I had read considerable amounts of negative reviews for "Battle: Los Angeles" so my expectations were practically nonexistent. So consider me quite surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this sci-fi war epic. This is most definitely a patriotic pro-soldier kind of action picture shot in the style of "The Hurt Locker", hand held and constantly in motion, with lots of building/structure destruction and ammunition fire. Aaron Eckhart really is an actor who deserves more recognition; the guy is just a dependable actor (and he has those rugged "Marlboro Man" looks that also benefits him) who was born to play the part of a leading staff sergeant, a leader of men. He secures a resolve even when some of the Marines question his skills as a leader after a nasty incident which resulted in his entire platoon's demise (one in Eckhart's new troop had a brother who died in that incident), and eventually proves to them that he is worthy of their respect and admiration in the field. Essentially, "Battle: Los Angeles" has alien invaders (wanting to colonize Earth) as the terrorists, all the world's major cities specific targets. In this film, Los Angeles, particularly Santa Monica at the start, is the primary focus of the invasion. Eckhart's men (eventually including civilians found in a hospital, and Air Force soldier Michelle Rodriguez, who shows up in every high-scale action film imaginable it seems these days) make their way through the debris and rubble of what once was LA. We see neighborhoods decimated, bodies all over the place along with damaged cars, death and destruction proof positive that the invaders (who have "drone ships" in the air along with "troops" on the ground) have superior weaponry in comparison to the US military. It will take ingenuity and bravery to survive this onslaught. Eckhart learns from Rodriguez that there is a "command center" that perhaps operates the unmanned drones and would enable the Air Force to strike from the air, but this will not be an easy task. What this movie does so well is take us into the frontlines as the city is being engulfed in a constant barrage of alien attack, up, close, and personal with the Marines. We learn about the attackers as they do and follow the soldiers as they march through a once densely populated city now in ruins. Some die as on any true battlefield, while all types of heroism are provided by the soldiers in an attempt to get any civilians out of harm's way, engage the enemy, and help defeat the invaders. The camera-work is designed to have us as observers on the enemy lines with the Marines, right there among them, seeing the carnage along with them. I think the movie succeeds. The alien menace always remains just out of focus, but we know they are there and have quite an arsenal. That's where the fun lies, I think, watching the soldiers respond to such uneven odds, and doing so commendably, scoring minor victories until they get that chance to aim at the "big cahuna", the command center. Special mention to Ramon Rodriguez as 2nd Lt. William Martinez, the leader of the outfit who Eckhart's Sgt Nantz answers to (and must sometimes coach), given the "big heroic sequence" where he gives his life to the others to take out a walking drone blaster.
Review of Battle Los Angeles
