Stars align for 'Battleship' to save the planet

Battleship is a thrilling spectacle with fast-paced direction, sturdy performances and cutting-edge special effects. Under director Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Hancock) it spins the story of a tiny group of Earthlings out to save their planet from its certain domination by extra terrestrial invaders. This, of course, has nothing to do with the film's source material, the ever-popular "Battleship" board game played by generations of America's youth. But the screenwriters, brothers Erich and Jon Hoeber (Red, Whiteout), have succeeded in creating an exciting nautical tall tale from the inspiration of a single word.

It takes a specific skill set to succeed at making such a big action picture. But where such tepid works as the G.I. Joe and Transformers franchises failed artistically, Battleship succeeds. The strong script drives the story forward. A unified and dedicated cast makes the audience believe this is actually happening. And above all, director Berg has pulled all the elements together to launch the film like a rocket.

If the pace ever faltered the whole thing could have collapsed into confusion and audience derision. But as he displayed in The Kingdom in 2007, Berg has the ability to sustain the pace and bring the best out of his cast.

Despite its familiar alien invasion plot, Battleship is less a science fiction fantasy than a new take on the traditional Hollywood "service film." Popular and adaptable to its time period since the 1940s, the service film is set in the strictly regulated world of the U.S. military. It relies on the central character's rebellion against that inflexible community which is populated by easily-identified stock characters.

The hero's journey results in his ultimate triumph over adversity, both within his own military unit and against the enemies he must defeat. Battleship's hero is Taylor Kitsch, who was so impressive as the interstellar traveler, John Carter, this past winter and, as Tim Riggins in TV’s cult favorite, "Friday Night Lights."