BATTLE LOS ANGELES (USA 2011) *
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

Hot on the failure of SKYLINE barely a year ago, comes another big budget earth vs. aliens war film.  Set, obviously in L.A., the film follows a platoon of marines led by Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) during the city attack.

The events of the film are inspired by the Battle of Los Angeles during a supposed World War II air raid.  Director Liebesman (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE –THE BEGINNING, the hardly seen THE KILLING ROOM) aims at authenticity with the marines fighting the aliens as they would an enemy during World War 2.  Extended battle scenes are reminiscent to the one at the start of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN but there is a major problem here.  The enemy are the aliens from outer space.  Credibility goes down the drain.  For one, the audience is not made aware of what the invaders are capable of, so any thrills or suspense is non-existent.

The film opens in the midst of the fighting in the August of 2011.  With special effects, explosions and battles aplenty, the narrative is a bare minimum.  Sgt. Nantz is supposed to have lost men during a previous mission, a disaster that is haunting him during the current battle.  When the men question his tactical moves, Nantz has to prove himself.  But not till he delivers an embarrassing almost 10 minute monologue on what it is like to live with what had happened.

Most of the marine characters are interchangeable with little differences given to each of them – one is about to be married, one is a virgin, another with mental problems etc.  The dialogue gets really silly at times.  At one point, a marine sympathizes with the aliens saying that they are probably just as scared as them.  Then, the film goes on to display the ferocity of the aliens.

The human emotions for the film are provided by a busload of kids suddenly caught in the midst of an attack.

How is a film like this going to end?  The lazy script has the audience believe that once the communications control tower of the aliens is taken down, they have lost.  But the film takes too long a time for this to happen.  BATTLE LOS ANGELES is a silly idea for a movie and no matter how well made it is, rubbish is rubbish and BATTLE LOS ANGELES emerges well made rubbish!