Battle: Los Angeles
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez.
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Rating: 3/5
It happens every year. The sun comes out, days become longer and films start getting explosions, guns and men in uniform.
Given the questionable honour of kicking it all off this year is Battle: Los Angeles.
Focused on Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) and a sole troop of Marines, Battle: Los Angeles shows us the invasion of Earth. Worldwide, what were thought to be meteors have carried a deadly wave of hardened, vicious alien troops right into our biggest cities.
Many have fallen, but as the last major American city not to fall in the blink of an eye, Los Angeles plays host to a battle for our planet against overwhelming odds.
This is a film which will live or die by the quality of its action, and in this regard, Battle: LA excels. The fire fights are taut and pacey, packing plenty of punch.
The special effects are great too, with the Aliens looking suitably weird and exotic, but always convincing. All of this, even if director Jonathan Liebesman seems to be obsessed with skakicam.
While it sticks to the battling, Battle: LA is on to a winner. It’s just a shame anyone has to open their mouths.
Despite a great start, and some half decent (if completely unoriginal and predictable) characters, Battle Los Angeles has some of the most derivative dialogue you’ll hear in a blockbuster this year. Nearly every line is a cliché and some of the sergeant’s more ‘rousing’ speeches are simply cringe inducing.
None of this is helped by some of the most ‘Army-ish’ music you can imagine, sometimes turning tense fights into adverts for the Marines. It gets a little wearing after a while.
Add in a completely needless bunch of civilians with too much melodrama for even fans of Neighbours to enjoy, and soon all the talking becomes annoying. And still Aaron Eckhart’s great screen presence manages to get the film through.
When the lead starts flying though, Battle: Los Angeles is in its element. These shoot outs alone make it worth the price of admission, and make it better than the average popcorn blockbuster.
It just never lives up the potential it had to be Black Hawk Down with aliens.
Bring on the fireworks, explosion season has started. Yay?
Battle: Los Angeles is out now.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith