Ideology Impedes Storytelling in Battle for Terra
A visually arresting 3-D film, Terra suffers from too much liberal preaching.
Comic actor David Cross adds a dollop of humor as Giddy, a mashup of Wall*E and a hermit crab. Giddy exists to lighten the mood and fill in the narrative gaps. He also cheerily reminds us we’re watching ignorant humans — read, Americans.
“Everything different scares them,” Giddy explains when a human freaks out at the sight of a Terran.
Sadly, Lucas’ penchant for ear-clanging dialogue is mimicked here along with a battle sequence too similar to the Death Star finale from the original Star Wars.
But the film does offer some satisfying science fiction elements. The language barrier between Earthlings and Terrans is deftly explained, and the earliest sequences show the Terran lifestyle in brief but illustrative strokes.
The animation is consistently elegant and blends smoothly with the 3-D effects. That pairing often distracts from a story without a real sense of momentum.
The current wave of 3-D films offers a remarkably better picture than in the past, and Terra wisely uses the third dimensional to embellish the presentation. Objects don’t randomly come darting at the audience which only reminds us we’re wearing Buddy Holly-style glasses. The 3-D in Terra enriches without distracting.
The spaceship battles alone, which pop off the screen in a satisfying fashion, prove far more interesting than the dogfights we’ve seen in previous space adventures.
The film’s content — and PG rating — will attract throngs of young, impressionable viewers. But Battle for Terra isn’t catnip for the kiddies. The story moves at a mature pace, and the weighty themes will leave children itching for a laser battle, not philosophical asides.
But time and time again ideology nudges storytelling aside, something adult viewers won’t miss.
Mala cries out at one point, “ask him, don’t torture him,” during an interrogation scene. The implications are more than clear as to what she really means.
Ironically, the film’s finale features the kind of easy compromise that could have been hashed out over a round of stiff drinks.
The Battle for Terra exists between the movie’s ideology and its quest to tell a ripping yarn. For a few fleeting moments, the movie delivers the kind of mind-tickling sci-fi too rarely seen on the big screen.
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Christian Toto is a freelance writer and film critic for The Washington Times. His work has appeared in People magazine, MovieMaker Magazine, The Denver Post, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Scripps Howard News Service. He also contributes movie radio commentary to three stations as well as the nationally syndicated Dennis Miller Show and runs the blog What Would Toto Watch?
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15 Comments
1. BPT (Australia):I thought it was impossible for anti-Bush moviemakers to patronise Americans more. I was wrong.
May 2, 2009 - 2:40 am 2. 1GooDDaDDy:I attended a pre-screening on Wed. with my 11 year old son, his friend, also 11, and my 8 year old son.
I haven’t read anything about the movie over the months, nor viewed any “trailers” of the film. I went in completely looking forward to enjoying a SciFi film with my boys with no preconceptions on what I was about to see.
The first third of the film was breathtaking and imaginative. The little intelligent creatures were endearing and sympathetic.
Then, a maniacal, insane military general takes over the earth ship by force with the use of his soldiers and begins a plan to eradicate every living thing on the planet justifying doing so because “It’s us or them.”
Time line gaffs.
Humans use up resources on earth = for the sake of argument say, 1,000 years.
Terra forming Mars and Venus = another 300+ years.
Over two generations traveling to “Terra” = about 70 to 100 years.
Now.
Tell me then, how was it possible after over 1,500 years, that the rows and rows of military campaign ribbons on the crazy generals chest were ALL CURRENT American ribbons, including ALL of the medals awarded to servicemen from the VIET NAM WAR, including a purple heart with a gold star and Silver Star. I’m a Viet Nam Vet and I have the very same ribbons awarded to me. I’m not just “mistaken.” The film is 3D and High Def, you can see every thread.
Hollyweird at it’s best, indoctrinating their audience, including children, by making, (once again), the villain a genocidal madman with American medals on his chest. (When there were no wars for over 100 years).
I’m sure this production Co., (“Snoot”. That’s toons spelled backwards, their logo), new exactly what it was doing.
There was a representative from the film Co. there asking for “comments” after the screening. I gave mine to her, pretty much what I’ve written here to you, and told her that I was going to “pass the word” on there obvious attempt to indoctrinate their audience with this PC crap.
She and her male aid merely rolled their eyes at me and said, “I’ll pass that along to the Studio”
When pigs fly.
Save your entertainment dollars folks, and “pass” on the DVD then it comes out.
Not Over.
May 2, 2009 - 4:56 am 3. LizBert:If this is the only way some people can digest knowledge then someone needs to make a 3-D cartoon about the thousands year old conflict between Jews and Muslims. Using the voices of experience for the cute little characters: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nonie Darwish, Bridgitte Gabriel, Ibn Warraq, Robert Spencer, Roger L. Simon, John Wayne (I wish).
May 2, 2009 - 8:41 am 4. hdgreene:So the environmentalist did succeed in destroying planet earth! Surely that was an unintended consequence. Apparently, the only survivors came from certain counties in West Virgina. Well, I can believe that. There is a lot of tough and resourceful folks in that state. I’m glad they pulled humanity through.
May 2, 2009 - 11:05 am 5. ILikeIke:I’d take your word for it, but from your description, I fail to see the “liberal ideology.” Perhaps the movie truly is a commentary on the Bush years, but does that automatically make it “liberal?”
May 2, 2009 - 11:13 am 6. mishu:but does that automatically make it “liberal?”
Yes, because Christian made no mention of TARP.
May 2, 2009 - 11:37 am 7. K:If you check out the movie’s website, clicking through to the opening vid shows the human motherships, which have the shape of the Christian cross. They’re also running a contest for 3rd through 8th graders, just the folks they’d like to reach.
I once was berated by a leftist about how horrible the human race was. I asked him what his standard for comparison was amongst sapient species? Of course, he had no answer, but it points out the origin for such movies as Terra and things like “Ferngully, the Last Rainforest”. If you can’t draw a comparison, then make up one and feed it to the children. From such compose hippy larve grow.
May 2, 2009 - 1:50 pm 8. Dylan:Ugh, its not enough adult sci-fi has gone down the human hating hole, they try to shove it at kids. I remember Ferngully growing up. All the messages were over my head, and I just saw pretty colors. Same thing with this.
May 2, 2009 - 2:34 pm 9. Stergeye:Going straight to my “Miss it if you can” file.
May 2, 2009 - 3:10 pm 10. Christian Toto:1gooDaddy … thanks for your feedback. I’m sorry they were so dismissive to you … I imagine that’s just how ideologues are. It’s a shame, since the movie has some compelling elements. I don’t know why creative types feel compelled to alienate potential customers.
May 2, 2009 - 5:53 pm 11. Individualist:1GooDDaddy
Thanks for the heads up. This stuff is so offensive to me. These same liberals are now promoting these wounded warrior programs touting how we should all be nice and respect the veterans. It sickens me. They do that and then publish this crap.
HEY LIBERALS IF YOU HAVE TO REMIND YOURSELVES to respect veterans then guess what. YOU HAVE ALREADY FAILED. This is something that requires no reminder. You either do or you don’t.
I find liberals to be the most obnoxious hipocrits.
May 2, 2009 - 10:43 pm 12. Synova:I’m a wee bit confused.
“Terra” is another name for Earth. Thus, humans are Terrans… always have been.
Was this done on purpose?
And while 3-D seems to be popping up everywhere lately, (pun intended), I rented “Journey to the Center of the Earth” for the kids and it sucked… because of course we didn’t have the 3-D glasses to wear.
I doubt we’ll see “Battle for Terra” in the theater and it’s absolutely certain that we won’t rent it.
May 2, 2009 - 10:47 pm 13. Boogey_Man:If a studio could be built that would make movies with all the new wiz bang effects but with the old story telling styles, they would rake in the $$.
May 3, 2009 - 6:12 pm 14. Forlourned:I watched this movie by buying a ticket for ‘Wolverine’ since the ads seen where rather liberal. I saw it and if it was good, but reluctantly buy a ticket for the movie afterward. It started like a hippy heaven routine but became interesting halfway to suddenly lose me completely at the end of halfway.. what a rotten ride I went thru.
The ending left me with a headache because they tried to show me that humanity where a bunch of morons and being caged is Great!
May 3, 2009 - 8:37 pm 15. GtrPykr:Did anyone else notice that if you shortened the general’s chin and added a few wrinkles to his forehead, he’d look a LOT like Bush? The producers stopped short also at giving him a pseudo-Texas accent. I suspect it was for the same reasons they, in what looks to me like an afterthought move, lengthened the chin and lost the wrinkles: they would limit their audience only to rabid Bush haters and hardcore leftists always on the lookout for new indoctrination material for their kids.
I take my kids to see animated films because I want them to experience what is usually amazing visual imagery and delightfully outlandish character development, so it makes me angry when someone attempts to use the medium as just another tool to politically indoctrinate the innocent.
Ticket sales so far are dismal, so, with luck, the outrageously misnamed “The Battle For Terra” won’t be polluting movie theaters – and the minds of those too intellectually immature to understand its blatant political symbolism – for long.
May 3, 2009 - 10:42 pm