Battle for Terra
Lionsgate | Release Date: May 1, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
5
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleJustin Berton
The plot is an obvious parable for modern dilemmas, yet in the hands of the film's creators, and with their graceful use of 3-D, viewers feel as if they're watching how the future might actually unfold, glimpsing a conflict that's destined to take place 300 years from now. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The animation is nicely stylized and the color palette well-chosen, although the humans are so square-jawed, they make Dick Tracy look like Andy Gump. The voice performances are persuasive. The obvious drawback is that the film is in 3-D. If you can find a theater showing it in 2-D, seek it out. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
On one level, it's a down-market Star Wars-inspired shoot-'em-up for kiddies; on another, it's a radical alien invasion story where the HUMANS are the aliens. Read full review
70
VarietyJohn Anderson
As original and convincing a feature as the better Japanese animes of recent years --"Tekkonkinkreet" comes to mind, along with the slightly older "Metropolis." Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The animation is splendid on what must have been, since this is not a studio film, a modest budget. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert Abele
Director/co-writer Aristomenis Tsirbas, expanding his own short film, unveils a classically devised invasion yarn à la H.G. Wells, but with the twist that humans are the aggressors. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Tentle, dreamy animated sci-fi tale. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Battle for Terra boasts impressively executed battle sequences that, frankly, are light-years beyond anything found in the recent Star Wars animated add-ons. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It's an unconventional premise: that aliens live in harmony and humans are the warmonger invaders. But it's not that simple. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineTracie Cooper
The good news is that Battle for Terra's moments of unbalance ultimately right themselves into a surprisingly earnest, engaging film. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
A tiresome, didactic and, once the novelty of the graphics has worn off, charmless film. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
All in all? A curious preachment yarn for peace, one which makes you wonder if the filmmakers couldn't wait to get to the climactic aerial dogfights. Read full review
50
Washington PostDan Kois
It doesn't do much for the film's pacifist message that, as spacecraft zip across the screen and fire lasers into your popcorn, you may find yourself wishing that Tsirbas had replaced the movie's poorly written dialogue and implausible plot with more battle scenes. War! What is it good for? Awesome animation! Read full review
50
The New York TimesNeil Genzlinger
The movie's messages are delivered with a heavy hand, but some of the scenes are eye-popping, especially -- sorry, peace-loving Terrians -- the battle sequences. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
The exotic plant and animal life is enhanced by the 3D process--which makes the two-dimensional screenplay all the more disappointing. With its weighty dialogue the movie becomes depressing well before the final violent showdown. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverRoger Moore
Naive but ambitious, it comes across as a "Battlestar Galactica" vetted by pacifists, "Clone Wars" neutered for Saturday morning kids' TV. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeEthan Gilsdorf
Please, moviegoers, time is running out for us. Our civilization (and bottom line) depend on fast-food kiddie meals stuffed with toys. In this way, we conquer the solar system. Read full review
30
Village VoiceVadim Rizov
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. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle Smith
Aggressively ugly and intergalactically boring, the dismal sci-fi kiddie cartoon Battle for Terra is too weak to be shown anywhere except maybe on the next flight to Saturn. Read full review
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