Battleship

Michael Bay would be proud. This Pearl Harbor meets Transformers meets what I was hoping Independence Day would be 16 years ago blows conventional disaster/alien invasion films out of the water in what can only be described as a ridiculous story brilliantly executed. Peter Berg gets back behind the camera for his first film since 2008's Hancock, and really delivers what an audience might expect. He doesn't take his craft too seriously, and I mean that as a compliment, but he cuts right to the chase and gives us the Naval action that Battleship ultimately advertises.

Dubious of the premise from the announcement that Hasbro's relic of a game would be translated to the big screen, I admire how Berg took a lesson from Bay and Emmerich and decided to morph this idea into an alien invasion set to the backdrop of the Hawaiian islands and a mock Naval training exercise gone awry. Subplots of romance, redemption, heroism and leadership, and survival are tenderly and meticulously placed so as to not upset the natural order of eye popping special effects and explosions.

Taylor Kitsch redeems himself for John Carter (who can blame him, the payday must have been too much to pass up on). He channels his Friday Night Lights role of Tim Riggins, and plays the gruff and delinquent Lieutenant Hopper who is living under the shadow of his successful brother, and trying to win the affection of his love's father, who happens to be the Admiral of the fleet that he's working with. He's impulsive and maverick. It's a typical archetype thrown into a situation where he needs to grow up quickly to save humanity. A convenient storyline, but Berg wastes no time accelerating the back story to get right to the action. During a training exercise, aliens land and create an impenetrable force field that keeps the fleet outside, while they create a beacon on Oahu to call for reinforcements. However, there are a handful of ships that are stuck on the inside. Strategic battles ensue, cliche chains of command and heroic decisions lead to the final battle, which I must say is pretty damn cool.

The film moves quickly, staging the next big fight while moving the story forward, and not wasting time with details like continuity, or even remote realism. Berg delivers exactly what is expected, and I was actually pleased that time wasn't wasted trying to explain the questionable plot points. The explosions are the real star of the film. You know that when a Navy warship arms, and aliens attack, the clash is epic. There is even homage to the classic game with a tense scene of blind hunting using a coordinate grid. Touche, Peter Berg.

Liam Neeson plays the Admiral, and he coasts through his lines, only taking screen time when he has to. Brooklyn Decker is the impossibly gorgeous girlfriend of Kitsch's Hopper, and she plays the role with a bit more grace and a bit less eye-candy than Michael Bay would approve of. Alexander Skarsgard is Kitsch's brother, the responsible and mature voice of reason in his life. The rest of the cast is a mishmash of Navy personnel and unknown actors. The one exception is Rhianna, who is head-scratchingly bad. She must be an attempt to appeal to a different demographic, but to say she can't act is an understatement. She is painful to watch on the screen. To my chagrin, she is establishing quite a film career with upcoming roles in a Seth Rogan comedy and the next Fast and Furious film. The aliens are given a humanoid appearance, which makes this seem like a more reasonable fight. Despite the obvious technological advantages, they seem beatable, unlike so many of the other invasion films of recent memory.

My biggest complaint is that although my math is a bit rusty, four minus three is still one as far as I know. The film ends all too abruptly, and it's like Berg just shut the water off at the end of the shower, not even taking time to wash the soap off. It's nice to not have to sift through the melodramatic carnage, but the resolution jumped straight to the credits. I truly can't wait until Hasbro rolls out GI Joe: Retaliation this summer, and then the much anticipated big screen productions of Risk and Candyland (that's not a typo).

This is a fun movie to watch. Get some popcorn and don't expect too much. Kitsch will be an action star soon. 8/10.

The Avengers

The heavily anticipated assemblage of Marvel superheroes is simply amazing. With a titanic budget of $260,000,000 (the zeroes add dramatic effect), it is the second most expensive film ever made behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Quite an investment by a young studio despite its recent success with the Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, and let's not forget, X-Men endeavors. Well, the gamble has paid off in dividends as it's the second biggest Friday opening of all time, raking in $80 million domestically, on pace for a whopping $175 million weekend. Add the international take, estimated at around $325 million by the end of the weekend, and you have a success of epic proportions. That's right. $500 million gross by the end of the weekend.

Anyway, the expectation has been building since the teaser after the Captain America credits last summer, and the reputation of Joss Whedon has certainly added to the frenzy. All of the heroes we know and love return with the addition of Mark Ruffalo taking the reigns of the enigmatic Hulk in a new incarnation that is much more animalistic and simian than the previous two. Whedon delivers an absolutely tremendous mind-blowing orchestration of special effects and action.

The story takes us to an impending invasion of Earth led by the mischievous Loki, the half-brother of Thor of Asgaard. If you aren't following, don't worry, the story is kept relatively auspicious, and that's a good thing. The assumption from the opening credits is that there is a basic understanding of the characters and the story lines, but they aren't necessary to enjoy the spectacle. Each superhero is brought in to save the world, and after initial disagreements, there is a final battle in the heart of New York City that rocks the screen and showcases each of their strengths. They each evolve as individuals for the benefit of the team throughout the film, in a predictable yet satisfying way. There isn't anything new or clever about the plot, as you have an all-star cast of characters, so they are obviously the focus. Whedon does a remarkable job splitting the screen time so that nobody is left behind. A brilliant choice to use the Hulk sparingly adds both intrigue and tension, and Ruffalo is a nice fit as a reluctant hero who finally embraces his purpose.

Paced quickly, there is rarely a dull moment, and when there is, it is full of quick wit and nicely timed humor. Downey as Iron Man uses his characteristically annoying yet captivating loquacious rants to keep us entertained, and ultimately sets us up for the next film on the docket, Iron Man 3.

Captain America takes the reigns as the team leader, while Thor flexes his muscles but ultimately becomes a supporting character alongside Hawkeye and Black Widow (who has significant screentime). The surprise to me was the importance placed on the Hulk character and the brilliant CGI resemblance to Ruffalo. He was certainly given the most entertaining part, and was tasked with great lines and single actions that broke the action for some sharply timed comedy.

The only complaint I have, besides the somewhat overwhelming 3D battle scenes, was a whole unnecessary sequence of turning an aircraft carrier into a floating fortress, which ultimately led to a problematic and fantastical action scene. Entertaining to be sure, but I couldn't shake the "why didn't they just stay on the water?" idea. The Marvel movies have found a different audience; one of all ages and all demographics, and the box office draw proves that. The theatre was packed with people of all ages, including some great costumes. Phoenix Jones would have been proud. I've said it before, and I'll say it just once more: Marvel has brilliantly selected, spread out, and released their films with business savvy and discretion. Staying true to form, there is a sneak peek at the villain of the next film after the credits, which should certainly be fun for the writers. Be sure to stay all the way to the end though. There's a great punctuation mark to what is going to be a difficult film to beat. Nice work, Joss Whedon. 10/10.