Battle Los Angeles



 Battle Los Angeles is another one of those movies that is far from an amazing movie, however I felt like in the end this was an enjoyable sit back and eat a bag of popcorn while watching. Alien invasion/humanity being on the edge of extinction while they end up being a fairly formulaic story, doe not always work, but for Battle Los Angeles the formulaic story works alright. This movie ends up being a straight up action blockbuster that is an adrenaline ride that puts the pedal to the metal on the action and does not let up until the ending credits. Battle Los Angeles never tries to be anything more then an action blockbuster, but even with that it did have moments where it gave us those moments where we will care about what happens to the characters.

Aaron Eckhart stars as staff Sergeant Nantz, who ends up being asked to put off his resignation from the Marines to go on one last mission behind enemy lines to extract possible citizens from a police department. Eckhart plays the role with a lot of emotion and depth with a role in which not much else is given. Eckhart's character is the only one we get much on so that we actually understand what has happened to make him the Marine he is today. I think Eckhart has a great ability to take any role and not only make it his own, but he really can make a mediocre role better. Michelle Rodriguez in the role of TSgt. Elena Santos, does a decent job. While her performance is just fine, she does a great job at being the tough Air Force recon specialist that can hang with the Marines and proves it through her shooting in a couple of tense situations with the aliens. Unfortunately, she ends up being fairly forgettable and is outshone by the female civilian they rescue. Bridget Moynahan as Michele fit the role so perfectly.  She really plays the civilian with a great amount of strength and resiliency. The strength she shows in what would be a terrifying ordeal the strength necessary to keep her niece calm. The rest of the supporting cast while are all admirable are pretty forgettable and we really never get anything from the characters development.

The story for Battle Los Angeles is nothing new. The plot can be summed up rather succinctly: Aliens and on Earth throughout the globe, including near Los Angeles. The Marines while trying to extract the civilians encounter heavy resistance and must find a way back to the forward operating base, all while keeping the civilians and themselves alive. Of course one thing anyone who has seen this type of movie knows that as much as you want it all to be successful, not everyone will end up making it back safely. Visually, Battle Los Angeles is influenced heavily by movies like Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan in the staging of its action. Much of the film is photographed with hand-held cameras, this is to give the audience of being directly in the line of fire and the action. While this is hardly a new technique it does work to a degree by bringing a different approach to a familiar plot. Battle Los Angeles isn't about scientists trying to figure out what the aliens want, or politicians trying to make the big decisions in the midst of an alien onslaught. Instead it keeps its focus on the soldiers in the thick of battle, presenting the action in a no-holds manner. It was nice to see from at least that perspective a more gritty, harder edge for an alien invasion movie.

While the action was fairly enjoyable throughout the movie, it did feel a little overdone because with such an action oriented movie a lot of similar scenes play out over and over again. Marines trapped behind enemy lines, things do not look good, a character makes a brave choice or sacrifice, they manage to hold off the alien force, only to move a little further down to have a similar scene unfold with more aliens. These is also little development of the alien force. Bits of television coverage in the background featuring scientific experts fills in a little of the back story to them, but it is mostly incidental.

Battle Los Angeles is certainly no masterpiece. It doesn't deviate much from the alien invasion template in regards to the broad strokes of its plot and the style it was filmed in has been pioneered by other films. Eckhart brings a lot of heart and emotion as a battle worn Marine. The film ends up being fairly engaging and applies its style to a source material that at least gives a new twist on a familiar narrative. That is why I am giving Battle Los Angeles two and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This does not make for a tremendous film, but not one that is completely in need of avoidance by the film going public. Battle Los Angeles is one of those movies worth the price of renting.

-The Movie Man