Jonathan Liebesman has taken a tired concept – that of alien invasion- and given it a new perspective. I won’t call this film fresh, exactly, but unlike many of its contemporaries, Battle: Los Angeles gives the audience the very real sense of chaos, of the brutal, confounding terror that invasion is, the horror of not knowing why…or how you will survive.
Premise: A Marine platoon, deployed to rescue survivors in an embattled segmented of Los Angeles must survive the brunt of an alien invasion. Result: An exciting film that mimics the true terror of invasion and asks the audience to think: what would you do?
This film is about chaos. While on the surface it is easy to dismiss this film as action masturbation, this assessment is irresponsible. This is not a movie about the characters or about plot twists, or even about the human spirit. Battle: Los Angeles is about the true nature of invasion, of terror, of chaos. Filmed as the apparent love-child of Darren Aronofsky, Cloverfield, and a film-crew trapped in an Earthquake, the first half of this film attacks the audience, disquieting them.
The opening sequence causes hearts to thump loudly as the audience is propelled head-first into calamity, where an apparent invasion has been triggered by unknown, shadowy horrors that have destroyed much of the U.S. Eastern and Western coasts and have left only one battle left to fight – the Battle for Los Angeles, the last strong-hold of U.S. forces on our perimeters. Immediately, there is the sense that the title, which by most accounts was the red flag for “Bad Movie”, somehow makes sense, that this could be considered a turning point like Gettysburg or Yorktown.
To create some context, the audience is pulled back 24 hours to witness the initial invasion as seen through the many eyes of a single Marine Platoon outside Los Angeles. The rapid fire succession of introductory vignettes do serve to create characters, at least enough for us to believe these are people who have lives that are about to be lost. There is just enough done to make us care about these people. We are introduced to SSgt. Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) and 2nd Lt. William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez) exclusively as would be leaders in what will come next.
The invasion comes suddenly and by-standers on the beach are destroyed in an assault that didn’t wait for speculation. Within hours most of L.A. has been over-run, as have most of the world’s major port/coastal cities. Nantz, newly assigned to Martinez’ regiment, will be mobilized with them, although it is highly rumored that he was the reason for the death of several of his men. This storyline falls rather flat throughout the film attempting to create unnecessary tension considering the alien invasion is quite enough in the best of circumstances. Further, we find that Martinez has not seen combat and often buckles under pressure. Fortunately, we don’t care about any of this as we are too busy taking in the action: at every turn there is a thick blend of suspense and action that generates intense excitement.
And this is really what the film is about: revealing the true nature of catastrophe. Chaos is not a terrible thing that pauses so that you can take a second look; it doesn’t hover just long enough to let you fully comprehend. Terror, as presented through invasion, is an ugly, uncomfortable mess; it is dark and gritty and dangerous. Unlike other alien films which center on the aliens’ motives or humanity’s clever attempts to repel them or a random human interest story thrown in for good measure, this film should really be seen as an exploration into what the world would really be like if something like this happened. The aliens wouldn’t hover for days and weeks; they wouldn’t try to trick us. They would invade from one day to the next and try to wipe us out. Why? Because that’s what we would do. Because that is what is done.
The creatures themselves are strange bio-droids with interesting weapons. They are somewhat shadowy, always somehow out of focus even as they are the only thing on screen. This adds to their mystery without seeming too mysterious. Their intense need for water is foreshadowed throughout the film without beating us over the heads with it.
The battles between the platoon and the creatures are often engaging. Occasionally, however, it is not clear who is fighting whom; I lost count of how many people were in the platoon early in the film and it is very possible that Nantz acquired the ability to clone his soldiers somehow without the audience knowing. That said, the action is exciting and each scene offers a new reason to this fighting, rather than just a copied scene played in a loop. The introduction of Michelle Rodriguez as TSgt. Elena Santos not only gives the film its action star credibility, but also helps to foreshadow the eventual resolution in the film.
There are a few pitfalls in this film, however. The introduction of civilians adds little to the film. One child, Hector Rincon (Bryce Cass), is there for apparently two reasons: one, to create a catharsis in his father, and two, to allow Eckhart to utter all the cheesy lines about “staying strong” to a child rather than adults, thereby making them a bit more palatable. However, the half-hearted attempt to create some sexual chemistry between Nantz and Michelle (Bridget Moynahan) is both unnecessary and treated that way in the film, coming off more as awkwardness. Also, the uber-Patriotic sentiment in the film, while noble, sometimes goes overboard into messy punch lines that might have been uttered by aggressive Nationalists like Sarah Palin, or someone we have even less respect for.
In the end, this film is an exciting take on an old concept. It is not about people or plots (even though these items are not neglected) but it is about telling a story, a vision of reality where chaos is given the head of the table.
Rating: 7- A refreshing Champagne that a cute bartender comp’d you!
Based on the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux and working closely with him on the adaptation, writer/director Stuart Beattie has delivered a film that is equal parts excitement and boredom. The result is a cinematic shrug: while the film is far from debacle, it is not much closer to great. .
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