Movie Review: Battle: LA

Earth battles the space invaders in "Battle: L.A." starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo and Michael Pea.

Follow up:

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
Columbia Pictures
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for "sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language."
RUNNING TIME: 117 minutes
URL:http://battlela.

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Directed by:Jonathan Liebesman
Cast:Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo and Michael Pea

Studio Synopsis:
For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world - Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China.But in 2011, what were once just sightings will get a terrifying reality when Land is attacked by alien forces.As people everywhere see the world`s capital cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the final stand for world in a fight no one expected. It`s up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to make a course in the sand as they have on an enemy unlike any they`ve ever encountered before.

Aaron Eckhart stars in Columbia Pictures' "Battle: Los Angeles."
PHOTO BY: Richard Cartwright.

J.P.'s Take:
Let`s get right to it. There seemed to be a lot of hype surrounding "Battle: L.A." long before its release.

After sitting through the almost two-hour battle of sensory grinding action, I couldn't actually see what the big raft was. Not that this film was terrible, because I've seen worse, it`s just that afterwards a piece it started to tire me down. About the sole thing loss for it was the eerie story, as it begins with a news spread about mysterious meteors falling from the sky. Then, as these cosmic boulders fall to Earth, they start to dim down upon impact.

As a whole, "Battle" sounds electrifying but rather it`s a loud chaotic mess, which suffers from an insipid script. The negotiation is but too mellow dramatic and uninspiring. Most of the time the actors shouted their lines instead of allowing the more intense moments do the talking for them. In multiplication of war, ideally you`d expect panic to check out among the human race, especially when other worldly beings show up on our door step at a moment`s notice. Who wouldn`t panic once word spread that these hostile life forms came down only to pay war on us - for our resources. But with a picture like this one, which boasts about the intensiveness, you`ll feel we shouldn`t have to sit through the silly speeches and preachy remarks from the characters.

Midway though, I basically found myself tuning out on the slow scenes and waited for the more entertaining moments to raise their heads. The few scenes I thought were note worthy are when the Marines first encountered the living forms. Both sides engage in a fierce shoot out in the streets. The aliens storm atop houses and building, while lighting their lasers with lightening speed. What grabbed my care about those scenes is how agile these space invaders were, as opposed to their human counterparts. Scenes where intergalactic ships enter the war are pretty cool to watch as well. And, of course, the aliens are weird looking and carry technologically advanced weaponry with them.

Michelle Rodriguez in Columbia Pictures' "Battle: Los Angeles," starring Aaron Eckhart. PHOTO BY: Richard Cartwright

This is the 2nd movie I`ve watched this month where character development is virtually non existent. You get tidbits about the lives of the solider sporadically thrown about, yet you still feel empty when they`re killed or even injured. Not to go like a sadist or anything, but I simply didn`t care enough about them.

In comparison to one of my favorite alien films, "Independence Day," there was the character story first so the aliens came into play somewhere in between. They took their time trying to figure out how to get rid of the extraterrestrial pests. Another interesting element of "Independence Day" was the secret behind the motives of the interstellar beings. No one knew how and when they would strike, creating more of an epic event toward the end.

Aaron Eckhart as Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz heads a good star-studded cast, which consists of Michelle Rodriguez (as Technical Sergeant Elena Santos), Michael Pena (Joe Rincon), singer Ne-Yo (Corporal Kevin Harris), and Michele Bridget Moynahan (civilian Michele Martinez) ~ all of which receive praise from me for trying their best to continue this mess alive.

Personally I consider "Battle: L.A." a respectable old fashion Sci-Fi fodder _ meaning if you`re looking for a bare and only action flick involving aliens, then this picture is your best bet. By the title`s description, it is a severe battle; however, it lacks that much needed punch in the book department.

I could rattle off nearly a dozen better invasion movies; some of which are my personal favorites, starting with "Alien" at the top of my list. That is followed by "Encroachment of the Body Snatchers" (1978 version), "Predator" (1984 version),"Signs," "Independence Day," and "District 9."

Again not to dog "Battle," but in comparison to the films I mentioned above, it was a slight on the fair side as far as execution. I make it a solid C.

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J.P. Langston is a member of "Sidewalks Entertainment" team primarily as a videographer.He loves movies, especially sci-fi horror and action comedies. Some of his favorite films include "Blade Runner" "The Matrix Trilogy," The (original) "Star Wars," "Equilibrium," "Serenity," "Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2," "Appleseed," "Unbreakable" and "Sin City." He has a large DVD collection, which is nonetheless growing. Since reviewing films for "Sidewalks," he has been expanding his palette for all types of films.