Watch Battleship

Battleship is a 2012 American military science fiction action film based on the board game of the same name. Directed by Peter Berg, the film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, Tadanobu Asano, and Liam Neeson. The film opens by introducing us to Alex Hopper (Skarsgård), a rebellious young man who gets himself into trouble with the law. His older brother Stone (Neeson) is a naval officer who convinces Alex to join the Navy to get his life on track. We then meet Samantha Shane (Decker), a physical therapist who catches Alex's eye at a bar. After a night out, Alex tries to ask Samantha out but gets into a fight and is arrested. Stone comes to bail him out and convinces Samantha to give Alex a chance.

After completing his naval training, Alex is ready to propose to Samantha when an emergency call comes in. Several ships from an unknown enemy have entered Hawaiian waters. The film then cuts between Alex aboard the USS John Paul Jones under the command of Captain Nagata (Asano), and Samantha volunteering in the medical response on land. It is revealed that the invading ships belong to an alien race who activate a forcefield, trapping the naval fleet inside along with several civilians.

Unable to retreat, Alex and Nagata decide to engage the alien ships in a real-life naval battle using their destroyers and strategies from the board game Battleship. The naval crews and veterans named after board game references like Lt Colonel Mick Canales work to outmaneuver the technologically advanced alien ships. Samantha helps treat wounded sailors coming ashore as the battle escalates on both sides.

Against the recommendations of his superiors, Alex decides to attack the alien fleet's command vessel, hoping to break their force field and allow the human ships to escape. This leaves the remaining human ships vulnerable as the aliens destroy one ship after another. However, Alex is able to board the alien ship and fights the alien captain while planting explosives. He manages to detonate the explosives at the last second, escaping the command ship before it's destroyed.

The destruction of the alien command ship brings down the forcefield, allowing the last surviving human ships to destroy the remaining alien fleet. Humanity is saved from the alien invasion thanks to the heroic actions of Alex Hopper and the naval crews during this epic Battleship. In the aftermath, Alex and Samantha reunite, he finally able to properly propose to her.

Battleship combines elements of a naval war film with an alien invasion storyline for an action-packed blockbuster. The performances from Skarsgård, Decker, Neeson and the rest of the cast help ground the science fiction premise, while the naval combat and CGI alien ships provide exciting effects sequences. Critics found the plot overly simplistic, but audiences were entertained by the CGI-filled action and Battleship game tie-in. Overall, an entertaining summer blockbuster ride that brings the classic board game to life on the big screen.

Battleship is a 2012 thriller with a runtime of 2 hours and 11 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.8 and a MetaScore of 41.