Perhaps being promoted as 'from the people that brought you Transformers' isn't the best way to make people go and see Battleship: after all the last two Transformers movies were pretty groan-worthy. In fact if the you think the whole concept behind Battleship the film seems like it is heading up hill from the very beginning... it is in fact based on the good ol' game, Battleship!
While that doesn't sound very entertaining, the creative team behind Battleship have actually done a wonderful job and at the end of the day have created an action film that does what it sets out to do: entertain!
The story centres around Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch), a troubled youngster who is forced into the navy by his brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgard) when his bid to attract the attention of Samantha (Brooklyn Decker) lands him in trouble with the law.
A flash forward sees Alex now in the Navy, dating Samantha who just happens to be the daughter of Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson), and when not getting into more trouble he finds himself preparing for a healthy bout of war games.
Unfortunately, the war games are put on hold when some invaders from out-of-space interrupt them in a bid to take over the world. Due to circumstances that unveil, Alex soon finds himself in charge of the fight-back, buoyed on by his crew that include Raikes (Rihanna – yes the pop star), Ordy (Jesse Plemons) and Alex’s nemesis, Nagata (Tadanobu Asano).
Director Peter Berg makes sure that Battleship remains family friendly. Direct cuts make sure that swearing is only implied and the war scenes aren't too graphic although you can tell there has been loss of life at times - meaning the film is most likely only suitable for older teens and adults.
In the end, Battleship does actually work as a film and the way the creators have included the old board-game is actually quite smart. The story itself will keep you entertained (it will help if you love a little bit of sci-fi), while the film also proves that Taylor Kitsch really is the action hero of the new generation while Rihanna shows the world she may actually be able to act.
Well worth a look if you want to see an action film that entertains.