BobCritter

The movie is written to the level of eight-year-olds. It is filled with the worst clichés. The clichés are poorly executed and forced. If ever a war were fought by soldiers who took pause to banter so much, the war would be over in a day. As unrealistic as a military operation could be written.

For a movie that spent far too long trying to make me care about the characters, I couldn't have cared less about these shallow poorly written pieces of cardboard.

Add to all of this, the special effects are a bit on the weak side for a movie made in 2010.

Unfortunately, Battle Los Angeles is a movie that should have never been green lit. Not for a cable network, let alone for the big screen.

If I had read and was a fan of the novel, I'm sure this would have been a treat as I would have layers of character background and development to augment what I saw on screen. Given only with what was on screen however, I was left with pretty much nothing. The actors gave zero emotion. They were like statues. The director could have saved a bit and just put pictures of the characters from the novel up on the screen. That technique would have worked as well. Maybe better. Just because the characters were flat on a page in a graphic novel, does not mean they need to be flat and lack any life on the screen. Apparently that was the concept, though. Whether it was from a poorly adapted script or poor direction or weak actors and actresses, most of the characters were just not engaging. The couple that were, were so far beyond the other dull characters that they seemed from another production entirely.

Beyond that the special effects and CGI were really nothing special. Mundane, considering the potential and the hype.

The soundtrack was weak. It did not seem to coincide with what was occurring on the screen. It certainly didn't fit the period that was projected.

So, there you go. Dull and boring characters, no help from the screenplay, mediocre effects, and a misguided soundtrack.

A confession. The first time I saw Observe and Report in the theatre, I sort of blacked out at one point from the laughter. The second time, same thing at the same point. The third time, I held it together. But, it took a lot of will power to do so. The truth is, the first time I watched the film, my eyes were watering so bad with laughter that several times I was actually unable to see the screen. Not everyone in the theatre shared my reaction.

Is Observe and Report a comedy? I don't know. It's certainly not a comedy in the classic sense of the movie genre. This is a unique film that, depending on your constitution and experience, will either have you straining for air between laughs or wondering how anyone is finding any value in the presentation. And it's not simply as easy as with some films where if you are offended by language, sex, drugs, and violence you can be cautioned to stay away. Now, if you are offended by such subject matter, I would certainly caution you to stay away, but as Seth Rogen has been around a while, I assume those who are easily offended already know not to walk into one of his films. It goes beyond cautioning those who do not like dark comedies to prepare for disappointment. You might love dark comedies and never get offended by anything and still find this film unappealing. On the other hand, you might find it absolutely amazing.

This film goes beyond classic convention and expects the audience to connect with the main character in a way that some will simply not be able. If your soul is dark enough, though, you will connect, and find one of your personal favorites of all time.

The movie has no qualms about subject matter. It attacks head on. You are staring at things you are not supposed to laugh at. The situations are so wrong and so "not funny" that they are hilarious. Sometimes childish, sometimes over-the-top, sometimes (sadly) relatable, always offensive, Observe and Report is a perhaps the standard, not for dark comedy, but for truly dark soul comedy.

The fact is that Observe and Report was made for a limited audience. It was not written for the masses, meant to appeal to the masses, or green lit as a movie that would garner gross revenue from the masses. Observe and Report is a phenomenal treat for the limited audience it was intended for. Obviously if you are not a member of that audience, then I thank you, because if the world were just made up of the sick types that actually like this movie, then civilization would be in terrible trouble. If you are in that general demographic, feel free to skip this one and catch whatever the standard fare comedy is out of Hollywood this month.

One quick sidebar. One thing that should not be overlooked about this film is its amazing soundtrack. The music ties the film together in such a great way that I cannot even begin to quantify just how much of a positive impact it had on my enjoyment of the film.