Battle: Los Angeles

Even though there are a lot of alien invasion movies this year, Battle: Los Angeles has stood out since its first trailer, promising both realism and an epic approach to the concept. It stars Aaron Eckhart, as a retiring Marine roped into fighting again when there is a sudden invasion of mechanical aliens. He is then paired up with a team attempting to save a group of civilians. This aspect does seem a little cut and dry. It’s more like a video game mission than a major motion picture story. But the actors provide a level of depth that makes up for the simplicity of the plot in Battle’s first half.

While most of the main actors have been in other big budget movies, very few are well known names. However, their ability to come together in this film makes me wonder why studios ever drop money on the famous names. Eckhart’s rough-around-the-edges moments have such a realistic feel that the audience can’t help but admire him and sympathize. However, it is hard to believe that throughout this tense fight he has the time to figure out the secret to defeating the invaders. In the context of the film it makes perfect sense though. The script never has a cheesy inspirational speech which films like Independence Day boast. Battle is more concerned with doing the military justice in their portrayal, which I believe they do.

The fight scenes are gritty and painful. Situations constantly became claustrophobic and look very similar to the released footage of the battles in the Middle East. I’m sure a real soldier would have some problems with its authenticity, but I didn’t notice any. It’s apparent that the film is successful because the aliens are never the most important aspect on display. Since the audience has (probably) never seen an alien invasion it is hard to view one as practical, but the aliens do look plausible. Battle: Los Angeles is one of the most realistic alien movies ever made. It belongs beside District 9 at the top of the heap of contemporary science fiction and even in the same conversation as some first-rate war epics. (9.0 out of 10)