Battleship, the movie

[Brad Johnson]

Playing with home theater audio settings last night and scrolling through Netflix for test material. Noticed they have Battleship now. Remembered really enjoying it so turned it on to see if my memories were accurate. They were. Ended up watching the whole thing.

Is it a perfect movie? Nope, far from it. In fact, it's straight up B-movie cheese at times and plot devices vis-à-vis alien ship travel are are real groaners (jumping, seriously?). I also figure anyone who's served in the Navy has a few choice ideas about it, too. Yeah, it's a schlock fest, but it's a damn fun schlock fest. First fifteen or twenty minutes are meh but after that it never lets up. Action, once it begins, is fun. Visuals are solid, a real treat. Rocking soundtrack with a thundering, demo-level audio presentation that's enveloping, full, and will have your sound system begging for mercy. The final act where Mighty Mo goes full-on Kick ass mode absolutely begs for giant subwoofers and lots of wattage. Director Peter Berg's insistence on real Navy vets playing significant positive character roles was a nice touch, too. Good to see them getting the respect they deserve.

I put this one in the same category as Armageddon, Independence Day, and True Lies ... Grab a beer, turn off your brain, turn up the volume, and enjoy the ride.

Brad

[Hawkmoon]

I replay scenes from the movie periodically on YouTube.

There's also a YouTube segment on the making of the movie. Apparently the ship had been under repair, and the film makers were able to go along as she was towed from the drydock back to her berth, and they filmed underway -- artfully composing the shots to hide the tugs that were towing her.

[MechAg94]

I remember it being a fun movie.  I could have done without the one part where they played Battleship the board game.  But it was a fun movie with good visuals. 

[K Frame]

When I finally replace my TV and get a surround sound system set up the first movie I'm going to play is Blade Runner, followed by Excalibur.

[MechAg94]

I replay scenes from the movie periodically on YouTube.

There's also a YouTube segment on the making of the movie. Apparently the ship had been under repair, and the film makers were able to go along as she was towed from the drydock back to her berth, and they filmed underway -- artfully composing the shots to hide the tugs that were towing her.

Are the engines on that Battleship still anywhere close to operable?  I heard the Battleship Texas machinery is not, but that stuff is a little newer.  I would think the answer is no.

[Hawkmoon]

Are the engines on that Battleship still anywhere close to operable?  I heard the Battleship Texas machinery is not, but that stuff is a little newer.  I would think the answer is no.

Probably not. She hasn't moved under her own power since 1992. It's possible that the boilers and propulsion system might be able to be put back in operation, but not in under five minutes like in the movie.

[MillCreek]

^^^When I read the periodic calls to bring back the battleships, the Navy responds that they no longer have sailors capable of operating that type of steam plant and propulsion.

[HankB]

Agree with the OP's assessment of the movie - turn off brain and enjoy.

That reminded me of another sci-fi Navy movie, The Final Countdown. No alien invasion - instead, Kirk Douglas played the skipper of the U.S.S. Nimitz circa 1980, which somehow slipped through a time warp to December 6, 1941, just west of Hawaii. That was a decent movie too, but if the writers had some imagination, it could have been so much better.

[Parker Dean]

Are the engines on that Battleship still anywhere close to operable?  I heard the Battleship Texas machinery is not, but that stuff is a little newer.  I would think the answer is no.

Not without a drydocking at minimum since all the underwater openings for condenser cooling water, evaporators, etc, have been plated over to reduce the chance of leaks. Plus the ships were used as parts stores for the oil-fired carriers we had then so there's probably more than a little bit of equipment missing. It's not impossible to do but wouldn't be a casual decision either. You'd have to really, really, want it.

As mentioned, the movie makes it seem like they fired the boilers and were ready to go in 5 minutes and that's not happening even with the Navy's shortened procedure for starting cold boilers that would take a bit less than an hour per. Assuming no shore power you'd have to fire off your backup diesels and get the air compressors running so you have some pressure to run pumps. Meanwhile you're sending somebody to some small compartment in the bottom of the ship to cross-connect the boiler fuel feed to the diesel tank while somebody else is cross-connecting that steam-driven fuel pump to the air pressure you're building up. Then you fire the boiler on diesel until you have enough pressure to to send steam through the ready-use fuel oil tank to heat that until the fuel oil's thin enough to use. Now that there's steam and hot fuel oil, the cross-connects and diesel can be secured and the other boilers brought on line. All that and you're still not ready to make turns.

[Brad Johnson]

Technical stuff... blah blah blah... boilers and steam... blah blah blah... reality... blah blah blah...

I bet Chuck Norris could do it.

Brad

[MechAg94]

I recall now that Drachinifel mentioned that military ships generally have a limited life span on their machinery.  20 years or so in peace time, maybe less in war time use.  Those battleships didn't see many years of use during WWII, but adding up all their post war and later use, that might add up to end of life.  At the least, they would have to rip out the engines and boilers and replace it all.  Might be simpler just to build an entirely new one. 

[HankB]

Technical stuff... blah blah blah... boilers and steam... blah blah blah... reality... blah blah blah...

I bet Chuck Norris could do it.

Brad

They would have needed Chuck Norris to carry that 16" projectile from one end of the ship to the other.

[MechAg94]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEGrj1Vg19U
Drachinifel also had this interview a while back with Captain Larry Seaquist who was Captain of the USS Iowa in the 1980's. 

[WLJ]

They would have needed Chuck Norris to carry that 16" projectile from one end of the ship to the other.

Please, all he has to do is tell them where to go, they'll go.

[Boomhauer]

Are the engines on that Battleship still anywhere close to operable?  I heard the Battleship Texas machinery is not, but that stuff is a little newer.  I would think the answer is no.

According to the curator of the New Jersey, no.

If you are not aware of the Battleship New Jersey channel you should check it out on YouTube. He produces excellent videos.

[Phyphor]

Seen some of that stuff.  They're (the museum folks) aren't even allowed to attempt to start the engines, so keeping those skills around is essentially doomed to failure.

Not that I'd WANT a 600/1200 pound steam plant like that anywhere near me, considering the age and neglect of that particular system....

[JTHunter]

When I finally replace my TV and get a surround sound system set up the first movie I'm going to play is Blade Runner, followed by Excalibur.

Good movie!
What was "funny" is the fact that "Merlin" (Nicol Williamson) and "Morgana" (Helen Mirren) disliked each other immensely as they had been "lovers" in the mid-70s and it hadn't ended well.
Remember the "incantation"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4I_zbi3Sak

[Bogie]

ZOMG, but at this point in the start of the flick, I'm hoping the aliens kill at least one or both of who I suppose are the heroes...

[K Frame]

Good movie!
What was "funny" is the fact that "Merlin" (Nicol Williamson) and "Morgana" (Helen Mirren) disliked each other immensely as they had been "lovers" in the mid-70s and it hadn't ended well.
Remember the "incantation"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4I_zbi3Sak

Yes I do. The Charm of Making

[WLJ]

Good movie!
What was "funny" is the fact that "Merlin" (Nicol Williamson) and "Morgana" (Helen Mirren) disliked each other immensely as they had been "lovers" in the mid-70s and it hadn't ended well.
Remember the "incantation"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4I_zbi3Sak

And Igraine was played by the director's daughter. Filming your daughter nude in a sex/rape scene.  Creepy

[Bogie]

Okay. Watched some more. And with about 1:38 left to go in the movie, they FINALLY have started blowing stuff up.

[Bogie]

Someone skipped Physics class...

[Bogie]

And that was messed up. But... VERY VERY KEWL...
 
Next up?
 
I think the Adam Project...