A modern warfare flick whose action, explosions, aliens, intensity and insanity make up for its bad plot and unoriginal characters.
- Rated PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language.
- Who's going to like it: fans of modern war films, alien invasion and action flicks.
- Who's going to like it: fans of modern war films, alien invasion and action flicks.
I went to into Battle: Los Angeles with high expectations. I have been
hooked on the movie's prospect since the first teaser trailer. The mixed looks of Black Hawk Down
and District 9 blend perfectly in the short glimpses we have seen.
In reality, Battle: Los Angeles is more like Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day while being shot like District 9. Although the story is not as strong as I had hoped, Battle: Los Angeles delivers the good you expect - lots of high-octane alien action realized through superb visual effects.
Much like other recent alien invasion flick Skyline, Battle: Los Angeles opens in the middle of the action, reeling you in just enough to wet your beak before it jumps back 24 hours prior to first contact. Exactly like Black Hawk Down, Battle: Los Angeles quickly introduces you to a ton of characters - all of whom are indistinguishable when dressed in full military garb. Being based on a historical event, Black Hawk Down warranted the use of a high count of characters. Battle: Los Angeles, however, simply creates the character chaos for its own indulgence.
As the characters are rolled out, it becomes painfully obvious that you are getting nothing but the typical and familiar group of Jarheads. There's the 17-year-old rookie, the guy days away from getting married, the new lieutenant on his maiden voyage, the about-to-retire seasoned leader, the begrudging brother of a soldier who fell under the leader's command, the tougher-than-she looks female who outshines most of the men in combat, and so on. Although placed in positions that attempt to do so, you never once begin to care for a single character.
After crash-landing just off Los Angeles' shore, the hostile alien fighters make their way inland. With their unique weapons, advancing forward is done with ease. In no time at all, the alien forces push their way over a mile inland from the Santa Monica beach. But when a distress call is received from within that lost ground, our group of soldiers is given three hours to make their way through hostile territory, rescue the civilians and make it back to safe territory before the Air Force firebombs the "infested" area.
I am okay with rescue attempts in movies like these, but when twenty-something troops are sent in to save five civilians when Air Force could be firebombing and containing the small, highly concentrated area of alien forces, I don't buy it. They would have bombed the hell out of that area at the first possible chance, cutting their loss of five civilians. But as much as I don't believe that story decision, I will ignore it for entertainment's sake. Everything that happens behind enemy lines is extremely intense.
The first half of Battle: Los Angeles focuses on getting to the civilians, the second half focuses on getting back to safety. As they make their way to a military stronghold, with each alien encounter the ante is upped, making the second half of the movie far more intense and entertaining than the first. New alien weapons and technology is introduced with each battle leading up to its huge climax.
Marketing for Battle: Los Angeles has kept its plot and story fairly secret. But while nearly nothing has been said to spoil it, far too much has been shown that spoils it. For example (possible spoiler if you haven't seen a single spot for Battle: Los Angeles), as we follow our troops to their first briefing of the battle strategies, their commander informs them that because the alien forces don't have air support, our Air Force will easily be able to destroy their offensive line. Well, anyone who has seen a single spot for the movie knows that the aliens do, in fact, have air support. Although our central characters are shocked when their airships are revealed, it's no surprise to us at all. This same type of example occurs at the climax of the film. The characters have no idea what's to come, but we sure do because of the unique images seared into our minds from the previews.
At first, I felt somewhat disappointed with Battle: Los Angeles. How could a movie this cool-looking have so many flaws? But I quickly realized that despite those problems, I got exactly what I wanted from it - action, explosions and aliens. Battle: Los Angeles is a standard summer blockbuster, mindless fun.
Photo credit: Çolumbia Pictures
In reality, Battle: Los Angeles is more like Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day while being shot like District 9. Although the story is not as strong as I had hoped, Battle: Los Angeles delivers the good you expect - lots of high-octane alien action realized through superb visual effects.
Much like other recent alien invasion flick Skyline, Battle: Los Angeles opens in the middle of the action, reeling you in just enough to wet your beak before it jumps back 24 hours prior to first contact. Exactly like Black Hawk Down, Battle: Los Angeles quickly introduces you to a ton of characters - all of whom are indistinguishable when dressed in full military garb. Being based on a historical event, Black Hawk Down warranted the use of a high count of characters. Battle: Los Angeles, however, simply creates the character chaos for its own indulgence.
As the characters are rolled out, it becomes painfully obvious that you are getting nothing but the typical and familiar group of Jarheads. There's the 17-year-old rookie, the guy days away from getting married, the new lieutenant on his maiden voyage, the about-to-retire seasoned leader, the begrudging brother of a soldier who fell under the leader's command, the tougher-than-she looks female who outshines most of the men in combat, and so on. Although placed in positions that attempt to do so, you never once begin to care for a single character.
After crash-landing just off Los Angeles' shore, the hostile alien fighters make their way inland. With their unique weapons, advancing forward is done with ease. In no time at all, the alien forces push their way over a mile inland from the Santa Monica beach. But when a distress call is received from within that lost ground, our group of soldiers is given three hours to make their way through hostile territory, rescue the civilians and make it back to safe territory before the Air Force firebombs the "infested" area.
I am okay with rescue attempts in movies like these, but when twenty-something troops are sent in to save five civilians when Air Force could be firebombing and containing the small, highly concentrated area of alien forces, I don't buy it. They would have bombed the hell out of that area at the first possible chance, cutting their loss of five civilians. But as much as I don't believe that story decision, I will ignore it for entertainment's sake. Everything that happens behind enemy lines is extremely intense.
The first half of Battle: Los Angeles focuses on getting to the civilians, the second half focuses on getting back to safety. As they make their way to a military stronghold, with each alien encounter the ante is upped, making the second half of the movie far more intense and entertaining than the first. New alien weapons and technology is introduced with each battle leading up to its huge climax.
Marketing for Battle: Los Angeles has kept its plot and story fairly secret. But while nearly nothing has been said to spoil it, far too much has been shown that spoils it. For example (possible spoiler if you haven't seen a single spot for Battle: Los Angeles), as we follow our troops to their first briefing of the battle strategies, their commander informs them that because the alien forces don't have air support, our Air Force will easily be able to destroy their offensive line. Well, anyone who has seen a single spot for the movie knows that the aliens do, in fact, have air support. Although our central characters are shocked when their airships are revealed, it's no surprise to us at all. This same type of example occurs at the climax of the film. The characters have no idea what's to come, but we sure do because of the unique images seared into our minds from the previews.
At first, I felt somewhat disappointed with Battle: Los Angeles. How could a movie this cool-looking have so many flaws? But I quickly realized that despite those problems, I got exactly what I wanted from it - action, explosions and aliens. Battle: Los Angeles is a standard summer blockbuster, mindless fun.
Photo credit: Çolumbia Pictures
(3 1/2 out of 5)
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