Battle Los Angeles stars Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking) as an almost-retired career marine who is pulled back into action when the world is attacked by extra-terrestrials.
Roger Ebert utterly destroys this film in his terrific movie review. Ebert's article is so seething, so scathing that I mention it in hopes that you read it. I've never seen a film so ruthlessly torn apart by him.
I utterly agree with everything he said, yet I still enjoyed the film.
The film has the same old formula as most action films. Gritty, veteran marines, with some personal problems of their own, fight aliens in a desperate attempt to save the planet, etc. Not real hard to figure out the flow of this film.
The dialog of the film is not particularly great. There are no real quotable lines in the film and the dialog does little to develop the characters. Basically, what you know of the characters in first moments of the film, pretty much stays the same way through the end.
Like all war films it seems, the marine leader (Eckart) needs to earn the respect of his men. In the end he gets it. Pretty much standard-faire in so many military films.
All that said, I somehow still enjoyed the film. Maybe it is because I like the whole end-of-the-world film genre. War films I've always had a soft spot for as well.
The premise of the movie, which is based on a supposed real alien invasion event back in the 1940's, is intriguing to think about. I did respect how the enemy aliens were a bit more stronger and technologically advanced, but not so much that our own weapons completely fail. This makes for a devastating conflict but not one where we have to overcome utterly impossible odds.
Aaron Eckhart does a real good job as action hero. No Oscar nod here. Honestly, there just isn't good enough writing to support his talent. Eckart does however show the world he too can walk with the popular action hero actors.
It is hard to write a convincing, positive review about a film when there are so many flaws but it is worth watching. There is plenty of combat and the movie moves along at a real fast pace. Good entertainment.
2011
116 minutes
PG 13
Roger Ebert utterly destroys this film in his terrific movie review. Ebert's article is so seething, so scathing that I mention it in hopes that you read it. I've never seen a film so ruthlessly torn apart by him.
I utterly agree with everything he said, yet I still enjoyed the film.
The film has the same old formula as most action films. Gritty, veteran marines, with some personal problems of their own, fight aliens in a desperate attempt to save the planet, etc. Not real hard to figure out the flow of this film.
The dialog of the film is not particularly great. There are no real quotable lines in the film and the dialog does little to develop the characters. Basically, what you know of the characters in first moments of the film, pretty much stays the same way through the end.
Like all war films it seems, the marine leader (Eckart) needs to earn the respect of his men. In the end he gets it. Pretty much standard-faire in so many military films.
All that said, I somehow still enjoyed the film. Maybe it is because I like the whole end-of-the-world film genre. War films I've always had a soft spot for as well.
The premise of the movie, which is based on a supposed real alien invasion event back in the 1940's, is intriguing to think about. I did respect how the enemy aliens were a bit more stronger and technologically advanced, but not so much that our own weapons completely fail. This makes for a devastating conflict but not one where we have to overcome utterly impossible odds.
Aaron Eckhart does a real good job as action hero. No Oscar nod here. Honestly, there just isn't good enough writing to support his talent. Eckart does however show the world he too can walk with the popular action hero actors.
It is hard to write a convincing, positive review about a film when there are so many flaws but it is worth watching. There is plenty of combat and the movie moves along at a real fast pace. Good entertainment.
2011
116 minutes
PG 13
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