Over the years, I have lost track of how many times the city of Los Angeles has been destroyed in movies. "Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow," and other alien invasion and disaster films have taken their turn at leveling L.A.
Now, "Battle: Los Angeles" takes a crack at destroying the City of Angels. "Battle: L.A." is set in the present day, Aug. 11, 2011 to be exact. That is the date when a global alien invasion begins. All of the major cities around the world are attacked, including L.A. So, expect an alien invasion on that date later this year (I say that jokingly, of course). The Marines at Camp Pendleton are mobilized and arrive in L.A. to defend against the assault and evacuate civilians.
The main character in the film is Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz, played by Aaron Eckhart. Nantz had planned to retire from the Marine Corps, but the attack forces him to go into battle one last time. He and his fellow Marines work their way through neighborhoods, fighting off the alien onslaught. As the fighting intensifies, Nantz loses more and more of his fellow Marines. It is discovered that the alien horde has invaded the Earth for its natural resources. Nantz and the rest of his platoon eventually find a way to eliminate the alien threat and try their hardest to do so.
I won't go into any more details about the plot, as the story of "Battle: L.A." really advances through its action scenes. The best thing about this film is that it focuses solely on the fight for L.A. instead of taking a broader approach. That allows for more intimate storytelling and character development as the film follows this group of Marines and civilians. It is not often that you care about the characters in an action movie like this.
In my opinion, "Battle: L.A." accomplished that. I felt the struggles that those Marines went through as they lost their comrades during the course of the film. There is some hackneyed dialogue about duty and honor, but the same can be said about other films featuring the military. Ramón Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Peña, and R&B artist Ne-Yo all make appearances in the film. Overall, I thought "Battle: L.A." was well-cast.
The action scenes are pretty intense, although the film is extremely loud. The camera did jerk around quite a bit, but I thought that was an effective tool to enhance the chaos of the action scenes. The firefights between the Marines and the aliens are some of the best I've seen in a movie, science fiction or otherwise.
"Battle: L.A." is not for everyone. Some people will find it over the top, while some will find it reason enough to stand and cheer. I found myself leaving the movie theater feeling uplifted and ready to fight should an alien attack actually occur. I guess the next thing I should be asking is where to sign up.
