Battle for Terra

A movie that also has a message, always does have thinner line to walk. You have to deliver your message but still not be too judgmental. In this case, the CGI has to be top notch too. And since Pixar made Animation their own, it's all the more difficult to prove yourself in that field. This movie holds up though, in every department. The voice talent is great and the story has a few surprises. That being said, there always will be people who will be disappointed with how a movie with a dark edge/message concludes itself. It doesn't even matter which path it takes, some people will be annoyed and/or disappointed. Same goes here too. Even if you'd wish the movie ended differently, I hope you can overcome that and be happy with what you just saw ... I was.

I took my son to see "Battle For Terra" on it's opening weekend here in NYC. I have to admit I didn't want to see it as much as I wanted to see "Wolverine" but I always defer to my 7 yr. old when there is animated fare to watch on the big screen. Much to my surprise "Terra" is probably a much more mature, Involving & Emotional filmgoing experience than anything on the big screen right now. It might even bring a tear to some eyes out there. The story as it is tells the tale of the inhabitants of the planet Terra (By the way, That's the name given to it by the humans. I don't think the actual name of the planet is mentioned). They are kinda like large upright tadpoles who swim through their atmosphere. The "Swimming" animation is really spot on & something different for a film of this type. The "Terrans" aren't your usual cutesy alien creatures. There are no stereotypical characters here. No "Goofy" alien, No "Evil" aliens, although the main alien protagonist "Mala" is very handy & invents things. The Terrans are a peaceful race & seem to spend their days learning & studying their heritage. Their world is a wonderful amalgam of large mushroom like trees that they live in & they even have gliders that they travel around in. There are even large Whale like creatures that live in their atmosphere. Much like Blue whales cruise thru our oceans. All of them live in harmony. That is until Earthlings arrive announcing that since they have devastated the resources on 3 planets & destroyed them in the process they have no choice but to "Terraform" the planet & change the atmosphere to suit what's left of mankind. The fact that this would kill the peaceful Terrans is of little concern to the humans. I cannot go into the rest of the film without spoiling it but suffice it to say there is little to no humor in this film. That's not to say that kids won't enjoy it. They will. But this is not your typical kiddie flick. It is a sort of allegory about war & peace, Racism, Militarism & most of all love & harmony between those who might look at each other differently. The animation is mostly superb & there are scenes where you actually feel like you're there on the planet thanks to some good 3-D visualization. By the way, The 3-D is more of the depth perception kind of 3-D not the pop out of the screen type although there are a couple of scenes of snow falling that make you just want to stick your tongue out & catch a snowflake. All of the voice performances are good to great & the film never lags. As a matter of fact the battle scenes are quite rousing (Insert homage to George Lucas here) & while not graphic...characters do die in battle so you might want to keep an eye on the little ones if you're with one of them. The saddest part of the experience to me is that when we arrived at the theatre (a 5-600 seater) there were exactly 4 people in there besides my son & myself. "Wolverine" & "Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past" steamrolled over this little gem & it pains me to think that people are missing out on a truly moving experience. It'll be gone from theatres in a week & that'll be it. I hope it finds it's audience on home video. It's a good movie that deserves to be seen.

source: Battle for Terra

I'm seeing a lot of positive commentary, and I have to wonder why. It has a nice politically correct anti-war message. Mean Earth People slaughtering innocent aliens for no good reason other than wanting to survive. A lot of name actors barely recognizable as voice credits. (James Garner plays a alien priest-leader, but he lacks the edge that has made audiences love him for several decades.) The films morality is heavy handed, and the CGI is poorly done. Some of the concepts are kind of interesting, but their grasp on science is poor. (For instance, if the planet has so little oxygen, how are fires possible?) Oh, but don't worry, even though you humans just tried to exterminate us, we'll help you build a terrarium you can all live in... really, because we are such nice aliens.

There are so many good reviews here, I was actually tricked into watching this disaster. Many here say that the plot is very mature, the characters well developed and the movie overall is interesting both to children and adults. Let me be the voice of minority here and say that I was completely and unexpectedly bored for the entire duration of this movie. Perhaps my 6 year old self would have enjoyed it, but at 25 it's really a wrong cartoon to see. The plot - predictable, the characters - dull and annoying, the movie - a complete failure in the "animations that adults appreciate too" department. I watched it in full hoping it would get better but it did not. There is a chance that you will be like so many others who liked it, but if you feel bored and disinterested 20 min into the movie - turn it off, you will not like the rest of it either.

Battle Of Terra is an action-sci-fi-family-thriller film that's just awful, it's both vapidly dull, and extremely confusing. Yes, this is somewhat visually stunning, but the movie is otherwise unwatchable. It's 85 minutes, and yet somehow manages to seem like 3 hours. It's the story of the last of the human race who are sure to die out soon. They have barely any food or water left, elsewhere, aliens are fighting to keep the human race alive. The movie is weirdly confusing and extremely boring. There is no redeeming value. There is no seen of significant importance. Nothing connects here, there is so much for so little. It's about as much fun as being stabbed in the eyes, but being stabbed in the eyes might be more fun. Ultimately, Battle For Terra suffers from not knowing exactly what kind of plot it wants. Does it want to be an action-thriller about aliens or a drama about humans, and even if it did turn into one of those plots, neither would be worthy of a full-length movie. This is a terrible film, brainless, moodless, confusing, boring, head-ache inducing, and frustratingly slow. This is a movie only for the brainless because it was made by the brainless.

I need to vent how much I loathed this movie. This is the movie equivalent of braindead sockpuppet theater on a shoestring you'll try to hang yourself with. The plot runs a course a 4 year old can anticipate but won't due to its life-debilitating visuals. Perhaps it's homage or fromage for 1995 CG, but hair ain't that big of a deal anymore, nor cloth simulation, but then again, you need professionals to get the right look happening. Both in design and in performance, the characters were atrociously mediocre; ET eyes on a pinheaded spermazoid, come'on, digital tutors rejects could do better. And why 'floaters', except that animating walking creatures would have been way more labor intensive.. but that didn't stop our heroine from plummeting to the ground, maybe that's how her father winded up in a floating wheel(less)chair. To sum it up, it takes a flaming liberal to cast humanity in the invading alien role of a soulless, cliché-festering b-movie for the gratuitous exoneration some 70 arduous minutes later. But it takes a village of sycophants to lend their voices to it.

For an indie science fiction this stands out as one of the more visually striking and emotionally resonant. But what makes this film so unique is that it's intentionally dramatic. It almost seems like the filmmakers were blissfully ignorant of the unspoken requirement that all American animation must be presented as a comedy, instead opting to tell the story as a somewhat conventional drama. That in itself makes this film feel immediately different. The fact that it methodically develops a case against unilateral war is downright rebellious, especially since the alien world is introduced in an almost naive, Disney-like way. From the very first moments when you're introduced to the lush alien world, you know that this film will be a visual treat, and it delivers right through to the end. Unlike a lot of first films made by graphic artists and such, this animated piece quite obviously has an aspiring auteur behind it. There are a good number of compositions and cinematic constructs that scream out 'I have a vision!'. But the film isn't without its flaws. There are a few moments that feel a little clumsy in the animation movement, some of the dialogue falls a bit flat, and the pace drags in spots. But these annoyances are thankfully few and far between, and are offset by an overall solid flow of drama and even a few moments of true brilliance. The best being saved for last in what has to be one of the most emotionally stirring conclusions for the genre in some time. So on the whole, this is a terrific animated film with something to say and a beautiful way of expressing it. It's also the best animated science fiction film yet. It's that good. Flaws and all.

"Wherefore you do so ill translate yourself Out of the speech of peace, that bears such grace, Into the harsh and boist'rous tongue of war; Turning your books to graves, your ink to blood, Your pens to lances, and your tongue divine To a loud trumpet and a point of war?" Shakespeare's Henry IV, II Battle for Terra is an animated Star Wars for the 21st century—a successful mix of adventure and heart with a slight overload of moralizing. The peaceful planet Terra is terrorized by the remaining people of Earth, who have traveled over time and space to find a substitute for the planet they destroyed. The Terrareans are sperm like people with Kean-like eyes suitable for tears. These gentle and intelligent "aliens" are not unsuited to defending themselves, helped by their rebellious, Princess Leia-like Mala (voice of Evan Rachel Wood), who tends to a wounded earthling, the Han Solo-like Lt. James Stanton (Luke Wilson), both of whom must deal with Earth's General Hemmer (Brian Cox), a Dick Cheney-like commander whose answer to survival is armed aggression that begins by wresting power from his president, a black man with soulful mien reminiscent of Barack Obama. That last description leads into my appreciation of the allegorical implications such as the US invasion of Iraq, torture as tactic, and resistance to alternatives. The need for nations to cooperate or face annihilation is repeated but well taken given the eternal opposition of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Iran and North Korea in the nuclear arms race. While Battle for Terra lacks humor and preaches a bit too much, it still can be enjoyed by the whole family; its absolute lack of sexual situations (even Princess Leia induced some lustful thoughts) is refreshing and appropriate given the stark difference in the worlds. For the brainier family members, the explanation about the challenges of making oxygen is another rewarding element. All these moral and aesthetic points are amply relayed throughout, making it a didactic work of art first and entertainment second. I would prefer it the other way around.

This is a pretty good animated movie. The story is interesting and pulls you in. The characters are uniformly interesting, Jim and Nala are very good and well developed. I saw the world premiere with my wife and two sons (8 and 10)at the Toronto International Film Festival and we all liked it. It was a bit more serious in tone than I expected. The theme around mankind becoming extinct was well balanced and quite well done. The theme around personal choice and making hard decisions was very well done, both Nala and Jim had tough choices to make several times in the movie. The ending left us all feeling a bit sad but was still positive. The humor throughout the move and especially around the robot is so-so. We also saw Danny Glover and Justin Long at the premiere and this was quite exciting for all of us. Danny was very polite and posed for a picture with the boys. I would recommend this movie for families who have children aged 8 and up.