Rating: 4/5
Whenever a film like Battle LA comes out, movie critics take the chance to point out that it isn't 2001: A Space Odyssey or District 9. According to these critics, because Battle LA doesn't have the emotional or philosophical depth of the aforementioned classics, it should be ignored and its creators should never work again. And if you enjoy Battle LA, you are a teenage loser virgin who sits in their basement all day long playing Halo and writing fan-fiction. I'm saying all this because according to Rotten Tomatoes, what I just stated is true. I'm here to tell you that it's not.
Staff Sergeant Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) is about to retire. He's done four tours in Iraq and lost too many friends. Suddenly, the human race finds itself at war with a seemingly unstoppable alien race determined to wipe out everything they see. Sgt. Nantz is deployed into Los Angeles, the last bastion of humanity on the American west coast, with the goal of rescuing civilians, and ends up in the middle of a war zone with no way out.
This movie is awesome. The action is intense, the characters, while unmemorable, are human and real, and the aliens are actually smart, moving and thinking like a highly trained military unit. The only reason that the marines triumph at all is because of luck. The script has every war movie cliche of all time, but it all works in a weid way. I actually felt like I was there a couple of times.
The best thing in Battle LA is the atmosphere. When the marines march through Santa Monica, there are dead people and destroyed things all over. The aliens aren't seen until late, and there are moments that truly seem hopeless. It's really well made, and it doesn't try to be District 9, which is good. Also, it's not Halo. Halo is a silly game about a giant green tetris block shooting aliens. Battle LA is about real people fighting desperately against them.
Critics hated this movie. But I'm a critic, and I really liked it. I had a great time. It might be generational, but I think I just saw a good movie. Skip Red Riding Hood, skip Take Me Home Tonight, see Battle LA with a bunch of friends.
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