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 | alien | mission | platoon | sergeant | 

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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

Cpl. Oswald's military unit ("40th ID") is a real unit - The 40th Infantry Division (Mechanized), known as the "Sunshine Division", is a modular division of the United States Army. It is a four brigade combat team division with National Guardsmen from throughout the Pacific/Western United States and Oceania. Its Division Headquarters is located at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California.

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Goofs

It was noted that a flight of A-10 "warthogs" were on the flight line at Camp Pendleton. The A-10 is a close support ground attack aircraft flown by the USAF in support of ground operations conducted by the Army and the Marines. They often conduct joint training so seeing Air Force craft at a Marine base is not uncommon.

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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

"Take It Back"
Written by Donnie Lewis and Ivan Barias
Performed by Skillz
Courtesy of Decon

User Reviews

Despite the Bad Rewiews, I Liked It

After a meteor shower around the world, the governments learn that it is actually an alien invasion and organize counter-attacks. In Los Angeles, the Marine Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) is ready to retire after a great trauma in the past when he lost all the men under his command in a mission. However, his platoon is assigned to bring the civilians that are sheltered in the Police Department, in an area dominated by the aliens, back to forward operating base (F.O.B.) before the bombs drop on the city. Sgt. Nantz assists 2nd Lieutenant William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez) and they have to accomplish their mission within three hours.

The marines meet few civilians and survivors from other commandos and when they are ready to fly to the base, the helicopter with the wounded marines is shot down and crashes. Now the marines need to reach the base with the civilians through the destroyed streets and highways using a bus. Along their journey, the marines learn how to kill the invaders but only a few of them survive. When the mission is accomplished, Sgt. Nantz and the survivors decide to destroy the alien communication center and consequently their airborne force.

Despite the bad reviews in IMDb, I liked "Battle Los Angeles". The beginning is boring, with the poor development of the lead characters. The plot is a combination of "Independence Day" with "Escape from New York", not-original but entertaining. But the action is good, with a frantic camera to simulate a documentary and charismatic characters. Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez and the rest of the cast have good performances. The shape of the spacecraft is very weird. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Invasão do Mundo: Batalha de Los Angeles" ("Invasion of the World: Battle of Los Angeles")