Battle for Terra No Fun For Kids or Adults

A spiritual sequel to the equally hapless Delgo—which sold pacifism in animated form to an empty theater—Battle for Terra pits alien creatures against invading Earthlings in a detail-poor CGI landscape. Terra, to be fair, looks fairly clean, and the 3-D is totally passable, but watching it will be no fun for either kids or adults. The creatures of Terra resemble nothing so much as myopic earthworms, the backs of their heads ripped off from The Fifth Element‘s alien opera singer. Into their drab, hippie-esque world enters a fleet of invading humans—having destroyed Earth, Mars, and Venus, they need a new pad. Inevitably, the human military wants to wipe the natives out and colonize, while dissenting voices call for peaceful interaction. It’s up to young alien Mala (Evan Rachel Wood) to bond with downed soldier Jim (Luke Wilson) and convince him that her species has value, etc. Battle for Terra harps on pacifism so tirelessly that it’s enough to make the most die-hard U.N. supporter long for some irresponsible asskicking. And the alien dialogue (“Inventions that are against our teachings are not approved.” “Then maybe our teachings are wrong!”) makes a good case for wiping the suckers out.