Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Cast: Aaron Eckhart as SSgt. Michael Nantz
Michelle Rodriguez as TSgt. Elena Santos
Bridget Moynahan as Michelle
Rated PG-13
*The following may contain spoilers*
There has been a hole in the movie theaters recently.
Not literally, but it seems like the only new things coming to theaters are comedies, dramas and Liam Neeson. And I've seen most of them. In the midst of all of these genres, one seems to be missing leaving a void in the science-fictions fan heart. What Hollywood is missing is a good alien movie.
Thankfully, Battle: Los Angeles arrived in theaters this weekend and it delivered. After a rather ingenious advertising campaign where all the commercials told you that it would be an alien movie, Battle: LA delivered not only as a fantastic edition to the Alien Invasion Movie franchise, but also as an emotional and well made film.
What I Liked:
It's rare to find a well acted sci-fi film these days. Whether the script is just bad or the movie is lame, the few science fiction movies that do make it into theaters seem to come up short in the acting department. Battle: LA was different.
Aaron Eckhart commanded the screen as Staff Sergent Michael Nantz, bringing the emotion he needed to round out his character. Backed up by a great supporting cast, the whole experience was very real and quite emotional, another rarity, especially when soldiers are involved. The chemistry of the cast was also great and they felt like a real team throughout the movie.
The cinematography for the film was excellent. Many of the shots felt like they were filmed through a soldiers eyes; the camera would shake up and down as the soldiers ran and peer into a room over their shoulder. Overall, it helped give the audience a deeper immersion into the film.
Besides the camera work, the landscape images were pretty terrific. Nothing says doom day like the image of the Los Angeles landscape burning in the setting sun. Combine that with the up close landscape the soldiers fought on and the end result was incredible.
On top of all that, the aliens managed to be original and frightening, mainly due to the way the camera avoided lingering on them. It kind of left the process of creation up to you. Very impressive.
What I Didn't Like:
I know that there are soldiers in here, so there's going to be cussing but I was expecting a lot less from a PG-13 movie. I counted 94 cuss words. S**t was their favorite with a total count of 42 uses for that word ALONE and 12 uses of the Lord's name paired with d**n. This was my biggest complaint. I just get tired of hearing the same four-letter words over and over again.
Final Thoughts:
At the end of the movie, Battle: LA was just another alien movie. There really wasn't anything special about it. It won't win any awards and I doubt it will be remembered three years from now, but it is definitely the long overdue alien movie that fans have been waiting for.
When Should You See It?
If you're into the alien movie genre, this film is definitely worth your time and money. Go now.
If you're not into the alien movie genre, I don't even know why you're reading this. You probably won't see it anyways.
Personal Rating: 7.5 of 10
Plot: 8 of 10
Language: 9 of 10
Violence: 6 of 10
Lots of explosions and a few blood stains and splashes, but, hey, its an alien movie.
The language was the issue? How about the movie not having a plot! Haha!
ReplyDeleteI would prefer them say s*** rather than f*** any day. A nine seems pretty high considering the fact that their are movies like Full Metal Jacket out there.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: The movie had a plot, it goes like this: Survive, protect, serve, survive. It's an alien-invasion-war movie, what were you expecting? Romantic tension and a plot twist showing the aliens were just a foreign country? I liked it. =)
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