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3 1/2 stars for Asylum (or bad SyFy) Fans
1 1/2 stars: Everyone Else
I have to credit the cheapie studio The Asylum for creating an entirely new movie term (or at least beating it into mainstream consciousness). They have created the Mockbuster. Every year, the studio seems to look at the upcoming summer movie releases and then tries to replicate the larger studio offerings. The SyFy network will then broadcast these low budget endeavors on the same weekend that the original flicks hit the theater. It's actually pretty funny. However, last year, things struck a little too close as Asylum released "Battle of Los Angeles" as "Battle: Los Angeles" was in theaters and a confusion in the DVD market upset a number of consumers. Maybe that's why this year Asylum found itself in a legal battle with Universal Studios over this particular movie. As "Battleship" opens wide in movie houses, Asylum had readied "American Battleship" for the SyFy crowd on the same weekend. But with an impending lawsuit, the title has recently morphed into "American Warships" even as the movie remains a blatant copy of its more extravagant cousin.
I never expect much from an Asylum film, most are shot in a few days with a couple of nickels as the budget. But sometimes bad movie magic strikes. Some of the endeavors have been brilliantly bad (I mean that as a compliment) while others have just been bad bad. "American Warships" is actually a movie that benefits from lowered expectations because, by Asylum standards, it seems much more accomplished than some of their other offerings. Sure it's still silly, but it's a fun and entertaining silliness. The CGI effects are better than anticipated (once again, by Asylum standards, not feature film). But what takes this a step up from the ordinary are the committed performances. Note, I didn't say good--I said committed. It's so over-the-top delightful. For a bad movie to work, the actors have to convince you (often with limited resources and extreme line readings) that the fate of the world rests in their hands. I believed it here even when it was wooden and painfully overwrought.
Mario Van Peebles finds himself the captain of a battleship when a strange attack by alien forces seem to have crippled our ordinary defenses. As circumstances grow more dire, some hard decisions need to be made. As the attacks continue, the only option available may be a nuclear one. Of course, the implications of this aren't very pleasant but may be inevitable. Helping with these hard decisions, the cast also boasts an appearance by Carl Weathers as a General and Johanna Watts (surprisingly likable) as a lieutenant. Can the invasion be stopped? Will our heroic troops survive?
I truly struggle when reviewing bad movies. Why? Because for me, there is a difference between watching something for free and paying to own it on DVD. To be fair, many of these SyFy movies are rated by viewers that saw them on TV for free. I could watch nonsense non-stop at home on SyFy and be happy enough. Most of what I watch, however, I would not pay for or recommend to someone else for purchase. So my honest suggestion with "American Warships" is to catch it for free before deciding whether to invest. It's not something that I would choose to revisit anytime soon, but I've seen much worse from Asylum. And I had a fair share of laughs with this one. KGHarris, 5/12.
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Not all at similar to "Battleship" Hasbros Production. The Movie is less than B rated, the Ships looked phony or bad, the acting was really put on and terrible, The Navy Seals in this were not like the real Navy Seals, the "Martians" were like real bad puppets, the plot left a whole lot to be desired and not even 1/10th as cool as "Battleship". Yep I bought it even after reading some bad reviews and they were right on the money as far as the critical ones went. If you have seen both "American Warships" and "Battleship" then "Battleship" has to have been superior.Best Deals for American Warships (2011)
Bought for husband and he really enjoyed watching it. If you like sci-fi like we do and like ships, you may like this movieHonest reviews on American Warships (2011)
This film is an Asylum mock-buster of the film "Battleship" and addresses some of the issues of that film, such as how does a Battleship welded to a pier suddenly has fuel and weapons? In this film the Enterprise (and task force) is up against an enemy with a cloaking device and the enemy has to become visible to fire its weapons. Where have we seen this before? We suspect the Chinese are involved. Now as any Trekkie knows the Romulans (not to be confused with Romney supporters) had such a device. Trekkies also know that the Romulans represented the Chinese. I love these movie tie-ins. Plus 1 star for a Star Trek tie-in.What this film lacks, that "Battleship" possessed is a killer sound track, witty dialouge, and likeable characters. The USS Iowa is undergoing a world tour as a museum piece when the attacks occur. All solid state electronics are fried, so it is up to old technology and SEAL Team 6, who happens to be on board to save the planet. Mario Van Peebles is the captain of The Big Stick and has a love interest in Lt. Caroline Bradley (Johanna Watts) which is not fully developed. Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed) has a small role as General McKraken. David Polinsky starts out the film as a 4 star admiral and by the end of the film he is a three star admiral. Asylum normally confounds their naval ranking insignias. Not as good as "Battleship." The special CG effects are still Asylum grade, especially the fake looking fire on the deck of the ship.
No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Kid safe. 4 stars on the Asylum scale.
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