Battle: Los Angeles

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Will Rothhaar, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Pena, Michelle Rodriguez, Ne-Yo, Cory Hardrict, Jim Parrack, Gino Anthony Pesi
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Science Fiction, Action
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A group of marines fight against an alien menace in what remains of Los Angeles.

Review:

Tim: What I love about Battle: Los Angeles is that the movie depicts an alien invasion from the point of view of an ordinary soldier, on the battle lines, fighting for survival. So many alien movies show a global view, with generals and presidents and world leaders struggling to decide what to do. I love that this film ignores all of that. For this reason, Battle: Los Angeles is one of the most realistic alien invasion movies, at least from the point of view of ordinary citizens. While watching, I thought this might be what an alien invasion would actually be like. And, it isn't pretty.

I wanted to love this movie more than I ultimately did. I'm not saying it's a bad movie, because it's incredibly solid. I was blown away by the first trailer, and I wanted this to be on par with the best alien invasion movies (looking at you, Independence Day. While this film falls short of that upper echelon, it's still a very enjoyable movie.

The cast was extremely well put together. Oftentimes, in war movies with a large group of soldiers, I find it difficult to distinguish between them. They all sort of blend together to a certain degree. That didn't happen here. Even the secondary characters are at least decently developed, and I felt some genuine concern and angst for them. That is an achievement.

This film is really about Aaron Eckhart. He's in the lead role and has the majority of the screen time. Eckhart is very good in the part. I believed him as a marine, and I thought his character was well fleshed out. He's a strong actor, and his acting ability brought some needed class to the film. He makes this movie good. The supporting cast is good. Bridget Moynahan has too small a role, but I liked her here. I'm a huge fan of Michael Pena, and I loved his role in this film. I want to see more of this guy, because he's incredible. I also really enjoyed Michelle Rodriguez in this film. She always manages to get cast in these roles, but she's good in them, so I won't complain. She adds to the movie. The rest of the cast is comprised of lesser known actors, but they all add to the film. The cast is pretty impressive.

The special effects are good, and certainly add to the film. I love how the aliens were depicted in this film. It's definitely not a portrayal you have seen dozens of times. It felt unique, and added to the suspense and the intrigue. There are plenty of scenes of destruction and mayhem, and they look beautiful in a violent way.

Director Jonathan Liebesman does a mostly good job in the director's chair. He directs a solid, competently made film. I thought many scenes were very good, but few approached actual greatness. I believe he has some talent as a director, but it's still unrealized. It reminds me of an earlier Liebesman film, Darkness Falls- a flawed horror movie that nevertheless shows some flashes of his brilliance. I hope he continues to develop as a director, because his best films are ahead of him. Here, he does an admirable job, although it's in delivering a good film (never a great one).

I will admit that the film does occasionally feel like an advertisement for the marines. I'm not a fan of this. I love when films hit the right notes with being patriotic (see Independence Day), but I actually questioned whether the Marine Corps influenced this script- it is that overt. I shouldn't complain too much, because this provides the movie with perhaps the most emotional scene (the helicopter scene prior to the climactic battle).

Battle: Los Angeles is a loud, violent, exciting, suspenseful, thrilling alien invasion movie. It could have been better, certainly, but I still had fun watching it, and that's not a bad thing at all.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Darkness Falls, Independence Day, District 9