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Critics Split on Battle for Terra

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted May 1, 2009 12:18 PM CDT

(Newser) – Battle for Terra has a nifty twist of a premise—it’s an alien movie in which humans are the evil invaders—but critics are split on how well it works. Here’s what they’re saying:

It’s a “work of art,” writes John Anderson in Variety, as “original and convincing a feature as the better Japanese animes.” Animation acolytes will love it, but beware: this isn’t at all sugar-coated, and won’t be “the feel good movie of 2009.”

Ethan Gilsdorf, writing in the Boston Globe, was less impressed: “If you find the plot predictable, as a distraction we present an arsenal of 3-D visuals.” It’s a Star Wars rip-off designed to sell Happy Meals.
It’s “a curious preachment yarn for peace” that suffers from a heavy hand and some unnecessary padding, writes Michael Phillips in the Chicago Tribune. The result? It’s “almost good.”

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A scene from "Battle for Terra" is seen in this screenshot from the trailer.

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A trailer for Battle for Terra. (HyperFoxTails)

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You can tell the militaristic humans are bad because their spaceships are metal and glow neon, whereas Terrians fly low-tech, bird-shaped aircraft made of cloth and love. - Ethan Gilsdorf

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Critics Split on Battle for Terra

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