Movie review – Battle: Los Angeles

Battle: Los Angeles
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Cory Hardrict
Dir. Jonathan Liebsman

Battle: Los Angeles is a typical summer action flick – only released in March. The movie primarily follows Michael Nantz (played by Aaron Eckhart), along with a platoon of fellow soldiers, as mysterious objects believed to be meteorites crash into the oceans around the world. The objects turn out to be alien-made, and said aliens invade Earth to obtain the natural resources of the planet.

The movie starts off more like a documentary on American soldiers rather than a traditional action movie. Most of the characters are introduced during this section of the film, and how much the viewer pays attention here will determine if they will actually care about the characters throughout or even remember their names. Soon enough the movie goes into action mode and becomes a fun and enjoyable ride. The scenes are shot with hand-held cameras using jittery movements, which depending on your point of view is either distracting or appealing. Regardless, the film is just one more war-action film that doesn’t really do anything that hasn’t been done before.

There are plenty of battle sequences throughout the film that showcase and develop the characters in how they deal with the current situation. There are also plenty of non-action scenes that deal with their emotions during a time of crisis, including a scene where Nantz, who is typically seen as a cold individual to his platoon, shows a much more human-like quality to his fellow soldiers that eventually rallies them for the climactic battle.

The character of Nantz is not typical, at least at the beginning. He is neither the underdog nor the obvious leader; he’s simply an aging soldier wishing to retire. His relationship with his platoon is explored throughout the movie based on his past tours in the military that ultimately comes to a culmination during his rally scene as previously stated. 

Overall, the movie may very well be another non-noteworthy film that doesn’t set itself apart from others. However, that isn’t to say that there isn’t enjoyment to be had In the film. It’s not in the same high-end category of such films like District 9 nor is it in the low-end category of Skyline. Battle: Los Angeles is very much average but gives the audience what they want: an exhilarating ride.

Jarret Crowe
Photographer