Battle Los Angeles (2011)

A squadron of U.S. Marines becomes the last line of defense against a global extra-terrestrial invasion.

Director:

Jonathan Liebesman

Writer:

Christopher Bertolini

Stars:

Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aaron Eckhart	...	Ssgt. Michael Nantz
Ramon Rodriguez	...	2nd Lt. William Martinez
Will Rothhaar	...	Cpl. Lee Imlay
Cory Hardrict	...	Cpl. Jason Lockett
Jim Parrack	...	LCpl. Peter Kerns
Gino Anthony Pesi	...	Cpl. Nick Stavrou
Ne-Yo	...	Cpl. Kevin Harris
James Hiroyuki Liao	...	LCpl. Steven Mottola
Bridget Moynahan	...	Michele
Noel Fisher	...	Pfc. Shaun Lenihan
Adetokumboh M'Cormack	...	Corpsman Jibril Adukwu
Bryce Cass	...	Hector Rincon
Michael Peña	...	Joe Rincon
Michelle Rodriguez	...	TSgt. Elena Santos
Neil Brown Jr.	...	LCpl. Richard Guerrero

Storyline

Los Angeles and other cities around the world are being bombarded by meteors that seem to be slowing down once they hit the earth's atmosphere. The earth is suddenly being invaded by space aliens that have landed off the shore of LA, and who begin killing everybody along the beach. The military is ordered into action. Marine Staff Sergeant Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), who was about to retire, is reassigned to a new platoon. The platoon, flown by chopper to the forward operating base at Santa Monica Airport, is being led by a new 2nd Lt. Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez). They are sent on a mission to rescue some civilians who are trapped at the police station within alien territory. They only have 3 hours to complete their mission and get out before the Air Force bombs that zone.

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Plot Keywords:

marine | mission | alien | platoon | invasion | 

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Taglines:

It's not war. It's survival.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles

Filming Locations:

Manhattan Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,792,913 (UK) (11 March 2011)

Gross:

$83,552,429 (USA) (27 May 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Original Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to script changes, the Michelle Rodriguez character wasn't added until a month before filming began.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie it states the day is August 12, 2011 but Sergeant Major Dever on CNN states "at 14:46 Pacific Standard Time". In August, Daylight saving time is in effect, making it Pacific Daylight Time.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Reporter on TV: ...an unprecedented meteor shower falling off the coast of Tokyo. The entire city is mesmerized by this incredible sight. Two hours after the first contact, an unidentified enemy has reached our coastlines in a swift and militaristic attack. Right now one thing is clear: The world is at war.

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Connections

Featured in Great Movie Mistakes III: Not in 3D (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Live by the Game"
Written by Fredrick Tipton, Leighton Hicks and Cory Parham
Performed by Freddie Gibbs
Courtesy of Decon

User Reviews

Ambitious But Heavily Derivative

2011 hasn't left an enticing first impression for films, both released and upcoming. With a record broken for most sequels, combined with re-releases (Conan the Barbarian) and spin-offs (Puss in Boots), finding something original in cinemas seems to be one more challenge to face for the year. That said, even though Battle: Los Angeles might not have direct relations to previous films, it doesn't avoid being dissimilar. The good news, however, is that it at least functions enough to be enjoyable.

We get a fairly brisk introduction to some of the cast before being thrust into the fight at-hand within the film. Down time is in short supply as the conflict with an invading (or as is referred to within the film, "colonizing") extraterrestrial force reigns over the runtime. Battle: Los Angeles stays in relation to its name as it takes place entirely within the city, but these Californians aren't the only people facing a new threat. A number of other areas throughout the globe deal with the same issue, though we never see anything on their end beyond brief TV broadcasts. As a result, the film takes on a feeling of being a smaller part of a potentially bigger conflict.

Since the vast majority of Battle: Los Angeles is action, the standards it's held to aren't terribly demanding. And thankfully, we're treated to some good scenes, namely the final fight just before the end which, though not epic or revolutionary by any stretch, does feel nicely built up towards. Other stretches, primarily the first few, don't hold up quite so well; suffering from the all-too-familiar Michael Bay-esque directing style of quick cuts without showing much, if anything. Fortunately, by the time the antagonists have been revealed full-well, things are seen in a far more cohesive manner.

When looking at how the film stands up on a more fundamental and less action-oriented level, the cracks begin to quickly show. Probably the easiest issue to pinpoint is that everything here is incredibly derivative of other films (and even videogames). Independence Day, District 9, Terminator, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Modern Warfare, Resistance, Battlefield; the list of friends goes on. Another shame to find is that little-to-nothing is revealed about the invaders themselves. Most of the supporting characters also come and go without much development to find. Needless to say, this isn't much of a thinker's film, especially since most of what occurs on-screen is predictable.

Battle: Los Angeles is an easy film to figure out. If you like what you saw in the trailer(s) and are fine with getting 2 hours of that, then you should be content with what's present. But a detailed story and question-answering with regards to who, what and why are MIA, unfortunately. This is a shame since the film does show potential and even gives hints at being something more elaborate, but they're never delved into. Everything here is fundamental or, if you prefer, shallow. As an action film primarily judged on the on-screen conflicts, it suffices and holds up better than most of its typically-average precursors. Thus, junkies of the said genre will likely get what they're looking for while everyone else is better off waiting until the (good) summer releases.