According to a handful of the less optimistic people in the world, the distant future for Earth and its inhabitants are being led day-by-day closer to an apocalypse. “Battle for Terra,” an animated film takes a stab at showing us exactly what a post-apocalyptic lifestyle will be for Earth.
The story begins centered on the inhabitants of the alien world, Terra. After a general introduction to the race, the film introduces you to Mala (voiced by Evan Rachel Wood), the fiery spirited and rebellious protagonist of the story.
Suddenly the world of Terra is cast into shadow, as a foreign shuttle blocks out the sun. The Terrians embrace the shuttle as their new god – ignorant to the danger they are in. The foreign shuttle then sends out several fighter planes to scout the world of Terra and abduct the native Terrians.
Mala herself does not accept these newcomers as a god and fights back. After a clash between one of the fighter planes, Mala dupes the pilot and sends him crashing.
The pilot’s personal robot (voiced by David Cross) explains to Mala that the pilot will die without oxygen, forcing her to take on the responsibility of saving the man’s life.
Mala and the human pilot Jim Stanton (voiced by Luke Wilson) then forge an unlikely allegiance, eager to find a way to prevent war between Earth’s last bastion of hope and Terra.
“Battle for Terra” is an animated film and nothing like what you may expect. The theatrical version has been done in 3-D, making an already outlandish film into something with quite outstanding visuals.
However, there certainly could have been so much more done with the 3-D. There were only a few moments when it felt like a truly immersive experience. Rarely were there moments which had you doing a double-take to be sure an alien life form hadn’t walked past you.
Regardless, the scenes of battle or snowy weather were very impressive. The 3-D unquestionably made the movie more fun.
The characters of “Battle for Terra” are where the movie really loses its silky sheen. Both the animations and the voice acting for the characters seem unemotional.
There were times where it wasn’t sure what emotion you were supposed to be feeling, even if the scenes were epic and battle-ready.
Thankfully the movie relies heavily on its plot, which is actually quite good. There are many powerful messages embedded within this animated film which are emotionally guiding on their own. Quite simply, “Battle for Terra” will encourage you to remember that violence can be replaced with negotiation.
Although at first “Battle for Terra” may seem like a children’s film, it offers quite a bit more than your first impression may lead you to believe. It’s a fun film with action when it needs it and a message to boot. Do not rule this movie out too quickly; it may well be worth your time.
