Battleship
A troubled naval officer must lead an international fleet against a technologically superior alien armada threatening Earth.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Moderate
- bombastic
- propulsive
- patriotic
- popcorn movie night
- action marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film energetic and visually impressive but undermined by formulaic writing, weak character development, and excessive noise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The central action repeatedly foregrounds battleships, naval war games, fleet maneuvers, and maritime combat.
An international naval fleet must respond to an alien armada and determine what the invaders want.
Reviews and the plot emphasize alien weapons, naval combat, aerial battles, and large-scale effects-driven destruction.
The film expands the Battleship board game's ship-guessing concept into an alien invasion involving sea, land, and air forces.
Films like Battleship, and why
Independence Day
shared alien invasion premise, military action, disaster-scale destruction, and effects-driven blockbuster tone
The Abyss
shared naval warfare, alien threat, patriotic spectacle, and high-arousal science fiction action
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
shared military command crisis, extraterrestrial invasion, global stakes, and CGI-heavy destruction
Pacific Rim
shared disaster film structure, international military response, ocean-based combat, and large-scale visual effects
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Berg
- Release Date
- 2012-04-11
- Runtime
- 131 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (6193)
Cast
- Taylor Kitsch
- Alexander Skarsgård
- Rihanna
- Brooklyn Decker
- Tadanobu Asano
- Hamish Linklater
- Liam Neeson
- Peter MacNicol
- John Tui
- Jesse Plemons
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Battleship about?
- A troubled naval officer must lead an international fleet against a technologically superior alien armada threatening Earth.
- What is Battleship like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Battleship as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Battleship violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Battleship as moderate.
- What did critics think of Battleship?
- Critics broadly found the film energetic and visually impressive but undermined by formulaic writing, weak character development, and excessive noise.
- Which films are like Battleship?
- Films with a similar feel include Independence Day, The Abyss, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Pacific Rim.
- How long is Battleship?
- Battleship runs 131 minutes.
- Where can I watch Battleship?
- In United States, Battleship streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
