Movie · 2012 · Thriller, Action, Adventure, Science Fiction · 2h 11m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.5/10 (394.9K ratings)
The battle for Earth begins at sea.
Overview
When mankind beams a radio signal into space, a reply comes from ‘Planet G’, in the form of several alien crafts that splash down in the waters off Hawaii. Lieutenant Alex Hopper is a weapons officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones, part of an international naval coalition which becomes the world's last hope for survival as they engage the hostile alien force of unimaginable strength. While taking on the invaders, Hopper must also try to live up to the potential that his brother, and his fiancée's father—an Admiral—expect of him.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.5/10
IMDb: 5.8/10
Letterboxd: 2.26/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 34%
Metacritic: 41
TMDB: 5.9/10
Director
Peter Berg
Production
Bluegrass Films, Film 44, dentsu, Universal Pictures, Hasbro Studios
Cast
Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Tadanobu Asano, Hamish Linklater, Liam Neeson, Peter MacNicol, John Tui, Jesse Plemons, Gregory D. Gadson, Jerry Ferrara, Adam Godley, Rico McClinton, Joji Yoshida, Louis Lombardi, Norman Vincent McLafferty, Stephen Bishop, Dante Jimenez, Daven Arce
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, absurdly overqualified alien-invasion spectacle that works best as a guilty-pleasure action movie rather than a serious sci-fi adaptation. The set pieces, naval hardware, and committed performances give it enough momentum to be entertaining, even when the plot is thin and the product-placement energy is impossible to ignore.
Best for
viewers who enjoy big dumb action done with conviction
fans of military hardware and large-scale destruction
people in the mood for a glossy, noisy popcorn movie
audiences who like earnest blockbuster cheese
Skip if
you want smart sci-fi or coherent worldbuilding
you dislike militaristic spectacle and recruitment-adjacent vibes
you need strong character writing or emotional depth
you are allergic to shameless blockbuster absurdity
Overview
Battleship is the kind of studio movie that seems engineered by committee and then accidentally made watchable by sheer force of momentum. It takes a ridiculous premise, adds alien mayhem, and throws in enough naval procedure, explosions, and swagger to keep the engine running even when the script is running on fumes.
Worth noting
The movie’s appeal is mostly tactile: ships, missiles, radar screens, and water-bound chaos staged with real scale. It also has a weirdly sincere, almost old-fashioned blockbuster confidence, which makes the silliness easier to forgive. That said, the character arcs are boilerplate, the dialogue is often clunky, and the film’s military reverence can feel more like branding than drama.
Bottom line
If you meet it on its own terms, there’s a certain junk-food charm here. It’s not a good adaptation of a board game, but it is a competent, occasionally fun alien invasion movie with enough spectacle to justify a casual watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Samuel Scott (1.5★) · 1110 likes
Miss.
Tim Portis (1★) · 725 likes
Battleshit.
Matt (0.5★) · 467 likes
This battleship was sunk even before Rihanna yells "Mahalo, motherfucker!" at a Beyblade...I mean, a Transformer...I mean, fuck this movie.
Chris Evangelista (1.5★) · 311 likes
A movie so stupid it's actually impressive. Like, you would have to *try* to make something this stupid.
– Alexander Skarsgård plays a character named Stone Hopper– Rihanna *refuses* to take her hat off; there's even a scene where she falls into the water and makes sure to hold her hat on– Liam Neeson shows up for a few minutes, vanishes, then comes back at the end to remind you he's still here– Multiple AC/DC needle drops… more
Andy Summers 🤠 (3.5★) · 296 likes
Rihanna got wet, do you think she forgot her umbrella, ella, ella.