Non-traditional adaptations
certainly have a mixed track record when it comes to achieving true summer
blockbuster status; some evolve into billion dollar franchises (Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean), while others are either completely
abandoned (The Haunted Mansion) or
drastically retooled (Paramount’s upcoming G.I.
Joe: Retaliation). Now, where these
past amusement park and toy-line adaptations had established characters,
themes, or settings to build off of in order to establish a cohesive narrative,
a massive amount of creative license would be needed in order to bring a
classic guessing game to life on screen.
While I can look back with nostalgia on the countless times I played
Battleship growing up, I’m sure that my reaction to the announced film project
was shared by countless other potential filmgoers: “Seriously, the film Battleship is actually based on the
board game…how/why?!?” Needless to say,
Universal lost a lot of its credibility with audiences leading into the summer
season on film premise alone, but maybe director Peter Berg and stars like
Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, and Rihanna would still be able to draw an
audience. I certainly wasn’t sold on the
alien angle that Battleship would be
using, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t at least mildly curious to
see how the original game would tie-in, and, let’s face it, explosion-filled
naval warfare is right up my alley.
Battleship
may be far from perfect, but if you are willing to accept that you are watching
a film based on a board game and are able to turn some of the logic centers of
your brain completely off, you will end up being pretty entertained. With enough gratuitous explosions and utter adulation
of the United States Navy to make Michael Bay jealous, the biggest
selling-point of this blockbuster is the action and patriotic tone, which I
know can draw-in even the most skeptical of moviegoers. When considering all of the cinematic
elements that can be reviewed in relation to a film, it turns out that the
biggest shortcoming of Battleship is
its drastically uneven quality, because for every creative narrative element, clever
instance of dialogue, or impressive special effect, there is a mind-numbing,
useless, or thoroughly ridiculous parallel.
As for the big names attached to the project, each of the actors may be
portraying a decidedly formulaic character, but they all remain fun to watch,
whether that involves the heroic Taylor Kitsch or the surprisingly sassy and
engaging Rihanna. So, in the end, Battleship is nowhere near as bad as it
could have been, but as I alluded to before, the consistently-uneven quality
keeps this summer action film placed firmly in the middle of the road.
