Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

United States of America

Science Fiction, Action

Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Original Film

Aaron Eckhart, Ramón Rodríguez, Will Rothhaar, Michael Peña, Bridget Moynahan, Noel Fisher

Jonathan Liebesman

Christopher Bertolini

Taglines: It's not war. It's survival.

hero, saving the world, chaos, marine corps, retirement, meteor, space invasion, alien, survival, battlefield, sergeant, los angeles, california, battle, alien invasion, u.s. marine, escapade, heroic mission, evil alien

When once distant UFOs become a terrifying threat attacking Earth, a Marine staff sergeant and his team take it upon themselves to face the enemy and protect what remains of the planet.

Reviews:

Author: SierraKiloBravo
Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/kdUtKcM4rJA _Battle: Los Angeles_ is a 2011 film that Wikipedia describes as a “military science fiction apocalyptic action film”. That’s a lot of genres mashed into one movie, but boy do they pull it off. So what’s this all about then? Here’s the official description: _The Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before._ I originally saw this in a theatre when it came out, and just like back then, this second viewing was a real good time. What I think makes this so good is that while this is basically a sci-fi movie about an alien invasion, what makes it stand out from the crowd is that it's put together like a war movie. Much like _Monsters: Dark Continent_ and _Dog Soldiers_ this is a soldier movie with aliens, not an alien movie with soldiers. This is quite a big difference. There are some familiar faces in this, there's Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, and a very young Joey King. Everyone is in good form, but this isn't a star power movie, its a blow your hair back action film. The story itself is pretty simple. Their first mission is to get to a police station and rescue some civilians. On the way there its full of urban warfare like you’ve seen on many videos from overseas in YouTube videos, but this time it’s in America amongst a very familiar looking urban environment. The focus then shifts to a search and destroy mission and it all winds up to an action packed finale. Adding to the chaos all along the way was the film-makers choice to not give you a super clear look at the enemy. It adds another level of tension to it all. This is a great turn off your brain type movie that cracks along at a good pace and has lots to entertain you all the way through.