Preview suggests inspiration from Hasbro game and 'Transformers.'
By Kara Warner
"Battleship"
Photo: Universal Pictures
When we saw the first trailer for Peter Berg's big-screen adaptation of the Hasbro game Battleship, there were "Blue Crush" and "Armageddon" vibes with regard to how we meet the main characters. Its roster is filled with some of Hollywood's most attractive players, after all, including Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker and Rihanna.
Now, we have a new trailer that has done away with any expositional elements in favor of full-throttle action sequences. Here are five key elements to take away from this new footage:
Man vs. Sea vs. Aliens
The trailer opens with sweeping shots over the deep blue sea with the ominous wording: "The ocean. Vast. Unexplored. The perfect place to hide" ... an alien race! We see "Tremor"-esque sea-monster aliens, flying-airship-type aliens and even a robotic, human-creature-hybrid alien. They swim, fly and fight — in the ocean!
Rihanna Speaks!
Last time, all we got of the singing star's feature-film debut was a quick cut of her on a boat. This time, she's in on the action, gun in hand, and we see that her character is a trusted, capable, strong Marine. And she speaks too! "My dad said they would come," she says over shots of the aliens wreaking havoc around the world. "He say, 'We ain't alone.' He say one day we'd find them or they'd find us."
The "Transformers" Effect
From the first familiarly synthesized notes of the music to the disclaimer "From the company that brought you "Transformers," there are more than a few similarities between Michael Bay's take on the robots in disguise and Berg's aquatic version. Judging from what we see here, they're not creatures; they're robotic, computerized machines that, like Transformers, seem to possess the power to instantly adapt to their surroundings and change size and shape.
War Games
There are a few hints that the movie draws inspiration from the Hasbro game. Liam Neeson's character announces the start of the simulated and military-sanctioned "naval war games." Then, during a meeting at the Pentagon, a high-ranking official says, "Three destroyers are unaccounted for." This name-checks a type of ship in the game and has just the amount of military official-ness in it to suggest the "Who sunk my battleship?" line might be included somewhere.
Supporting-Cast Shout-Outs
For those looking for more glimpses of the attractive castmembers, Skarsgård's involvement is limited to a couple lines of dialogue and one very odd explosion sequence in which we see the force of the blow play out across his face. Decker gets a couple of nods, one kiss with Kitsch and one wearing a life vest looking out to the horizon with a worried look. "Friday Night Lights" fans will probably be most pleased to see good ol' Landry (Jesse Plemons) in the mix as one of the soldiers serving aboard Kitsch and Neeson's battleship.
Check out everything we've got on "Battleship."
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