THE PLOT
Soon to retire Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Ekhardt) is thrust back into combat with a platoon of new recruits, including platoon leader, newly promoted 2D Lieutenant William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez). The enemy: Alien invaders. The objective: Rescue civilians, destroy all hostiles and above all, hold Los Angeles.
THE REVIEW
Battle: LA offers a simple enough premise that doesn’t linger in getting down to business. Now I wasn’t expecting too much from this film, but it was my birthday and I wanted to see people blowing shit up! And I wasn’t disappointed. There was a real attempt to develop characters and create an atmosphere, an attempt that, considering the rush made in getting to the action, was relatively well done and shit-loads better than 2010’s invasion-bollocks Skyline.
There were a few plot absurdities; the military intel within hours of the first attacks that these invaders were after earth’s abundance of water (at which point I remembered the curses I made against M. Night Shyamalan for Signs). In addition, the fact that experienced squad leader Nantz, along with Air Force Recon TSgt. Elena Santos (a typecast but not annoying Michele Rodriguez) seemingly fails to pass on valuable intelligence to command on the aliens vital systems.
There were also a handful of moments for which the butch military bravado got a bit much, and the attempt to show a bit of heart following the death of a rescued civilian was so formulaically saccharine I found myself rolling my eyes and shaking my head.
The effects are as good as you’d expect these days and the action frenetic, in the style of Black Hawk Down; a somewhat tense street-to-street, building-to-building, running gunfight. Although with every single scene shot with a handi-cam, in an effort to keep it gritty and edgy, it gets a little tedious at best and potentially nauseating at worst. But this is ultimately just a minor annoyance in what is largely an entertaining if not memorable sci-fi flick.
PS Skyline was appalling.
THE VERDICT
If it’s action you want Battle: Los Angeles has it. Frantic and entertaining, this is one of the better alien invasion films in recent years.
TC
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writers: Christopher Bertolini
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Ne-Yo and Bridget Moynahan
Running Time: 116 Mins
NOW SEE THE TRAILER...
UK Release Date: 11th March 2011
THE REVIEW
Battle: LA offers a simple enough premise that doesn’t linger in getting down to business. Now I wasn’t expecting too much from this film, but it was my birthday and I wanted to see people blowing shit up! And I wasn’t disappointed. There was a real attempt to develop characters and create an atmosphere, an attempt that, considering the rush made in getting to the action, was relatively well done and shit-loads better than 2010’s invasion-bollocks Skyline.
There were a few plot absurdities; the military intel within hours of the first attacks that these invaders were after earth’s abundance of water (at which point I remembered the curses I made against M. Night Shyamalan for Signs). In addition, the fact that experienced squad leader Nantz, along with Air Force Recon TSgt. Elena Santos (a typecast but not annoying Michele Rodriguez) seemingly fails to pass on valuable intelligence to command on the aliens vital systems.
There were also a handful of moments for which the butch military bravado got a bit much, and the attempt to show a bit of heart following the death of a rescued civilian was so formulaically saccharine I found myself rolling my eyes and shaking my head.
The effects are as good as you’d expect these days and the action frenetic, in the style of Black Hawk Down; a somewhat tense street-to-street, building-to-building, running gunfight. Although with every single scene shot with a handi-cam, in an effort to keep it gritty and edgy, it gets a little tedious at best and potentially nauseating at worst. But this is ultimately just a minor annoyance in what is largely an entertaining if not memorable sci-fi flick.
PS Skyline was appalling.
THE VERDICT
If it’s action you want Battle: Los Angeles has it. Frantic and entertaining, this is one of the better alien invasion films in recent years.
TC
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writers: Christopher Bertolini
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Ne-Yo and Bridget Moynahan
Running Time: 116 Mins
NOW SEE THE TRAILER...
UK Release Date: 11th March 2011
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