Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

written by: Christopher Bertolini

produced by: Jeffrey Chernov, Neal H. Moritz, & Ori Marmur

directed by: Jonathan Liebesman

rated PG-13 (for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language)

116 min.

U.S. release date: March 11, 2011

Forget saving the world. How about Santa Monica? That’s the goal of a handful of rattled marines who must make their way on foot, block by West Los Angeles block, as they try to protect civilians from an alien attack. That’s right, folks. There’s a “Battle” and it’s in “Los Angeles” (well, not really). And although the marketing for this picture wants you to believe there’s a global alien invasion going on, what we’re given is more along the lines of a frenzied military film. Closer in look and feel to “Black Hawk Down” if Michael Bay & Jerry Bruckheimer made it than a classic like “Independence Day”, this blockbuster bound event film could easily be used for recruiting marines. Oorah!

 Blips of meteor showers headed toward Earth have military radars and 24/7 news in a curious panic. By the time they violently land in other cities, American top brass begin to realize they are more than just hot rocks from space. From the crashing meteors that dispense Santa Monica surfer dudes comes relentless army of aliens out to go all “Saving Private Ryan” on resident Angelinos. In nearby Camp Pendleton, Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), a 20 year veteran with some recent scar tissue watches all this go down from a monitor with the rest of his young and eager trainees. But he just had his exit papers signed, so he’s exempt from the scrambling military assembly that starts to build around him. Right? 

Six months haven’t even passed since the insipid “Skyline” attempted to invade theaters and moviegoers wallets. Knowing this movie was coming and seeing its trailers increased my anticipation for what looked like an alien invasion on a grander, more intense scale. Well, not so much, but what I appreciate most about “Battle: Los Angeles” is how it embraces itself as a war movie instead of a sci-fi action flick. Granted it didn’t establish this quick enough and its typical bravura and conclusion are textbook, it still has feels like it’s giving viewers something a little more original by putting them in the mayhem with this military squad. It takes a while to get used to the annoying shakey-cam (which had me grateful this wasn’t in 3D) which me thinking of current war footage you can find on the internet.  

Clearly, it’s a concept director Jonathan Liebesman (“Darkness Falls,” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning”) is going for. It’s a challenge to follow all the debris-flying action at times, but he’s going for realism here, adding shock and awe to the sound and vision on the big screen. All of it may have been done before, but at least we’re not getting conspiracy theories by talking heads as to who these aliens are and what they want. Oh yeah, not quite on that either. Reports come through that these indistinguishable (yet quite squishable) foes are after our planet’s water. It’s not clear how this information was culled or the logic behind it, but I didn’t care. I was fine with stuff being blown up real good, end-of-the-world style.

When he’s not shaken his cameras every which way, Liebesman delivers a good dose of Michael Bay with his swirling scans and popcorn characterization. Composer Brian Tyler is on hand to match such an embracing Bay swipe, scoring the film with echoes of “The Rock” and “Pearl Harbor” (here’s to you, Mr. Zimmer!) that make you wonder when Cage and Affleck are going to show up. 

Unlike “Skyline” there actually are some solid actors here, it’s just that screenwriter Christopher Bertolini infuses their roles with stock genre lines and predictable characters. The actors are left to scream and shout while jumping, shooting and running amid a chaotic environment. Attempts are made to develop characters during down time but the movie is better off when the camera just rests on a weary marine. And to that, there are plenty of close-up shots that gives us the emotional apprehension or evident fatigue that would naturally come in such an environment.

Even though his arc is barely there, Eckhart seems to be the only one working on a character. From the start of the movie, his weariness is noticeably physical and mental. His convincing expressions and body language of a career marine sold me. He would’ve made a great Captain America. Rodriguez is good, suitably cast in yet another combative go-to role. But all the other actors seem to be doing the same thing, either punching objects when someone dies, quipping wisecracks, or taking time to cheer on other soldiers. I get it a couple of times, but it feels recycled after a while.

A movie such as this reminds me what better-equipped directors like Cameron or Bigelow (connection duly noted) can bring to the battlefield. They gave us “Aliens” and “The Hurt Locker”, respectively, which contain well-developed characters thrown into intense mayhem. Not all alien or war movies are as convincing as those two classics, so when I watch a movie like “Battle: Los Angeles”, it doesn’t take much for me to recall that similar yet superior movies have already been made.  

This movie is more epic in scale and greater in quality than “Skyline” (yes, I have to keep mentioning it because the connection is so obvious) and it has a concise and direct story thread that overall is easy to follow. Just bring some Dramamine as the heroes get busy on some gooey aliens. Or don’t. It doesn’t matter. It will do big numbers and in the sequel we will hopefully see the marines get some help from East L.A. locals.   

RATING: **1/2