Battle for Terra
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Battle for Terra
Ambitious animated parable, set on a distant planet that’s being invaded by aggressive refugees from Earth, in which a downed human airman (voice of Luke Wilson) finds his loyalties divided when he’s befriended by one of the peace-loving, tadpole-shaped locals (voice of Evan Rachel Wood) his warmongering commander (voice of Brian Cox) is intent on destroying. Director Aristomenis Tsirbas’ feature debut is an honorable, if at times heavy-handed cautionary tale about prejudice, violence and environmental degradation, but the battle scenes – especially as intensified by the 3-D presentation in some theaters -- are too strong for the youngest viewers, and quasi-religious aspects of the aliens’ culture may require family discussion. Moderate combat violence, a suicide. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2009
Battle for Terra (Full Review)
Battle for Terra” (Lionsgate), an ambitious 3-D animated parable, pits aggressive refugees from Earth against the peaceful inhabitants of a distant planet, and forthrightly encourages viewers to root for the aliens.
The younger generation of these timid creatures -- whose ET-like faces and soulful eyes are attached to tadpole shaped, airborne bodies – includes teen friends Senn (voice of Justin Long) and Mala (voice of Evan Rachel Wood). Though adventure and innovation are frowned on by their society, the mildly rebellious pair likes to cut school to fly around forbidden zones, and Mala has a gift for mechanics and invention.
With her world suddenly under attack by unknown creatures – some of her elders immediately assume that the strangers must be gods – Mala’s unconventional behavior leads her to rescue downed human airman Lt. Jim Stanton (voice of Luke Wilson).
As Stanton softens, and a three-way bond develops among these two and Stanton’s dog-shaped robot assistant Giddy (voice of David Cross), we learn the back story. Having exhausted Earth’s natural resources, human survivors now under the command of warmongering General Hemmer (voice of Brian Cox) have been searching for generations for a substitute habitat, and Mala’s planet, which they’ve nicknamed Terra, fits the bill.
Since General Hemmer’s plans, needless to say, do not include peaceful co-existence, Stanton finds his loyalties divided.
Director Aristomenis Tsirbas’ honorable, if at times heavy-handed feature debut is a cautionary tale about prejudice, violence and environmental degradation. But quasi-religious aspects of the aliens’ culture may require family discussion.
They hold a festival, for instance, to thank “Life” for whatever they experience, and their interest in being “together with nature” can be read simply as “green” or as vaguely pantheistic.
Amid the battle scenes – which, with or without the intensified effects of the 3-D presentation used in some theaters, are too strong for the youngest viewers -- a warrior goes to a heroic, but self-sacrificing death.
The film contains moderate combat violence and a suicide. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.