Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Yell! Magazine review:

Battle: Los Angeles was everything the trailer and the pre-release buzz indicated it would be. Basically, it was Independence Day with the stupidity and humor removed.

Instead of flying a crazy mission to the mother ship to detonate a nuclear device, Battle: Los Angeles decided to concentrate on the destruction of a communication instillation that directs all the drone aircraft sent out by the aliens to exterminate the population of the city of angels.

Concentrating on one platoon led by a rookie C.O. 2nd Lt. William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez), Battle: Los Angeles shows us their struggles to gain entry to a police station to bring civilians out of the area to a safe zone set up by the military after the invasion was confirmed.

Aaron Eckhart plays Staff Sgt. Michael Nantz, a soldier who is considered bad luck for losing his entire platoon on a previous mission before the alien invasion became apparent. Called back from his discharge to support the inexperienced Martinez, Nantz takes over when the lieutenant is killed in combat (he blows up a bus allowing his men to escape a firefight with the aliens after he is mortally wounded).

After a compassionate speech invoking pride and the military’s esprit-de-core, the men fall in behind Nantz’s leadership and when Nantz decides to infiltrate the alien’s stronghold to set up a laser-targeting mechanism which will allow for an air-strike to destroy the instillation, they follow him. They accomplish their goal and the word goes out across the world.

If you wanted to condense the film into one basic description, Battle: Los Angeles is a war film, but instead of the Viet Cong or the Nazis, the American military is combating extra-terrestrials. Saying that, it was fun ride and the special effects left nothing to be desired.

Battle: Los Angeles Trailer:

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

Year Released:

11 March 2011

Director:

Jonathan Liebesman

Cast/Crew

Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Cory Hardrict, Ne-Yo

Genre

Action, Sci-Fi

Official URL:

Battle: Los Angeles the movie