Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Price: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $34.98
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Taylor Kitsch (TV’s Friday Night Lights) takes on aliens in the action movie Battleship, which was inspired by the old Hasbro boardgame
Kitsch plays Lieutenant Alex Hopper, a naval weapons officer assigned to the destroyer USS John Paul, which ends up being humanity’s last hope against a global alien invasion. Also on board are Alexander Skarsgard (Straw Dogs) as Hopper’s older brother Stone, commanding officer of the USS Sampson; singer Rihanna in her movie debut as petty officer second class Cora Raikes, Hopper’s crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul; Brooklyn Decker (Just Go With It) as Hopper’s fiance; and Liam Neeson (The Grey) as Admiral Shane, the commander of the Pacific fleet and Hopper and Stone’s boss.
I don’t remember aliens in the game when I was kid, but apparently the film’s writers Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber (Red) and director Peter Berg (Hancock) felt they’d add a little extra excitement to the number calling.
The aliens didn’t, however, wow critics. Richard Roeper called the movie, “Big loud stupid dopey shameless cliched overbearing and did I mention stupid?” Ouch. Tom Long of the Detroit News gave the film a little more hope, saying, “Battleship doesn’t sink, really. It just sits there booming endlessly as you look on aghast.”
The film is the second of a string of three badly reviewed movies headlined by Kitsch, starting with John Carter, which we liked better than some, and before Oliver Stone’s Savages, which critics also panned.
Rated PG-13, Battleship grossed $64 million in theaters in the U.S. but did better overseas, where it earned $236.7 million.
Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain special features. Here’s the list:
- featurette “Preparing for Battle” about how the filmmakers teamed with the US Navy for the movie
- featurette “All Hands on Deck: The Cast” showing the actors getting into the military mindset
- two-part segment “Engage in Battle”
- “Shooting at Sea” showing the challenges of the crew on their “soundstage at sea”
- “All Aboard the Fleet” with cast and crew members sharing their experiences shooting on the ships, particularly the historic USS Missouri
Exclusive to the Blu-ray are these bonuses:
- alternate ending pre-visualization with commentary by Berg
- fesaturette “The Visual Effects of Battleship” showing the water-simulation programs and motion capture at Industrial Light & Magic
- “All Access With Director Peter Berg” with Berg going behind the scenes
- “USS Missouri VIP Tour” with Berg and Navy veterans hosting a look at the historic “Mighty Mo” and the facts and action that has been on the decks
- “Commander Pete” with Berg energizing the cast and crew
- Universal’s Second Screen with these features on a computer or tablet as the movie plays
- “Alien Tech 3D Model Turntable Explosions”
- “All Access With Director Peter Berg”
- “Flick View” to allow users to move content from their portable to their TV
- Pocket Blu app that allows smartphones to interact with Blu-ray players
- BD-Live
The Blu-ray/DVD Combo also includes a downloadable digital copy of Battleship and instant streaming via UltraViolet.
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Buy or Rent Battleship
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