NASA, using a deep-space communication array on Hawaii, has been sending signals to a planet in the Gliese 581 system. The aliens respond by sending five warships to Earth. They crash into the Pacific near Hong Kong and then head for Hawaii.
During the RIMPAC exercises, the alien ships arrive, disabling global communications with an energy pulse. The aliens erect a massive, indestructible dome-like force field that traps three U.S. Navy destroyers (USS John Paul Jones, USS Sampson) and one Japanese destroyer (JDS Mikuma) inside Hawaiian waters, cutting them off from the rest of the fleet.
The aliens attack, and Commander Stone Hopper is killed trying to save his crew. Grief-stricken, Alex assumes command of the USS John Paul Jones. The aliens’ technology proves superior – they have shield systems, powerful projectile weapons, and massive rolling “wheel” ships that devastate the Navy vessels.
Inside the dome, help arrives from an unexpected source: the WWII museum battleship USS Missouri (BB-63), which happens to be docked nearby. A group of elderly veterans, led by Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales (a double amputee), volunteer to reactivate the ship. Battleship -2012-2012
The keyword “Battleship -2012-2012” zeroes in on a very specific ensemble, most of whom were at turning points in their careers just over a decade ago:
The dome collapses. The remaining aliens either die or flee. Alex, now matured, is commended by Admiral Shane. He reconciles with Sam, having finally earned his place as both a leader and a man. The film ends with Alex standing on the deck of the Missouri, saluting the flag as the veterans look on.
Perhaps the most memorable sequence in the film—and the one critics cited as the most fun—is the third-act rally. With the modern destroyers destroyed, Hopper and his crew must commandeer the USS Missouri, a decommissioned WWII battleship turned into a museum. NASA, using a deep-space communication array on Hawaii,
In a crowd-pleasing twist, the crew is aided by elderly Navy veterans who serve as tour guides on the ship. Seeing veterans in their 70s and 80s operate the massive 16-inch guns to blast alien ships provided the film with an emotional anchor and a unique flavor of patriotism that separated it from other CGI-heavy blockbusters.
Battleship was a critical flop. It holds a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it "loud," "predictable," and a "transformative mess." The common critique was that it felt like a feature-length recruitment video with a generic alien script stapled onto a board game brand.
Financially, it was considered a disappointment in North America, earning roughly $65 million domestically. However, like many big-budget action films, it was saved by the international market. It grossed over $237 million overseas, pushing its total gross to $303 million worldwide. While this was technically a profit on paper, marketing costs likely meant the film barely broke even or took a loss, effectively killing plans for a franchise. During the RIMPAC exercises, the alien ships arrive,
In the years since its release, Battleship has settled into a comfortable spot in pop culture:
To understand Battleship, you must first understand its source material. Hasbro, following the massive success of Transformers (2007), looked at its library of board games. Monopoly was in development hell. Candy Land was considered too saccharine. Then someone looked at Battleship—the two-player guessing game of coordinates (B-4, you sunk my destroyer!).
The core mechanic of the game is blind deduction. There are no characters, no story, no conflict beyond a grid. Screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber faced a Sisyphean task: turn "You sunk my cruiser!" into a two-hour alien invasion epic.
The result was audacious. Instead of a period naval drama, Battleship became a modern-day Independence Day on the high seas. The plot involves NASA scientists (in a prologue that feels like a different movie) sending a signal to a planet in the Gliese 581 system. That planet, it turns out, is inhabited by hostile aliens who send five warships to Earth. They land in the Pacific Ocean during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise near Hawaii.
The genius of the adaptation—which the "2012" release date often obscures—is the visual translation of the board game. When an electromagnetic field deploys around the Hawaiian islands, isolating three U.S. Navy vessels, the abstract concept of the game’s "grid" becomes literal. The humans cannot see the enemy. They fire based on radar pings and coordinates. "C-3." "Hit." It is absurd. It is glorious.