PLOT: A platoon of Marines must rescue civilians from
a police station in Santa Monica and face off against aliens who have invaded Earth.
ANALYSIS:
BATTLE: LOS ANGLES is a popcorn sci-fi action
film. It shows the invasion through the eyes of a Marine platoon over the course of three days.
This alien invasion film is a step-up from SKYLINE (which was basically only good for what effects work were accomplished
on a $10 million budget where BATTLE: LOS ANGELES has ten times that budget). It has a group of likable
Marines where SKYLINE had a bunch of unlikeable people. This film is enjoyable and fun where I get caught up
in the action and the quiet spaces between the action.
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES isn't the best alien invasion
movie. I just was looking to be entertained by the action and see what the Marines are going through. It isn't
original. So you have the cliches and the patriotic gun-ho attitude of the Marines (which
is accurate for those who haven't seen much combat). Aaron Eckhart is great with his world-weary portrayal of
Staff Sergeant Nantz, a twenty year old veteran who wants to retire as he wishes he could have saved the men he lost on his
last tour in Afghanistan.
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES hints at what the aliens
have come for. Could they be colonizing and looking to wipe us out and take our resources (they use water to power their
ships)? The aliens are very alien and organized. They use drone ships that are remotely controlled. The
marine platoon have their jobs cut out for them. Just don't dig too deep into the movie. Just enjoy
it as a fun way to waste two hours.
this movie review is (c)3-11-2011 David Blackwell
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