Battleship (2012)

Today’s breaking news story comes to us through Dr. Nogrady (Adam Goodly), the head of NASA’s Beacon International Project, as he announces that scientists have identified an Earth like planet that they believe could sustain life; their goal is to transmit a signal to what they’re calling, Planet G, from a communication station located on Oahu, Hawaii.

Elsewhere on Oahu, Alex Hopper (Taylor Kirtsch) and his brother Navy Commander Stone Hopper (Alexander Skarsgard) are in a bar celebrating Alex’s birthday; Stone recalls a quote from an old coach:

“Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself.”

Then he presents Alex with a single candle Birthday Cupcake and Alex wastes his one wish on a beautiful girl at the bar; but she’s not just any girl, Samantha Shane (Brooklyn Decker) is the daughter of Navy Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson). After quite an eventful night, Stone informs Alex that it’s time to grow up and he forces Alex to join him in the Navy.

Sometime later, thousands of sailors on dozens of ships are meeting in Hawaii for RIMPACA XXII; the world’s largest International Maritime War Games Exercise with 14 Navies and 20,000 Navy personnel, and the event also includes a memorial ceremony held on the decommissioned USS Missouri honoring Old-Salt (senior war veterans). It’s kind of like the Olympics, with game exercises on land and at sea. Alex has become a Navy Lieutenant and he did get the girl, he’s been dating Samantha all along, and now it’s time to formally ask for her hand in marriage; but he’s so intimidated by Admiral Shane that he screws up every opportunity he gets. Including today, even after Samantha had reserved specific private time for them to talk; Alex gets into a brawl with Japanese Captain Yugi Nagata (Tadanobu Asano) and Admiral Shane lashes out at him confirming his disapproval. The sea exercises begin and Alex is on the USS John Paul Jones, while Stone is on the USS Sampson; he informs Alex that the JAG will probably kick him out of the Navy after they’re done with RIMPAC. Meanwhile Dr. Nogrady, NASA, and the US Air Force are in contact with Cal (Hamish Linklater), the lead scientist at the communication satellite array station in Hawaii. 5 strange objects have entered our atmosphere, Cal has been advised to brace for impact as some of the unknown objects crash into the Pacific Ocean near him as well as several other areas around the world. NASA tells the Secretary of Defense that they believe this may be an alien response to the communication signals that they have been transmitting. Lucky for us, our Navy fleets are already in the Pacific and the floating objects can be seen by eye, but cannot be detected by radar. Alex gets sent out to investigate the floating objects and manages to activate some kind of force field, 3 Navy ships are trapped inside the barrier while the remaining naval fleets are located outside. Pretty soon, 3 large unfamiliar vessels emerge in front of the floating object; Stone orders the firing of a single warning shot for which the enemy retaliates and all hell breaks loose, 2 of the 3 trapped ships are annihilated. The enemy has also launched more strange objects to attack military bases and transportation infrastructures on land. Aliens have also landed on Oahu and NASA has determined that the aliens are planning to use our satellite array in Saddle Ridge Oahu to direct more of their kind to wage an extinction level event here on Earth. After a ferocious battle inside the barrier, all 3 Navy ships and 3 enemy vessels have been destroyed and all that’s left are a couple of lifeboats with far less than one ship’s full crew. Aliens are still on Oahu setting up to get their signal out and now, Alex and Captain Nagata need to find a way to blow up the Satellite array station before the aliens begin to transmit. But the only ship left in the harbor is the decommissioned USS Missouri, she’s a floating museum and these soldiers have no idea how to get her back into combat condition. However, once they get aboard, the ship’s hull comes to life with Old-Salt manned at all stations. “Oh brother, somebody gonna kiss the donkey!” And on that note both young and old Navy soldiers are ready to Rock, Lock and Load the USS Missouri into position to destroy the satellite array station and reclaim our planet.

Battleship is action packed with drama and awesome special effects, and indeed another Must See movie!