User Reviews

This is a pretty good animated movie. The story is interesting and pulls you in. The characters are uniformly interesting, Jim and Nala are very good and well developed.

I saw the world premiere with my wife and two sons (8 and 10)at the Toronto International Film Festival and we all liked it. It was a bit more serious in tone than I expected. The theme around mankind becoming extinct was well balanced and quite well done. The theme around personal choice and making hard decisions was very well done, both Nala and Jim had tough choices to make several times in the movie. The ending left us all feeling a bit sad but was still positive. The humor throughout the move and especially around the robot is so-so.

We also saw Danny Glover and Justin Long at the premiere and this was quite exciting for all of us. Danny was very polite and posed for a picture with the boys.

I would recommend this movie for families who have children aged 8 and up.

Warning: Spoilers Follow

Aristomenis Tsirbas' feature directorial debut, Terra, is based on his 2003 short film of the same name and expands on the fable recounted in the original. As an alien-invasion story, it turns the trope on its ear by making humans the invaders and aliens the victims. But Terra is not a cut-and-dry adventure in the manner of past invasion flicks, such as "Independence Day" and "War of the Worlds," where good simply triumphs over evil: Terra is about shades of gray and choices.

Set in a future where mankind has depleted the Earth's resources and subsequently destroyed our home world and the terraformed colonies, Mars and Venus, in a war of independence, Terra recounts the conflict between the last humans, whose "ark" is nearly out of oxygen and falling apart, and the native Terrians, peace-loving creatures who live in harmony with nature and who have rejected their warlike past and technologies of mass destruction. Neither side is quite good or bad but simply trying to avoid extinction.

The protagonists in this film are Mala, a young Terrian female whose curiosity gets the better of her, and Jim Stanton, an Earthforce pilot who crash lands in the helium atmosphere of the planet. Together they forge a friendship that crosses cultural boundaries and ultimately forces them to consider their individual stances when the conflict escalates to war.

The ensuing morality play is heavy stuff for what is essentially a children's movie, but it is pulled off superbly by Tsirbas and his team, despite the occasional instances of lackluster animation (especially the human characters) and at-times awkward dialog. But these flaws do little to detract from the pleasures of this film. The beginning of the movie may also be too slow for modern audiences expecting a quick immersion into the heart of the action, as it introduces us to the alien landscape of Terra at a languorous pace.

With its limited budget and small production team, Terra cannot pretend to compete with product from Pixar, but it makes up for its technical and financial limitations with an unprecedented visual style that is reminiscent of the organic alien landscapes that populated such 70s staples such prog rock album covers and Heavy Metal magazine.

Unlike most CGI features, Terra does not try to draw in adults with an endless stream of comedic quips and double-entendres, but rather hopes that older viewers will suspend disbelief and enjoy the fable-like quality of the film. Nor does the film give easy answers to children, instead inviting them, like the characters on the screen, to choose what to take away from the film. Its only concession to pop culture references, the surfeit of lines lifted from the original Star Wars trilogy, may please some older viewers while annoying others. (It's clear that Tsirbas is a fan of Mr. Lucas's work.)

Terra is not hard science-fiction for gear-heads and physics geeks. It's not mindless action for the fans of Jerry Bruckheimer's oeuvre. And it's certainly not the kind of moralizing pap that often passes for children's fare. As a result, it is hard to pigeonhole and may not find an audience in North America. However, the stellar voice cast, which is not always used to best effect, may help counter this by drawing viewers through name recognition.

Finally, one cannot review this film without mentioning the sumptuous score by Abel Korzeniowski. Combining the sweeping grandeur of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings soundtrack, with ethnic percussion and avant-garde flourishes à la Philip Glass, the music is at once familiar and other, echoing the film's visual topography.

Terra may suffer from some uneven animation, awkward characterization and ill-considered dialog but the film holds together surprisingly well and builds to an exciting climax that will have you riveted. And even though it overly simplifies the complex morality it examines, this movie is aimed at kids and will certainly enthrall its intended audience.

Suspend disbelief, overlook its flaws and enjoy the ride. Terra has a lot more going for it than against it.

I really like this movie. It's a fantastic, beautiful, and otherworldly experience. People have said that the animation style resembles a combination of Star Wars: Clone Wars and Antz or something, which is kind of what it's like, but I think it's a unique and beautiful, somewhat innovative style. It achieves imagery and a visual atmosphere that I'm not sure could be done through live-action with CGI. I especially like the scenes at the beginning depicting Terran life, which is a truly unique experience and probably the strongest part of the movie. I loved seeing all the details of Terra, how Mala had an anatomy diagram, her tools and all the things the Terrans used, the sky-whales, the lovely, fantasy-like, airy landscape where everything seems up in the sky - I thought it was kind of ironic that it was called "Terra," since it seems so ethereal and not earthy. Rarely have I seen a whole alien world articulated so well.

As is often the case the dialogue is weaker than the visual aspect, but I guess you have to remember that this is a kids'/family movie with a clear message. I don't think there was anything amiss with its message, it was subtler than, say, Wall-E. I have to admit that I have a problem with the way environmental politics have been propagandized so much and become almost a cliché, or fad, in very recent years. That doesn't mean that I don't think there needs to be anything done about it, it's just that it seems very sudden, unsubtle, and commercial to me, fed to the masses at an accelerating rate. But this movie was okay. There was nothing wrong with what it was conveying to us. There were some things that were off with the logic of the humans (how the President and lady didn't even bother to contact the Terrans, or voice the obvious idea of building an air dome instead of just saying "There are alternatives," until the General got impatient), the plot or actions, etc., and how the Terraforming device is supposed to transform the whole planet in like 5 minutes (I'm exaggerating, but you know), but the greater - and important - part of it is good. Another highlight is the robot, who I liked.

Someone who commented complained that the movie "advocates suicide attacks" because Jim flies his plane into the Terraforming device in the end. Um, I don't think the message of the movie is really "you can get what you want by being a suicide bomber," I think it's a vastly more important and selfless thing if by doing it you can save two whole species. It made sense to me.

So in conclusion, this is a great and really interesting animated film that's definitely worthwhile to see. It is kind of dark, different, and more mature in tone, but it's still basically a movie for everyone - kids or whoever. I think everyone should see it, as it's an environmentally-oriented film that's in tune with the current concerns and not frivolous or slapdash but has a kind of different take on it, and something to contribute and to do differently with the theme of future worlds with environmental/humanist issues.

Don't even think about it! This is not your average anime-like cartoon or even a "let's get a family night out" movie! This is a decent flick, in some ways similar with Atlantis - The Last Empire, though not quite the same.

I would like to comment on the very end (so don't read it until you watch the whole film!), on a couple of themes: 1. The "hero" finds a way to peace by terminating HIS OWN BOSS. Well, very nice, but he's in the military! Well, the writer had to fine balance the military loyalty, the feeling of the "killing machine" and on the other hand the fact that the general made a military coup to take the power from the civilians... Think yourselves of the choices he makes...

2. The very final scene, with the monstrous statue being built... Well, in these parts of the world such a way of "honoring" someone is defined as "personality cult" and this is why I find it ungodly... If they found a way of naming the dome-town after him, or something like that maybe it wouldn't have been so awful... But this clearly ruins the effect searched for the end of the movie.

To conclude, not a waste of time

Saw Terra at the Toronto International Film Festival. Unlike, kickmekenneth, I was fine with the visuals, which seemed to me to be rather similar to The Incredibles. However, I agree that the plot was awful. I didn't find it "treacly and preachy". To me it seemed cliché and evil.

1) Cliché - Let's see. Planet of annoying cute aliens with seemingly primitive technology trying to defend their home. Check. Massive spherical shaped space vessel, which holds a "device" capable of destroying all life on a planet. Check. Annoying robot. Check. Useful robot. Check. A dictator seizes power from and dissolves the democratically elected governing body. Check. Practically identical foot soldiers that couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. Check. Father figure sacrifices himself to save the hero. Check. While under time constraints and attack from enemy fighters, the good guys must make a surgical strike to disable the "device". Check. The countdown clock even looks like the Yavin 4 display from Star Wars. The film even has the line "It's a trap!", delivered almost identically to Admiral Ackbar's line from Return of the Jedi. "I think George Lucas gonna sue somebody."

2) Evil - The Terrans have their fascist tendencies, but the basic underlying message of Terra is that using violence to get what you want is OK. General Hemmer is evil because he's willing to use violence to get what he wants. The Resistance is evil because it is willing to endanger the *entire human race* to get what they want. However, by far the worse moral of the story involves that fate of Lt. James Stanton. Apparently, Terra seems to suggest that the use of suicide attacks is an effective means to bring about regime change. In fact, the film seems to support the idea that actions of suicide attackers should be celebrated & immortalized by huge metal statues.

Basically Terra should have ended once Staton realized that Mala had learned the Earth Force language and saved his life. All he had to do was meet with the leadership and say "One of the aliens saved my life, knows our language, and can produce oxygen. If we talk with them, they will probably help us even though we abducted and dissect many of their fellow Terrans."

Would have saved a lot of trouble.

I'm seeing a lot of positive commentary, and I have to wonder why.

It has a nice politically correct anti-war message. Mean Earth People slaughtering innocent aliens for no good reason other than wanting to survive. A lot of name actors barely recognizable as voice credits. (James Garner plays a alien priest-leader, but he lacks the edge that has made audiences love him for several decades.)

The films morality is heavy handed, and the CGI is poorly done. Some of the concepts are kind of interesting, but their grasp on science is poor. (For instance, if the planet has so little oxygen, how are fires possible?) Oh, but don't worry, even though you humans just tried to exterminate us, we'll help you build a terrarium you can all live in... really, because we are such nice aliens.

To be honest, I didn't plan to watch this film at first, but because I have watched other sci-fi films shown in the cinemas, I decided to watch this film. An I have to be honest, that I am thankful that I watched it.

There were not much film hype, not much publicity as compared to other films, even though the voice-over were done by impressive casts.

The quality of the CGI is impressive, made with details taken care of, with minute details given extra polishing.

But what is most important is the message behind it. About how when human civilization collides with other civilization, how and what are we going to do. Between our own survival and the need to bu humane to others. About integrity and the very human nature about our constant struggle to decide on what is right and what is not.

Human beings are on the brink of extinction, save the people on the Ark. They need to find a new place to settle in, because Earth had collided with two other planets and has become terraformed. They discovered the new place, in which they called it Terra. And then the battle began with different sets of ideological. Of a Sergeant who wants to fight with weapons, of the elderly who wants to settle it in a diplomatic way, and of the people who are stuck in the middle.

I'd say this film is an underrated gem. It does have good message instilled, and minus the violent scenes the Hollywood films usually comes up with. And there were no sexual jokes or lewd behavior, which means it's okay to be watched by small children and those who are offended by it.

It's rare that I like cartoons these days because they all seem to be formulaic but this one (and WALL'E) have a much needed message about the environment, prejudice and living in harmony.

The movie takes place in the future where earth has exhausted its life source and imploded and the survivors of the human race have been force to seek shelter aboard a large spaceship that has set a course in search of a new human abode in space. After traveling light years, the surviving humans come across a planet called Terra and decided to make it home, the problem however is that the planet is already inhabited by aliens called Terrians.

Battle For Terra is quite unusual in some ways for an animated feature film. Its themes are quite weighty, its questions probing and its answers surprisingly ambiguous. This is not typical kiddie fare: for one thing, the good guys make mistakes and bad choices from time to time, while the bad guys have legitimate reasons for committing the wrongs they do, rather than merely being evil for evils' sake. And on top of all that, the film remembers to be entertaining, meaning that all the weightiness and thematic ambivalence doesn't become a bore. It's not a perfect film but it's certainly worth a look, especially if you crave an animated film with a different 'flavour' than most.

Terra is a distant planet populated by a cultured and sophisticated alien race. It also happens to be the planet which the survivors of a civil war which destroyed planet Earth choose to invade and take for their new home. The humans are struck by Terra's similarity to Earth, with rain, snow, wind and plant-life, but one key difference is that there is no oxygen in Terra's atmosphere. A young Terrian girl named Mala (voice of Evan Rachel Wood) manages to capture a human fighter pilot, Jim Stanton (voice of Luke Wilson) when his fighter shuttle crashes during a raid. She builds an oxygen tent for him and nurses him back to help, and soon a bond develops between them as they learn to appreciate each other's culture. Mala learns that the humans have travelled across the galaxy aboard an Ark, intending to seize Terra from the Terrians. Later she and Jim make an even worse discovery – that the war-crazed General Hammer (voice of Brian Cox), who is in charge of the Earth forces, plans to use a machine they possess to make the atmosphere breathable by injecting huge quantities of oxygen. Alas, oxygen will prove fatal to any remaining Terrians and they will quickly die out. Jim and Mala eventually find themselves reluctant participants in an epic-scale war for Terra, Jim fighting to destroy a race that he has come to care for, while Mala must defeat her human friend and all his compatriots in order to save her home planet.

Battle For Terra is at its best when the focus is on the rich and wonderful world of Terra – the detail that has gone into creating this believable alien society is packed with ingenuity and imagination. Throughout, the film is a visual treat. The story itself is told simply, with fairly routine dialogue, but the main conflict which drives the story (the survival of the human race .vs. the Terrians right to live in peace on their own planet) is dealt with interestingly. Perhaps the bravest decision of all is to tell the story from a Terrian point of view, making the invaders from Earth almost the villains of the piece. It takes skill to make the audience root for an alien society over their own kind, but by-and-large the film pulls it off. Overall the vocal acting is pretty good, although the need for so many bona fide stars (Dennis Quaid, Danny Glover, James Garner, Luke Wilson, Mark Hamill, Brian Cox, Amanda Peet, Beverly D'Angelo, Rosanna Arquette) is debatable. The film's ending quite cleverly manages to avoid sentimentality (with an unexpected death for one of the main characters) and, although the ultimate resolution could be accused of being a little too pat, there are enough thought-provoking moments along the way to make the film a worthwhile watch.

For an indie science fiction this stands out as one of the more visually striking and emotionally resonant. But what makes this film so unique is that it's intentionally dramatic.

It almost seems like the filmmakers were blissfully ignorant of the unspoken requirement that all American animation must be presented as a comedy, instead opting to tell the story as a somewhat conventional drama. That in itself makes this film feel immediately different. The fact that it methodically develops a case against unilateral war is downright rebellious, especially since the alien world is introduced in an almost naive, Disney-like way.

From the very first moments when you're introduced to the lush alien world, you know that this film will be a visual treat, and it delivers right through to the end. Unlike a lot of first films made by graphic artists and such, this animated piece quite obviously has an aspiring auteur behind it. There are a good number of compositions and cinematic constructs that scream out 'I have a vision!'.

But the film isn't without its flaws. There are a few moments that feel a little clumsy in the animation movement, some of the dialogue falls a bit flat, and the pace drags in spots. But these annoyances are thankfully few and far between, and are offset by an overall solid flow of drama and even a few moments of true brilliance. The best being saved for last in what has to be one of the most emotionally stirring conclusions for the genre in some time.

So on the whole, this is a terrific animated film with something to say and a beautiful way of expressing it. It's also the best animated science fiction film yet.

It's that good. Flaws and all.

The plot is a simple one. On an alien world an alien invasion force comes and tries to take over. The aliens are humans who need to terraform the planet for it to be of any use to us. One alien with an incredible ability to build things ends up rescuing a downed human pilot and a bond is begrudgingly formed, that is threatened by an evil earth general.

You know the drill. Its a well worn tale that plays okay in 2D. In 3D its another matter.

There really is a difference between 3D and 2D with Battle for Terra. The difference between the two ways of viewing the film is vast, greater than with any other 3D film I've seen and there have been a lot. For the first time here is a 3D film who's use of depth has a purpose-it puts you into a world you could never go to. Yes I know I said there is a difference between the 3D and 2D of a good number of films- Beowulf for example, since the 3D in Beowulf made the film a thrill ride. It didn't enhance what was and is a really horrible story. Here the film gets better, yes it makes things better because it gives weight to the events. The characters suddenly become realer. There are no items popping out at you but the film doesn't need it, its not that sort of film. This is a film that puts you into its world. One of the most amazing things in the film is the climatic battle which knocked my socks off in 3D. You've seen space battles in any number of films including the star wars films but here it is in 3D. Amazing. (George Lucas is rejiggering the Star Wars films in 3D but I doubt the battles will improve them enough to make them any more gee whiz than this films battles) The writing is not a well worn as the basic plot. Other than Brian Cox's villain things are not entirely clear cut as to characters. People change and shift. The plot also deals with some dark ideas. Frankly there are a couple of twists that I was shocked that the filmmakers had the guts to include in "a children's film". Its not a children's film. There is death and destruction and I am glad that the film doesn't shy away from it. Actually one of the plot points is the devastation of war. There is some adult writing here and assumption that the audience isn't stupid which is a welcome relief.

If you can see the film in 3D I highly recommend you do so. Its a very different case then seeing it flat. Flat this is just another space opera, in 3D its an affecting tale of alien species colliding. Its a trip to a place you've never been.

8 out of 10 in 3D Around 5 or 6ish out of 10 in 2D

I really wanted to like this, mostly because unlike most of CGI animated films, this movie wasn't a comedy, but something more ambitious: A science fiction epic that deals many serious issues, such as the consequences of war, prejudice and ecological destruction…Sadly, most of those themes are poorly treated in this film, being handled in a preachy and simplistic way. At several moments, this movie is even preachier than movies like "Avatar" from James Cameron.

Even with the somber post-apocalyptic elements included in the story, most of the film feels flat and unmotivated, without anything remarkable. The ethical conflicts experimented by the main characters are shallowly explored, missing yet again another chance to introduce complex themes into this kind of animated films. It's like the makers of this film were afraid to do something truly dramatic or intense. Even the scenes that were supposed to be "dramatic" were unable to cause any emotion on me.

While I can appreciate "Battle for Terra" as a meritorious effort to make something different with CGI animation, I can hardly enjoy this film. Personally, I think that it is way too preachy and simplistic to be interesting for the adults, but at the same time, it is too heave handed and dull to keep the interest of the children. That's a shame, considering the great potential of the plot.

Even for a children's story, it's not that great and hardly believable. I have a tough time thinking that humans, even on the brink of extinction, would invade another planet without first trying to talk to the natives: Especially when THEY DID HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO. Even in parts of our history, which we aren't too proud of, we made a little more effort than these people to make arrangements. And it's hard to believe that it took one @sshole to pull rank to overthrow the president, the council, and all of the soldiers. Every single person in this movie thought he, on some level, was being unreasonable but, what are you gonna do? He's the general and orders are orders. And the best way to keep the aliens' history from repeating itself was to...keep it a secret? Sorry but keeping your citizens ignorant is not a preventative of violence.

So this is basically a list of what would have made the movie good:

1. Peace attempted but failed. 2. Maybe a group of high ranking human elitests are the reason things go down hill instead of just one. 3. Aliens not turning to religion when they see something new and unknown. Give them more credit than that. I mean, what is this? "The elders will decide what we should think of this." "But what if their wrong?" "GO TO YOUR ROOM!" 4. The actual solution to this movie was so simple that it was horrible. At the very least, the humans could have taken a moon or tried to. That would have been a lot better. 5. Give the humans a bit more integrity than this movie did...