Battle For Terra

Just watched Battle For Terra. Great movie! I read a review that described it as "campy" but I have to disagree.

The animation was shockingly gorgeous. The technology for the Terrians and the Humans was vry well done and both sides had really cool gear.

The voice acting was fantastic with some major names (James Garner, Rachel Leigh Wood, Dany Glover, Brian Cox, Luke Wilson).

The bad guy was a bit cardboard, but he was understandable. He wasn't "evil for evil's sake" which is a huge pet peeve of mine. He thought he was doing what was right to save humanity at the expense of the Terrians.

The heroes were great, the battle scenes were awesome. My only complaints were that it was too short. I could have used a few more scenes, especially some more exploration of the Earth Force. We get a very minor glimpse into the Earth Force itself other than as a nameless fighting organization and it would have helped the viewer "feel" Lt. James Stanton's divided loyalties if we had seen more of his Earth Force comrades. The movie does a decent job of embodying all of Stanton's conflict in the character of his little brother, but seeing some peer pressure from his comrades in the 32nd Airborne would have made his angst so much more poignant to the viewer. As it is though, one can imagine how he felt easily enough and the movie is a must-see for any sci-fi fan and an absolute requirement for fans of digital animation.

It also has a great message on war, the environment and negotiation versus conflict and besides all of that, the writers did a great job of world-building, which is no easy task. It's a fun one to do, but is rarely given the attention it deserves. After seeing this movie, one comes away with the idea that Terra could be a real and functioning planet "out there" somewhere.

Check it out!

JG