Battle for Terra (2009)

Direction, cinematography and production design by: Aristomenis Tsirbas
Story By: Aristomenis Tsirbas
Screenplay By: Evan Spiliotopoulos
Starring (voices): Evan Rachel Wood, Brian Cox, Luke Wilson, David Cross, Justin Long, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, Chris Evans, James Garner, Rosanna Arquette and Chad Allen
MPAA Rating: PG
Run Time: 85 minutes
http://www.battleforterra.com/

Battle for Terra is a CG-animated sci-fi film with amazing 3-D effects, but the clichéd plot is only 1-D, at least for adults.

Directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas (The Freak, Terra) from a screenplay by Tsirbas and Evan Spiliotopoulos (The Jungle Book 2), Battle for Terra is an independent film in which the aliens are nonviolent and the earthlings are the brutal invaders.

The planet Terra has been peaceful for as long as its inhabitants can remember. As long as they obey the rules of the reigning Elders, life will continue to go along swimmingly—literally, because the Terrians are flying tadpole-like creatures. They reside in tall trees among the clouds above their planet.

All that changes when Terra comes under attack from the last survivors of the Earth. The humans are adrift in an aging spaceship, since the Earth had been destroyed by war and environmental catastrophe. The earthlings are searching for a habitable planet and Terra fits the bill.

Many of the Terrians, including the Elders, at first welcome the invaders as gods. Only the feisty teenaged Mala, voice-acted by Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler, Down in the Valley) fights back.

Mala, with large eyes and cute tadpole body, is reminiscent of the slew of determined and brave heroines including Mulan (big eyes) and Ariel, the Little Mermaid (no legs) that seem to be a necessary component of recent animated films.

Before an all-out war between the two races for control of the planet, but after her father is abducted, Mala lures one of the invading spacecrafts to destruction. In an act of compassion, she then rescues its pilot—a human named Jim, voiced by Luke Wilson (3:10 to Yuma, Blades of Glory).

In return for saving his life, Jim promises to help Mala find her father, taking her on a perilous journey to the humans’ aging mother ship. Despite their differences, Jim and Mala work together to prevent the Earthforce, lead by hawkish General Hemmer (voice-acted by Brian Cox, Zodiac, The Bourne Supremacy) from invading Terra and making it uninhabitable for Terrians.

Battle for Terra’s 3-D effects integrate well into the storyline. The scenes of the battles and the aging spaceship have the right amount of flash, while the scenes of life on Terra are charming and creative.

Battle for Terra has a noble purpose—to create an indie 3-D film with themes of environmentalism and world (or galaxy) peace. However, despite all good intentions, Battle for Terra, though a treat for the eyes, is heavy on banality and light on humor.

Emily S. Mendel

emilymendel@gmail.com

©Emily S. Mendel 2009 All Rights Reserved