action-packed imagination and not taking the premise seriously that made Michael Bay's original Transformers such a joyride."[27][29]

References

  1. ^ "Steve Jablonsky Confirmed to Score 'Battleship'". Film Music Reporter. May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ "Box Office Mojo (2012-03-13). "'Box Office Mojo Movie Gross". Retrieved April 22, 2012". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Weintraub, Steve (February 5, 2010). "Peter Berg's Battleship Is Now Sailing Memorial Day Weekend 2012". Collider.com. Retrieved July 10, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "$100m Film Deal Sunk". goldcoast.com.au. March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010. {{cite web}}: Text "firsewis" ignored (help)
  5. ^ Holcombe, Jeremy (September 8, 2010). "First Pictures of Rihanna and Taylor Kitsch on Hawaii Battleship Set". Aloha Update. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  6. ^ "Production Weekly – Issue 715 – Thursday, June 3, 2010 / 125 listings – 26 pages". Production Weekly (715). Scribd.com: 3. June 3, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  7. ^ "Recent Projects". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  8. ^ Kyle Mizokami (July 27, 2011). "MSDF in New Hollywood Film, "BATTLESHIP"". New Pacific Institute Project.
  9. ^ Rosenberg, Adam (February 18, 2012). "'The Hurt Locker' Star Jeremy Renner In Talks For 'Battleship,' Edgar Allen Poe's Last Days Thriller". MTV. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Taylor Kitsch to Star in 'Battleship' Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. April 4, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2010.[dead link]
  11. ^ Winning, Josh (April 8, 2010). "Taylor Kitsch boards Battleship movie". Total Film. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  12. ^ "Liam Neeson Joins Battleship Cast". ComingSoon.net. September 7, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  13. ^ Benigno, Anthony (July 27, 2010). "Rihanna to make movie debut in 'Battleship' opposite Alexander Skarsgard, Taylor Kitsch". Daily News. Retrieved March 20, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ McNary, Dave (July 26, 2010). "Rihanna to star in Universal's Battleship". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  15. ^ Berg, Peter (April 4, 2012). "Why I cast Rihanna in Battleship". GQ. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  16. ^ Prinzivalli, Fallon (April 3 2012). "Rihanna Wanted To Be 'Badass,' Not A Love Interest In 'Battleship'". MTV. Retrieved April 24, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Legless colonel plays self in Battleship". Phil Star. April 14, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  18. ^ Radish, Christina (March 19, 2012). "Brooklyn Decker and Director Peter Berg Talk BATTLESHIP, Naval Warfare and the Design of the Aliens at WonderCon". Collider.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  19. ^ Battleship (2012) - International Box Office Results
  20. ^ a b Finke, Nikki (March 13, 2012). "'Battleship' Builds $25M Foreign War Chest". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  21. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (March 14, 2012). "Box Office Report: 'Hunger Games' Edges Out 'Three Stooges,' 'Cabin in the Woods'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Segers, Frank (March 15, 2012). "Foreign Box Office: 'Titanic 3D' Unsinkable No. 1 Overseas After Sensational China Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  23. ^ Subers, Ray (April 24, 2012). "Around-the-World Roundup: 'Battleship' Sinks 'Titanic'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  24. ^ Gant, Charles (April 17, 2012). "Battleship cruises to top of UK box office charts". The Guardian. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  25. ^ "Battleship". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  26. ^ "Battleship". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  27. ^ a b Lehmann, Megan (April 11, 2012). "Battleship: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  28. ^ a b de Semlyen, Nick. "Empire's Battleship Movie Review". Empire Magazine. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  29. ^ a b Hardie, Giles (April 12, 2012). "Battleship movie review". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  30. ^ Di Rosso, Jason (April 12, 2012). "Battleship". MovieTime. Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved April 18, 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battleship_(film)&oldid=489724400"