Battleship parents guide

Battleship Parent Guide

It's a plot with a glut of special effects that requires a universal suspension of reason.

Overall C+

"You sunk my Battleship!" The legendary game becomes a movie but the opponent is not what you would expect. The crew of a U.S. battleship finds what appears to be the first sign of alien life on Earth but before they can investigate monstrous machines and mechanical weapons begin attacking -- first by sea and then by land.

Release date May 18, 2012

Violence C
Sexual Content B+
Profanity C
Substance Use C+

Why is Battleship rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Battleship PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, action and destruction, and for language.

Run Time: 132 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Hasbro Inc. has entered the entertainment business on a whole new level. After the Transformers trilogy grossed more than $2.6 billion worldwide (and made the Transformers toys the company’s top selling brand last year), the toy maker has joined forces with Universal Studios to adapt the board game Battleship for a theatrical staging in a cinema near you.

Considering the US military’s significant involvement in the production of this movie, the film might also be mistaken for a kind of promo ad—except that thousands of soldiers die when several ships and a military base are blown to bits. Still the story pays homage to the fighting skills of past war veterans and combat amputees. (US Army Colonel Gregory Gadson, who lost both legs in Iraq in 2007, makes his acting debut as Lt. Col. Mick Canales. Other film star newbies include singer Rihanna who gets her acting legs under her as Petty Officer Cora ‘Weps’ Raikes and Pres. Barack Obama who makes a cameo appearance.)

In the story, Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) may have read the Chinese treatise Art of War several times but the badly behaved sibling of Naval Commander Stone Hopper (Alexander Skarsgard) hasn’t learned a thing about getting his life in order. After committing a stupid stunt to impress a girl (Brooklyn Decker), Alex gets a harsh dressing down from his older brother who forces him to join the Navy. (In reality, he probably should have been doing jail time.) Yet despite Alex’s continued aversion to discipline that has him headed for a dishonorable discharge, he appears to skyrocket his way up through the ranks. This questionable officer’s status suddenly propels him into the commander’s chair after his ship’s captain is killed in a face-off with aliens.

The attackers, with helmets that make them sound like Darth Vader, have found their way to Earth thanks to an “invitation” beamed through the galaxy by a group of deep space scientists. Like E.T., these invaders are eager to establish a communication link that will let them phone home, but they won’t be appeased with a simple sampling of Reese’s Pieces. Their intent is to exterminate the natives and bring in the rest of their clan.

Like in so many alien movies, these extraterrestrial ships are monstrous, with technology seemingly light years ahead of earthlings’. Part of their weaponry includes huge, whirling robotic balls that can chew through the metal hull of a ship like a teenage boy through a bowl of breakfast cereal. A wall of ammunition launching devices cover the side of their spaceship and hurl drum-like containers of explosives that rip apart boats and buildings. In the face of this, audiences are asked to believe that a few humans, with some military missiles and a couple of short-range guns on a decommissioned battleship, can annihilate the intruders. It’s a plot with a glut of special effects that requires a universal suspension of reason.

Although the script’s salty language along with enormous explosions and frequent attacks will dissuade some viewers from buying tickets, Lt. Alex Hopper is the real problem. Of necessity the military prides itself on discipline. However, Alex continually goes off half-cocked, getting into scraps with fellow and foreign officers and making decisions that threaten the safety of other soldiers. While the glamorization of his disorderly conduct might be okay in the pretend world of movie war, it would no doubt cost lives on the real battlefront.

Directed by Peter Berg. Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna. Running time: 132 minutes. Theatrical release May 18, 2012. Updated

Battleship
Rating & Content Info

Why is Battleship rated PG-13? Battleship is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for intense sequences of violence, action and destruction, and for language.

Violence: Alien attacks result in huge explosions that destroy ships, roadways, buildings, a military base and much of a downtown area. It also causes thousands of deaths and injuries. Numerous bloody wounds and dead bodies are seen. Soldiers return fire, resulting in more explosions. Aliens make threatening gestures to children and adult characters. A character breaks into a business and is later shot repeatedly with a Taser (injuries are shown). A man is kicked in the face during a soccer game. Characters engage in hand-to-hand combat. War amputees in a military hospital undergo rehabilitation. One character deals with anger issues. Gory and often grotesque images are depicted.

Sexual Content: A couple kisses on several occasions. A woman wears a bikini top and other low cut clothing.

Language: The script contains numerous profanities, scatological slang, terms of Deity and some slurs.

Alcohol / Drug Use: A man drinks numerous bottles of beer and other liquor in a bar, and then acts irresponsibly.

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Battleship Parents' Guide

Actual destroyers featured in the film include the USS Sampson, USS John Paul Jones, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Missouri. The USS Missouri now serves as the centerpiece of the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Would a retired battleship that is serving as a museum still have live ammunition aboard? How easy would it be for the soldiers to get the boat up and running in a matter of minutes? How does the warfare conducted during the Korean War compare with combat today?

US Army Colonel Gregory Gadson serves as a Director in the US Wounded Warrior Project, a program designed to assist and support severely wounded or sick soldiers and their families. How can these programs help soldiers and their families adjust to difficult circumstances?

RIMPAC is the world’s largest international maritime exercise involving numerous nations. The event is meant to promote stability in the region. RIMPAC 2012 begins June 29.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Battleship movie is August 28, 2012. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Battleship

Release Date: 28 August 2012

Battleship releases to home video in a Blu-ray/DVD/UV Digital Copy package. Bonus extras include:

- Preparing for Battle

- All Hands on Deck: The Cast

- Engage in Battle

- Alternate ending pre-visualization with commentary by Peter Berg

- The Visual Effects of Battleship

- All Access with Director Peter Berg

- USS Missouri VIP Tour

- Commander Pete

- Second Screen functionalities including Alien Tech 3D Model Turntable Explosions

Related home video titles:

Savvy moviegoers may notice a resemblance between this movie’s special effects and those found in the Transformer film. The reason may be that both productions have connections to the Hasbro Toy Company.

Battling aliens is not new to several of the actors in this movie. Taylor Kitsch took on Martians in John Carter and Liam Neeson was a Jedi Knight in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.