Movie Review: Battle - Los Angeles

Saturday, April 30, 2011
Synopsis: 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 great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before.
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Bridget Moynahan, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, Adetokumboh M Cormack
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
U.S. Rating: PG-13

Battle: Los Angeles, definitely one of the most expected films in 2011. The whole production and advertising was perfect. The drama and action shown on these trailers were more than intense that I definitely wanted to watch the film really bad.

But, one thing is what you expect from a film like this, and what you really get. I've said before that there's not much room for creativity in these kind of Sci-Fi films where the human kind is being attacked and invaded by aliens. Just very few films have really impressed me, for example, the most recent one... District 9.

I remember few months ago when I had the chance to watch Skyline. A film with great CGI effects but so cheap on its content. I was extremely disappointed when I saw the film, since it didn't bring anything good other than great CGI effects. I wouldn't say it was what I got from Battle: Los Angeles. I must say it had a much better plot, DEFINITELY a much, much better cast, but there was no room for something different. It was just more of what we've got so far with these kind of films.

And when I say that it didn't bring something original or creative I mean, for example, that an extremely strong force from another planet that has been destroying the main cities around the world comes to fight with "conventional" weapons. I don't see special weapons, I see machine guns and conventional granades! There's a moment when they notice these aliens are capable to intercept their radio communications, but they destroy the mother ship planning an air strike with a radio conversation... So, there was some things that showed some lack of creativity on the script.

I must give some credits on the effects and especially, the cast. Some overrated drama and lots, lots, lots of explosions.

If you're into these kind of Sci-Fi alien invation films, it is a film that you can enjoy... Definitely 100 times better than Skyline or Monsters.

In case you want to know more details about the film, here's the complete plot: On August 11, 2011, mysterious objects thought to be meteorites crash into Earth's oceans near several major cities including Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, New Orleans,Mexico City,New York, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Barcelona, Hamburg, Sydney. These objects are revealed to be spacecraft containing hostile alien forces. The U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton arrive in Los Angeles to defend against alien ground forces and assist in the evacuation of civilians in preparation for a bombing campaign. Among the military's forces are Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), a 20-year veteran U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant who lost many men under his command during his last deployment in Iraq. Nantz had planned to retire, but the situation requires him to replace the platoon sergeant of a platoon from "E" Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines.

The Platoon Commander, 2nd Lieutenant William Martinez (Ramón Rodríguez), attends a briefing at an FOB (Forward Operating Base). The platoon's mission is to rescue civilians from an LAPD police station with a three-hour time limit before the Air Force bombs the area. They are ambushed by aliens multiple times and suffer casualties. They also encounter a group of U.S. Army soldiers from the 40th Infantry Division, including an Air Force intelligence Technical Sergeant Elena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez). Eventually, the combined team reaches the police station, finding five civilians inside. A helicopter arrives and attempts to evacuate some of the wounded Marines, but it is destroyed by an alien air unit upon takeoff.

The Marines commandeer a bus for evacuation. Prior to evacuation, they find a wounded alien and with the help of one of the civilians, they learn of the aliens' weaknesses and military tactics; finding that the alien infantry have a weak point in the torso, that the alien attack aircraft are remote-controlled drones and the aliens monitor and locate Earth military forces through monitoring their radio communications. The Marines speculate that there must be a central command center, and that its destruction would eliminate control of the alien drones, opening the enemy forces to air attack. On a freeway, they encounter a lone M1 Abram that is under attack and subsequently destroyed by the aliens. The bus is then attacked and the Marines begin rappelling the civilians off the side of the freeway. One of the civilians, Joe Rincon (Michael Peña), is wounded after firing on the aliens. Martinez is also wounded and sacrifices himself to destroy an enemy unit by detonating C-4 explosives inside the bus, shortly after placing Nantz in command of the platoon.

Nantz leads what remains of the platoon outside the bombing zone, and they rest at a convenience store. A news report speculates that the aliens have attacked Earth for its water supply which they use as fuel. The team waits for the bombing to begin, but nothing happens. They arrive at the FOB, only to discover that it has already been destroyed by the aliens, nullifying the airstrike. They decide to head for another extraction point, where a helicopter should be available to evacuate them. Before they embark, Rincon dies of his wounds and Corporal Lockett (whose brother died under Nantz's command) openly doubts Nantz's ability to lead. Nantz and Lockett come to terms with their guilt and anger, and the platoon reaches the extraction point using a LAV-25 and a HMMWV. As they are being evacuated, Nantz spots a large black area on the ground where electric power seems to be disabled. Nantz believes the black area to be the location of the alien command center and that it is hidden underground. Nantz and his platoon disembarks from the helicopter, planning to find the exact location of the command center so they can call in a missile strike.

Going underground, the Marines confirm the presence of a large alien vessel. They return to the surface and succeed in calling in a guided artillery strike using laser designators. However, the command center remains intact and rises from the ground. The Marines repel alien forces as more artillery shells are launched at the hovering command center, and eventually they destroy it. This disables the alien aircraft in the area, forcing the alien ground forces to retreat.

Soon after, the team is extracted to a temporary base in the Mojave Desert, where they are greeted as heroes for their outstanding bravery. All other cities under attack now plan to emulate their strategy, destroying the alien command center in each city. More forces are being sent to Los Angeles to finish off the aliens there. Despite orders to rest, Nantz and the platoon instead rejoin the fight. (Source: Wikipedia)

I would rate this movie with a 2.5/5


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