Battle: Los Angeles 2011

Battle: Los Angeles 2011

I have to apologize about taking a few weeks off between reviews.  I went to visit my brother down in Arizona and despite watching movies before I left and while I was down there I never got around to writing.  So I have a couple of movies to review so the next few reviews should come quick, but they will probably be shorter.

The one I want to get to first is the biggest blockbuster hit, Battle: Los Angeles.  This movie had everything that gets me excited about Science Fiction.  It had the big budget special effects, a cast that isn't super famous (I find big named stars often distract in Sci-Fi and Fantasy films), was set in the near future, and had a gritty war movie feel.  Frequently this movie reminded me more of Black Hawk Down (2001) than Well's War of the Worlds with its up close look at a group of soldiers in an extreme situation.  The aliens were a great mix of unknowable yet familiar.  Their small squad tactics mimicked the tactics being used by the marines, but their armaments and bodies remained utterly foreign. The great antagonists combined with the gritty style made me forget at times that I was essentially watching special effects eye candy disguised as Apocalypse Now (1971).

Now to dig into a review before I get too long winded again.  The aliens were great, but so were the protagonists.  The main squad of soldiers were great despite some horrible dialogue writing.  Notables include everyone's favorite tough chick Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar, Resident Evil) doing her usual hard-ass hottie and the reliable Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Thank You For Smoking) overcoming some horrible writing to deliver a tough leader as Sergeant Nantz.  One actress could have phoned it in she was so bad.  This could also be a writing problem, but Bridget Moynahan was forgettable at best.

The technical aspects of the film shined really bright despite the B movie scripting and dialogue.  Overall the story was good, but not great and the dialogue was cheesier than another Mel Gibson war epic.  The special effects were spectacular despite the drama surrounding the films effects house Hydraulx (were sued because they made Skyline at the same time which is very similar film).  Music and foley were top notch. The director, of course with the backers and producers, really turned a B movie Sci-Fi script into a high budget war movie.  The camera work was good, but went for a deliberate hand held or documentary style that isn't original enough to stand out after movies like Cloverfield (2008).

Battle: Los Angeles has been a fairly successful movie, but critics tore it up.  It also wasn't the super box office smash that some early press expected when comparing it to other gritty Sci-Fi films like District 9.  The film doesn't really hold water to great war movies like Black Hawk Down or The Thin Red Line (1998) and isn't nearly as good as recent Science Fiction masterpieces like District 9 and Avatar, but it is a great popcorn action flick.  Overall the bad writing and deliberate camp detract from what is otherwise a serious action movie, but the fast paced action did keep me watching with enthusiasm.  I would recommend this movie only for Sci-Fi fans and those wanting a fun action movie with all the campy nature of an 80s film.