74 reviews
A really surprising tale.....
I took my son to see "Battle For Terra" on it's opening weekend here in NYC. I have to admit I didn't want to see it as much as I wanted to see "Wolverine" but I always defer to my 7 yr. old when there is animated fare to watch on the big screen.
Much to my surprise "Terra" is probably a much more mature, Involving & Emotional filmgoing experience than anything on the big screen right now. It might even bring a tear to some eyes out there.
The story as it is tells the tale of the inhabitants of the planet Terra (By the way, That's the name given to it by the humans. I don't think the actual name of the planet is mentioned). They are kinda like large upright tadpoles who swim through their atmosphere. The "Swimming" animation is really spot on & something different for a film of this type. The "Terrans" aren't your usual cutesy alien creatures. There are no stereotypical characters here. No "Goofy" alien, No "Evil" aliens, although the main alien protagonist "Mala" is very handy & invents things.
The Terrans are a peaceful race & seem to spend their days learning & studying their heritage. Their world is a wonderful amalgam of large mushroom like trees that they live in & they even have gliders that they travel around in. There are even large Whale like creatures that live in their atmosphere. Much like Blue whales cruise thru our oceans. All of them live in harmony.
That is until Earthlings arrive announcing that since they have devastated the resources on 3 planets & destroyed them in the process they have no choice but to "Terraform" the planet & change the atmosphere to suit what's left of mankind. The fact that this would kill the peaceful Terrans is of little concern to the humans.
I cannot go into the rest of the film without spoiling it but suffice it to say there is little to no humor in this film. That's not to say that kids won't enjoy it. They will. But this is not your typical kiddie flick. It is a sort of allegory about war & peace, Racism, Militarism & most of all love & harmony between those who might look at each other differently.
The animation is mostly superb & there are scenes where you actually feel like you're there on the planet thanks to some good 3-D visualization. By the way, The 3-D is more of the depth perception kind of 3-D not the pop out of the screen type although there are a couple of scenes of snow falling that make you just want to stick your tongue out & catch a snowflake.
All of the voice performances are good to great & the film never lags. As a matter of fact the battle scenes are quite rousing (Insert homage to George Lucas here) & while not graphic...characters do die in battle so you might want to keep an eye on the little ones if you're with one of them.
The saddest part of the experience to me is that when we arrived at the theatre (a 5-600 seater) there were exactly 4 people in there besides my son & myself. "Wolverine" & "Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past" steamrolled over this little gem & it pains me to think that people are missing out on a truly moving experience. It'll be gone from theatres in a week & that'll be it. I hope it finds it's audience on home video. It's a good movie that deserves to be seen.
Much to my surprise "Terra" is probably a much more mature, Involving & Emotional filmgoing experience than anything on the big screen right now. It might even bring a tear to some eyes out there.
The story as it is tells the tale of the inhabitants of the planet Terra (By the way, That's the name given to it by the humans. I don't think the actual name of the planet is mentioned). They are kinda like large upright tadpoles who swim through their atmosphere. The "Swimming" animation is really spot on & something different for a film of this type. The "Terrans" aren't your usual cutesy alien creatures. There are no stereotypical characters here. No "Goofy" alien, No "Evil" aliens, although the main alien protagonist "Mala" is very handy & invents things.
The Terrans are a peaceful race & seem to spend their days learning & studying their heritage. Their world is a wonderful amalgam of large mushroom like trees that they live in & they even have gliders that they travel around in. There are even large Whale like creatures that live in their atmosphere. Much like Blue whales cruise thru our oceans. All of them live in harmony.
That is until Earthlings arrive announcing that since they have devastated the resources on 3 planets & destroyed them in the process they have no choice but to "Terraform" the planet & change the atmosphere to suit what's left of mankind. The fact that this would kill the peaceful Terrans is of little concern to the humans.
I cannot go into the rest of the film without spoiling it but suffice it to say there is little to no humor in this film. That's not to say that kids won't enjoy it. They will. But this is not your typical kiddie flick. It is a sort of allegory about war & peace, Racism, Militarism & most of all love & harmony between those who might look at each other differently.
The animation is mostly superb & there are scenes where you actually feel like you're there on the planet thanks to some good 3-D visualization. By the way, The 3-D is more of the depth perception kind of 3-D not the pop out of the screen type although there are a couple of scenes of snow falling that make you just want to stick your tongue out & catch a snowflake.
All of the voice performances are good to great & the film never lags. As a matter of fact the battle scenes are quite rousing (Insert homage to George Lucas here) & while not graphic...characters do die in battle so you might want to keep an eye on the little ones if you're with one of them.
The saddest part of the experience to me is that when we arrived at the theatre (a 5-600 seater) there were exactly 4 people in there besides my son & myself. "Wolverine" & "Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past" steamrolled over this little gem & it pains me to think that people are missing out on a truly moving experience. It'll be gone from theatres in a week & that'll be it. I hope it finds it's audience on home video. It's a good movie that deserves to be seen.
Remember the time when animation used to be for kids?
Remember the time when animation used to be for kids? The good ol' days, eh? This animated movie makes pretty good use of the medium to tell a rather complex story. The movie has most qualities of good storytelling - ethical dilemmas, unique settings and gray areas aplenty. The premise of the movie is simple: Threatened with extinction, the human race needs to make one last desperate attempt at survival by the conquest of a seemingly peaceful alien world teeming with sentient life.
The movie explores possibilities that are the antithesis of staple sci-fi genre. For instance, What if the (typical) victim is the aggressor? (Humans attack a seemingly peaceful alien planet). Is peaceful bliss really a practical possibility? (without advanced weaponry, the alien world is threatened with extinction). Another highlight of the movie was that the aliens were, you know, just alien. They weren't cute and cuddly (a la E.T.) or menacing hordes (a la every-sci-fi war movie you've seen). The aliens are just rational beings who will fight, feel and cry when the need arises.
Now, the movie isn't without its flaws. It's not completely balanced (aggressors - no matter what the reason for aggression - are still painted in a slightly negative tone), characterization, even the quality of animation (in this post-Pixar universe) might be called into question - but I'm willing to overlook all of that for one simple reason: the director has a clear vision and explores it vividly on screen. That's worth a couple of hours of your life. Definitely is.
The movie explores possibilities that are the antithesis of staple sci-fi genre. For instance, What if the (typical) victim is the aggressor? (Humans attack a seemingly peaceful alien planet). Is peaceful bliss really a practical possibility? (without advanced weaponry, the alien world is threatened with extinction). Another highlight of the movie was that the aliens were, you know, just alien. They weren't cute and cuddly (a la E.T.) or menacing hordes (a la every-sci-fi war movie you've seen). The aliens are just rational beings who will fight, feel and cry when the need arises.
Now, the movie isn't without its flaws. It's not completely balanced (aggressors - no matter what the reason for aggression - are still painted in a slightly negative tone), characterization, even the quality of animation (in this post-Pixar universe) might be called into question - but I'm willing to overlook all of that for one simple reason: the director has a clear vision and explores it vividly on screen. That's worth a couple of hours of your life. Definitely is.
- TheMovieCritique
- Jun 27, 2009
- Permalink
I enjoyed this low budget 3D animation way more than I thought I would
With a low budget for a 3D animation I really wasn't expecting anything good from this movie but was a lot better than I thought it would be. The plot is sort of a mix between "Planet 51" and "Avatar", lets just say it's much better than "Planet 51". I was sort of shocked this movie came out before "Avatar" so I guess maybe that movie took some ideas from this one. This is a well made animation film that kids and adults can enjoy with is decent script and good direction, there was hardly a dull moment. The plot takes place in a planet full of nature and floating worm like species and they are intelligent lifeforms. But there peaceful ways are interrupted when machines from the sky is seen and the floating worm like species thinks it's a god. But they don't come in peace, in fact they are coming for other reasons. Soon one of the female floating worm like being meets one of the invader and the story goes on from there. The floating worm like species have simple technology compared to the invaders who has more advance technology. Sort of reminded me of our history while watching this film. And although there has been many invasion movies in the past the direction of this film was actually quite unique, not super original though. I also liked how in this story it's difficult to pick a side just like one of the protagonist in this film. For a low budget 3D animation film, the animation was alright and the facial expressions are very well done. The battle sequences in this is also exciting at times. When it was done and finished, I actually enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would. Also Giddy is a pretty good sidekick.
7.5/10
7.5/10
- KineticSeoul
- Feb 22, 2011
- Permalink
This is not Toy Story
Great story
A movie that also has a message, always does have thinner line to walk. You have to deliver your message but still not be too judgmental. In this case, the CGI has to be top notch too. And since Pixar made Animation their own, it's all the more difficult to prove yourself in that field.
This movie holds up though, in every department. The voice talent is great and the story has a few surprises. That being said, there always will be people who will be disappointed with how a movie with a dark edge/message concludes itself. It doesn't even matter which path it takes, some people will be annoyed and/or disappointed. Same goes here too. Even if you'd wish the movie ended differently, I hope you can overcome that and be happy with what you just saw ... I was.
This movie holds up though, in every department. The voice talent is great and the story has a few surprises. That being said, there always will be people who will be disappointed with how a movie with a dark edge/message concludes itself. It doesn't even matter which path it takes, some people will be annoyed and/or disappointed. Same goes here too. Even if you'd wish the movie ended differently, I hope you can overcome that and be happy with what you just saw ... I was.
Simplistic yet elegant
Some may say that this looks like a children's movie, but that ain't so. Given, it doesn't have many gory details when the fighting is concerned but yet it is violent enough not to let your youngest watch.
While writing this it is still some time until Avatar is on the big screen, but this felt like a preview albeit a animated family version.
Even though it is animated, the movie was beautifully made effect-wise. It is both simplistic and elegant at the same time.
There's no time for idle reflections, it goes almost straight to the action. Normally I wouldn't like that, but it worked well for this movie. It was short, and to the point.
I will keep this in my collection along with Akira, Final Fantasy, Princess Mononoke amongst others. A small but bright gem.
While writing this it is still some time until Avatar is on the big screen, but this felt like a preview albeit a animated family version.
Even though it is animated, the movie was beautifully made effect-wise. It is both simplistic and elegant at the same time.
There's no time for idle reflections, it goes almost straight to the action. Normally I wouldn't like that, but it worked well for this movie. It was short, and to the point.
I will keep this in my collection along with Akira, Final Fantasy, Princess Mononoke amongst others. A small but bright gem.
Terra: Flawed but Gorgeous
- planestrainsetc
- Sep 18, 2007
- Permalink
Beautiful and original
- trypanophobic34
- Apr 27, 2009
- Permalink
Good SF is hard to come by
I'm in the special effects field and jumped at the chance to see this film at the festival. I love SF but have to say I was a little wary going in because I've been burned in the past by high and low budget SF films. Big budget SF is usually so dumbed down it betrays the genre while low budget SF usually consists of cheesy low-rent imitations of great films. But I still get excited hoping that the next one will 'be the one'. I find great SF in books, but great SF films are a rare breed. I was happy to discover that this film is different in a good way. It's a good SF film and a great animated movie. I was surprised to see a film this thought-provoking get made. The animation style is really eye-popping. There were times when I wasn't sure whether I was watching real footage or CG. The performances were generally great, but there was some stiff acting now and then, especially with the humans. The aliens however moved beautifully. The story begins as a fantasy but soon transforms into a mature look at environmentalism and war. It's an odd transition, but overall a nice surprise. In terms of SF, it's a mixed bag of genuinely inspired ideas in the form of a completely original alien world, and some familiar ideas from the humans. The film's tone and style make it special. There are more than a few scenes that are emotionally engaging. I was fearing Sci-Fi channel movie-of-the-week but got Spielberg instead. I'm not sure what the film cost but it seams to have had a decent enough budget behind it. The film is not perfect, but it gets enough right to make me a fan.
- cameratracker
- Sep 12, 2007
- Permalink
Don't let the beginning fool you!
- paul_sorvino
- Sep 22, 2009
- Permalink
It's a trap!
- auto112019
- Sep 15, 2007
- Permalink
TERRA is worth seeing - best film we saw at Toronto
I was at the gala premiere of Terra in Toronto and was absolutely blown away by this film- I'm not a big festival goer- but I was in Toronto on vacation and saw something about Terra on the local news. It's hard to believe that 'kickmekenneth' and I were at the same screening. I've never commented on these types of websites but came across this review when I was looking for info about this film. The film was incredible- the world Tsirbas created is gorgeous and totally unique. I felt as though I was watching a painting come to life. It was so refreshing to experience an animated story whose characters had depth and conflict like those in a dramatic live action film. The environmental and anti-war themes were expertly woven into the plot and clearly Danny Glover, Brian Cox and Justin Long felt strongly enough about this film to present the premiere and Danny Glover was gracious enough to talk with us afterward. Terra's only flaw may be that it is ahead of its time in the US where we are are used to our animated characters being simplistic, forgettable talking animals. TERRA is the future of CGI. I took a group of children who have not stopped talking about this film since the screening- we go to all the animated films, and I've never seen this kind of reaction from them. I also noticed a few adult audience members sniffling tears at the dramatic conclusion. BRAVO Mr. Tsirbas! This is a film worth seeing... Does anyone know who Mr. Tsirbas is or where I can learn more?
- angela_spolter
- Sep 12, 2007
- Permalink
I liked this film
Not that good....
Underrated Gem!
A Nutshell Review: The Battle For Terra
While this could be seen as an animated film targeted at kids, given the rather cute character designs of the alien species, the Terrians, the central dilemma here was squarely aimed at the adults, in presenting compelling arguments for what the alien and human characters are fighting for, and drawing you out to root for one or the other.
We know how destructive the human race is, and the film takes on this environmental message as well that we're on target to strip our planet of its resources and ultimately killing it, thus pushing our descendants into the far depths of space in looking for an alternative planet to take over, meanwhile living in an artificial space station that's about to fall apart.
As for the aliens, you're likely be drawn by their peace loving and docile ways, already isolated in their propensity for warfare, but that doesn't mean that they'll take colonization, or total annihilation, lying down. We're constantly, throughout the film, made to think about how if push comes to shove, which side will we be on, and whether a win-win situation could result. To add to the complexity, there's a war-mongering general ready to do what it takes to ensure that the human race succeeds, thus firing the first salvo of aggression.
However, the more adult like moments gave way in the last act for the filmmakers to show off their animation techniques, opting for an Independence Day-like big-bang action sequence where you throw just about everything onto the screen. If dog-fights in outer space are your cup of tea, then this film would not disappoint when you finally get there. Otherwise you'd wonder why so much screen time got devoted to clichéd set action pieces which don't fully exploit its 3D qualities, and opted to put aside its relative mature and engaging premise.
Then again, this animated feature may have tried to find common ground between adults and kids, and so to a certain degree, a compromise mid-way point had to be sought. Nonetheless Battle for Terra still boasts of a relatively strong storyline (despite some reservations about its initial dabbling into religion), coupled with some clean and detailed animation, and a stellar voice cast to boot, with the likes of Luke Wilson, Danny Glover, Mark Hamill, Chris Evans, Justin Long, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, Brian Cox and Evan Rachel Wood in the lead role as Terrian alien Mala.
We know how destructive the human race is, and the film takes on this environmental message as well that we're on target to strip our planet of its resources and ultimately killing it, thus pushing our descendants into the far depths of space in looking for an alternative planet to take over, meanwhile living in an artificial space station that's about to fall apart.
As for the aliens, you're likely be drawn by their peace loving and docile ways, already isolated in their propensity for warfare, but that doesn't mean that they'll take colonization, or total annihilation, lying down. We're constantly, throughout the film, made to think about how if push comes to shove, which side will we be on, and whether a win-win situation could result. To add to the complexity, there's a war-mongering general ready to do what it takes to ensure that the human race succeeds, thus firing the first salvo of aggression.
However, the more adult like moments gave way in the last act for the filmmakers to show off their animation techniques, opting for an Independence Day-like big-bang action sequence where you throw just about everything onto the screen. If dog-fights in outer space are your cup of tea, then this film would not disappoint when you finally get there. Otherwise you'd wonder why so much screen time got devoted to clichéd set action pieces which don't fully exploit its 3D qualities, and opted to put aside its relative mature and engaging premise.
Then again, this animated feature may have tried to find common ground between adults and kids, and so to a certain degree, a compromise mid-way point had to be sought. Nonetheless Battle for Terra still boasts of a relatively strong storyline (despite some reservations about its initial dabbling into religion), coupled with some clean and detailed animation, and a stellar voice cast to boot, with the likes of Luke Wilson, Danny Glover, Mark Hamill, Chris Evans, Justin Long, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, Brian Cox and Evan Rachel Wood in the lead role as Terrian alien Mala.
- DICK STEEL
- Jul 16, 2009
- Permalink
Unconventional animated film - no classic, but well worth a look all the same.
- barnabyrudge
- May 13, 2011
- Permalink
Never raises above average
You probably found out by now that this is a movie with a message of peace; I agree, the message is nice. However, the approach on telling the story is the same old Disney like way of having a good guy, a good girl, a wise man and an insane bad guy. This could have been a lot more, instead, the human soldiers are absolved in the end, just as any other soldier in a pointless war, because the head honcho dies and suddenly their sick obedience doesn't imply any responsibility.
The animation is OK, but 3D computer generated, so don't expect any emotional response from it. No wonder they had to bring famous people to do the voices, otherwise it would have meant nothing. The music is completely predictable, just like any other US movie on the subject, half uplifting and half "watch this, it's going to be good, trust the music". The story is as shallow as they could make it. A 5 year old would understand it, but what I think it's sickening is that a 5 year old would actually believe the simplistic message and become just another one of those obedient soldiers depicted in the film.
Bottom line: almost a propaganda movie, it fails on every level. Strange, though, I never expected anything else to start with.
The animation is OK, but 3D computer generated, so don't expect any emotional response from it. No wonder they had to bring famous people to do the voices, otherwise it would have meant nothing. The music is completely predictable, just like any other US movie on the subject, half uplifting and half "watch this, it's going to be good, trust the music". The story is as shallow as they could make it. A 5 year old would understand it, but what I think it's sickening is that a 5 year old would actually believe the simplistic message and become just another one of those obedient soldiers depicted in the film.
Bottom line: almost a propaganda movie, it fails on every level. Strange, though, I never expected anything else to start with.
Original and pleasing to the eye
I've just finished watching this movie and I must say, I found it very enjoyable.
The story has an interesting 'twist' from the very start, with the human race at first depicted as callous and ruthless alien invaders, before revealing there point of view as being desperate to find a new home for there dying race. From this point, it feels easy to understand the characters feelings as they are forced to decide between saving their people from destruction or taking the moral high ground.
It's an animation film, but that shouldn't make you think it's main focus is towards children. The whole thing is done so that the end result is a movie that's serious, and in some places, a little moving.
The animation itself is impressive to see. The floating motion of the creatures of Terra and the battle sequences are just beautiful.
Bad things about this film- the whole thing should be longer and more fleshed out, with a lot more focus on the development of the characters, in particular their relationships with other characters. In that sense, I think quite a bit was missed out from this movie that could have gone a long way for the story line.
The story has an interesting 'twist' from the very start, with the human race at first depicted as callous and ruthless alien invaders, before revealing there point of view as being desperate to find a new home for there dying race. From this point, it feels easy to understand the characters feelings as they are forced to decide between saving their people from destruction or taking the moral high ground.
It's an animation film, but that shouldn't make you think it's main focus is towards children. The whole thing is done so that the end result is a movie that's serious, and in some places, a little moving.
The animation itself is impressive to see. The floating motion of the creatures of Terra and the battle sequences are just beautiful.
Bad things about this film- the whole thing should be longer and more fleshed out, with a lot more focus on the development of the characters, in particular their relationships with other characters. In that sense, I think quite a bit was missed out from this movie that could have gone a long way for the story line.
Beautiful and powerful, flaws and all.
- harpoonjake
- Sep 12, 2007
- Permalink
In 3D this is a trip to a place you've never been and worth seeing (in 2D its not quite that)
- dbborroughs
- May 5, 2009
- Permalink
Battle for Terra: A missed opportunity
- Rectangular_businessman
- Mar 10, 2012
- Permalink
See Terra!!!
Saw this movie today at the Tribec Film Festival and they really did a GREAT job. The story is unique to anything that is out there, uplifting, and creative all around. There are a lot of amazing action sequences and visually, they did an excellent job; between the music and sound effects it all tied together extremely well (soundtrack used "big sound" orchestrated music...went great with the film). I'm not one to comment on animated films but I thought this one went above and beyond what I have seen in the past. The director spoke afterwards and said they made it between a small animation crew of about 20. Not bad for an indie; you would never know looking at the final product. I was expecting a few more laughs during the film (my animated movie stereotype) but there weren't very many. The audience found a few laughs at David Cross (who played a robot) on a couple of moments, but that was it for the most part. Regardless, the blend went over well with the audience, and I personally enjoyed it a lot. Kept you going and had a really good ending. Just my 2 cents, but definitely worth seeing.
An Emotional action adventure fantasy.
Oh, wow! 'Battle for Terra' is an incredible film with fantastic animation and a beautiful score! This is a story of the ultimate sacrifice.
When Earth's natural resources were depleted, humans set up colonies on Venus and Mars. Typical human nature, a war broke out between the colonies, destroying Venus, Mars and Earth. Generations later, with their ships running out of oxygen, the last of the humans are looking for another planet to claim as their own.
In their search, they find Terra - a planet inhabited by a peaceful alien existence. They live in harmony with nature, and among themselves. Our hero - or heroin for that matter - is Mala, a teenage Terrian. When their village is attacked and her Father, among others, are taken by the humans, she decides to fight back. In the process, she hits a craft and it crashes. Its pilot is James, and feeling sorry for him, she helps him, hoping he could take her to her Father.
Together, they embark on a mission that will ultimately determine their fate, as well as the fate of the Terrians and the humans. The film's antagonist, is the ruthless General Hemmer, who declares war on Terra. 'Battle for Terra' is an exciting fantasy action adventure with an emotional climax I never saw coming. This is a very good animated film young and old can enjoy!
When Earth's natural resources were depleted, humans set up colonies on Venus and Mars. Typical human nature, a war broke out between the colonies, destroying Venus, Mars and Earth. Generations later, with their ships running out of oxygen, the last of the humans are looking for another planet to claim as their own.
In their search, they find Terra - a planet inhabited by a peaceful alien existence. They live in harmony with nature, and among themselves. Our hero - or heroin for that matter - is Mala, a teenage Terrian. When their village is attacked and her Father, among others, are taken by the humans, she decides to fight back. In the process, she hits a craft and it crashes. Its pilot is James, and feeling sorry for him, she helps him, hoping he could take her to her Father.
Together, they embark on a mission that will ultimately determine their fate, as well as the fate of the Terrians and the humans. The film's antagonist, is the ruthless General Hemmer, who declares war on Terra. 'Battle for Terra' is an exciting fantasy action adventure with an emotional climax I never saw coming. This is a very good animated film young and old can enjoy!
- paulclaassen
- Apr 7, 2023
- Permalink
It's not very good
- practicallypeach
- Jan 15, 2012
- Permalink