World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles

Everyone described this film as BLACK HAWK DOWN meets ALIENS and who am I to contradict public opinion . One thing I didn't notice in the reviews was similarity to the John Wyndham novel The Kraken Wakes . Meteors land in the ocean and very quickly alien incursions attack the coastline . One criticism of Wyndham's criminally underrated novel is that if an alien race was this advanced then there's no reason for them to be hostile down to evolutionary psychology . In simplistic terms a civilization alien or otherwise would have to evolve beyond petty tribalsitic squabbles and pool their resources in to conquering physics and mastering interstellar travel . In other words an advanced civilization should in theory be a non aggressive race not bent on conquest

This is speculation of course because there's no evidence that there's life on any other planet and the novels of John Wyndham are quickly forgotten as the laser bolts fly and the aliens emerge from the sea . This is a pity because I was expecting a bit more mystery and suspense allowing the story to breath before the aliens were revealed . It's still not really a great loss at this point because I was still very impressed by the epic scope and spectacle as the marines fly to Camp Pendleton via helicopter dodging airbursts caused by the aliens . As the action then takes place as a ground war in the ruins of LA I was reminded to a certain extent of BLACK HAWK DOWN . The problem after the initial fighting however is that the scale and scope stops and started reminding me of any Michael Bay film you care to mention

Goodbye epic scope and scale we had when the marines were airborne and hello to close up and elliptic editing done via shaky cam . One can understand director Jonathan Liebesman trying to do a sci-fi blockbuster in a realist style but we've seen too many films with " blink and you'll miss it " type editing and you'd think with the utter contempt that many movie fans hold Michael Bay in you'd think most directors would avoid this style rather than constantly embrace it , but no they still continue as if it's part of their job remit . Would I cynical in thinking in this case it's too disguise the fact that the aliens aren't all convincing if you look at them longer than a nanosecond ? Hmm CGI and blink and you'll miss it editing . You spend tens of millions of dollars on a movie and you don't bother hiring an editor or a screenwriter . Remind me why Hollywood producers live in big mansions with a swimming pool while there's so many people with potential living in poverty ?

This is a the type of film like WORLD WAR Z that constantly gets pumped out by Hollywood where there's a germ of a good idea in there somewhere that blossoms in to a big headache inducing mess that makes for a great trailer but doesn't have any substance to sustain it for two hours . Obviously any idiot can be a Hollywood producer but it takes someone of relative intelligence to analyse if they want to spend money watching films like this at the cinema just because the trailer looked good . I'm glad I didn't spend money on a cinema ticket to watch this

Staff Sergeant Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) was preparing for retirement. But when an apparent cluster of meteors turns out to be an alien invasion, Nantz embarks on one final mission. He is part of a platoon sent to Los Angeles to rescue a handful of civilians - and they only have 3 hours before the military nukes Los Angeles.

With time running out and obstacles around every corner, 'Battle Los Angeles' is a thrilling action adventure fantasy. The action sequences are fast and amazingly well done. The visual effects are stunning. The freeway scene in particular was awesome!

Does 'Battle Los Angeles' offer anything we haven't seen before in an alien invasion movie? Maybe not, but it surely was a hell of a joy ride! It has a simple premise without surprising twists or a complicated storyline. There's action all the way, and a very nice finale. This was pure entertainment!

This is movie I've never seen before. Watched it today on Netflix. It is great movie with emotional moments and fantastic action. Negative reviews are just rude and making you skip a good action movie.

Battle: Los Angeles finds Marine Staff Sergeant Aaron Eckhardt ready to call it a career in the USMC. But an alien invasion that is disguised somewhat as a meteor shower upsets those plans. The aliens that are invading are not warrior Klingons or logical Vulcans, in fact they're really ugly and use our own sea water as fuel for their weapons.

I'm not sure of the science with that one, but we've certainly got a ton of sea water on this old Earth. Why the aliens just didn't land somewhere in the Pacific Ocean between South America and New Zealand and take all they need is something I'm still trying to figure out. Instead they land in all kinds of coastal and the world forgets it's feuds and tries to battle back.

The film is very similar to War Of The Worlds as Eckhardt's isolated squad, sent on a rescue mission for some civilians who were left behind in an abandoned police station in Santa Monica get first hand experience up close and personal with the aliens. It's very much like scientists Gene Barry and Ann Robinson in the 1952 classic being left behind and learning about what makes the Martians tick. But these are not scientists, they're making it up as they go along.

Eckhardt is second in command to young second lieutenant Ramon Rodriguez and there's tension there as well.

The acting takes a distant second place to the computer generated special effects. Although the stress of these Marines in combat with a very unknown enemy is telling and portrayed well on the screen.

Battle: Los Angeles is a good, not great science fiction film and it will no doubt attract a cult following of sorts, the same way Starship Troopers has.

I feel sometimes that movie reviewers try to use the same scale for all movies, I call it the Schindlers List effect. If its not Schindlers list, you dont rate it high. Thats like judging Pizza against a gourmet meal at a three Michelin star restaurant. Context matters, Pizza can be 10 stars too, when compared to other pizzas. So it is for me with movies.

Which brings us to Battle: Los Angeles, this is a pretty damn good alient invasion movie, certainly more "realistic" than Independence Day (which is also, IMO, a good movie). As someone else said, this is Blackhawk Down with Aliens. Thats a solid description.

And as alien invasion movies go, or military movies go, this one is solid and could stand on its own as either. Take out the Aliens, but in some other conflict and youve still got a good movie.

For the Alien Invasion movie genre this is a real bonus. Normally theyre either too focused on character or the Aliens and the military side of the story is just unrealistic or wrong. This one has a pretty accurate represation of the military, TTPs, etc. The Aliens are anonymous which makes it more interesting to me, no dialogue from the aliens or "from their perspective", theyre just Aliens attacking Earth.

Additionally, on the pure movie front, its got a good cast, good actors, good pacing, good directing, realism (come on dont over think it, Alien Invasion... Aliens) and plenty of action. Not a lot of exposition or time spent talking about whats going on, just Marines fighting aliens.

Definitely would watch if you like that kind of movie. If youre looking for something else, its not for you.