Directed by:
Jonathan LiebesmanScreenplay:
Christopher BertoliniCinematography:
Lukas EttlinComposer:
Brian TylerCast:
Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Peña, Ne-Yo, Noel Fisher, Susie Abromeit, Joey King, Jim Parrack, Lucas Till, Cory Hardrict (more)VOD (2)
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For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world - Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's greatest cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine Staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before. (official distributor synopsis)
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Black Hawk Down meets District 9 and Independence Day. A great cliché lurks around every corner. A group of soldiers (the commander "with a past", his white, black and yellow men, who also of course include a female pilot who "happens" to know a lot, and of course a few adult and child civilians) are fighting with aliens who resemble mechanical Predators with the intelligence of inmates of an institute for space idiots. It is done very effectively, but unfortunately in a completely undramatic and empty way. Because of the stupid script, I didn't believe in the characters at all. A big mistake and a shame all in one. That said, certain scenes are really good, it just needed to be more original and steal less from other films. That gets it two and a half mediocre stars.
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Another shining proof that only perfect visual effects and bombastic action can't provide enough for a whole film. Battle Los Angeles is nothing more than a cold parade of loud explosions, falling buildings and moronic dialogue lacking a coherent script or even a hint of human emotion to give the action on screen some authenticity. Liebesman may handle the action with bravado, but an elite director should at least be able make a juicy and medium-rare steak out of the premise, and not just throw a slab of raw and cold meat at the viewer (anyone who's seen Black Hawk Down knows what I'm talking about)... 50%
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It's propaganda. Join the U.S. Marines because they're the best men on the planet and John Wayne is proud of them. World Invasion is a guilty pleasure. Despite the idiotic screenplay which is full of pathos, there are some damn spectacular action sequences, explosions, shootings and footage of a beautifully broken Los Angeles. A comparison with Crysis would be spot on. All it’s missing is a nanosuit. Aaron Eckhart as "Mr. Staff Sergeant" is the kind of military Jesus with a human face who makes the hardest of decisions and is seen as "heroic". The other soldiers are here to die (for him) or to follow him into one last battle. Yes, it’s that much of a cliché. But that doesn't matter (it's actually an incredible source of fun that keeps you smiling nearly all the way through), on top of that everything looks and sounds so good - Bryan Tyler creates a very nice soundtrack behind the heroic babbling and machine gun fire. "You'll be surfing soon, Simmons."
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It’s incredibly how Liebesman handled this project. With a relatively small budget, he created a monumental-looking (title, trailer, posters) and yet very modest sci-fi film, full of very impressive visual effects and absolutely thrilling action (shots and panoramic camera sweeps like Michael Bay). The protagonists may not be as cool as in other films, but that's not the main focus here. In essence, it's a mix of all possible films, and everyone takes exactly as much of their own portion as they want. It has pathos, emotions, action, excellent sound design, quotes, likeable actors, heroism – basically everything we expect from this kind of movie. It lacks a budget for an even bigger inferno, but the director knew exactly what he was doing. With a bigger budget, it wouldn't be this cute winking at the film world, but a proper mess. PS: The best aliens in terms of philosophy and execution still remain those from Independence Day.
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A guilty pleasure with shooting, concrete, smoke, shooting, metal, explosions, more shooting ... and all of that over and over again. A spectacular “war of machines” in the destroyed dusty streets of L.A. Though it’s not elegant and lofty in Michael Bay’s fashion, Battle: Los Angeles is realistically gritty. The demented dialogue and hardcore pathos do not degrade the film, but give it a detached, fun dimension reminiscent of Starship Troopers. The question is whether that is intentional. Anyway, Jonathan Liebesman turns out to be a decent action director. And this is a movie I dreamed about when I was fourteen and had just watched Terminator 2 :-)
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