igeektrooper

This weekend, I got around to checking out the highly anticipated movie by director Jonathan Liebesman (The Killing Room), ‘Battle: Los Angeles’. We have seen the previews and search the site for more details on what the movie was about and we all knew what we were going into. A “shoot first, ask questions later” type of war movie that may be trying to hard to be serious. The biggest problem “Battle: LA” faces is that it is very hard for the audience to take it seriously when the opposition is aliens and when the dialogue is so poor and awkward.

Setting it up: The story follows Staff Sgt. Nantz, a man who have seen more than he wants on the battlefield and ready to call it quits (Aaron Eckhart) and a squadron of Marines-in training out of Camp Pendleton who have their lives turned upside-down within 24 hours. One day, they are training to become soldiers, the next day they are fighting for their lives against an alien force that has already overrun all major cities in west coast. Unfortunately for the Marines, Los Angeles is the last stand. What makes it even more difficult for the Marines is the fact that Nantz has a shady past due to an tragic incident on his last tour in Afghanistan and that makes him not trustworthy among the recruits. With all this turmoil, Nantz and his squad is given the job of going deep into Santa Monica to rescue civilians stranded in a police station that has been overrun by the alien forces.

The Good and the Bad: Battle: LA is probably best described as ‘Black Hawk Down’ with aliens. The movie features very “nitty gritty” cinematography where the director makes you feel like you are on the streets of Santa Monica with the Marines. The action doesn’t slow down and when it actually does, its filled with lackluster dialogue. The special effects is pretty awesome and kind of gives off the vibe that ‘District 9′ did, but a lot less “crisp”. While District 9 special effects are clean and wonderfully done, Battle: LA’s special effects and CGI is clouded by the effects of the war such as smoke. The detail we find in the aliens and ships are lost. However, even though it seems like what may have been very cool CGI is hidden by explosions, rubble, and smoke, it really works. It is a “war movie” after all.

Aaron Eckhart is a tremendous actor (as well all know) and he really commands the screen as Nantz. It is obvious that the quality of the acting is not the problem in this movie, but more a script problem. The dialogue, as mediocre and dry as it is, the ensemble of actors (including Michelle Rodriguez, Ne-Yo, Lucas Till, etc.) do their best with what they got so it wasn’t a total loss. This movie was a great example of “great idea, poor execution”. Instead of building a solid storyline, it seems that it was rushed only to bury the script in action sequences and special effects. There was pretty much zero character development (besides Nantz) and any side story regarding the back story of select members of the Marine squadron is quickly swept under the rug. There was little to no opportunities for the audience to get connected with the characters and we just did not care whether they survived or not.

The Verdict: Even with the cheese ball dialogue, and the subtle comparisons you can make to movies like ‘Independence Day’, during a dry spell in movies during the month of March, Battle: Los Angeles was a great popcorn action flick movie. It was almost like getting a summer blockbuster movie early. It was a real treat. However, if you go in expecting to watch ‘The Hurt Locker’, I have to say you will be disappointed. Take it as what it is. A “shoot’em up” type of action movie that was made to entertain your senses. It was well worth the money.