Battle: Los Angeles
Genre: Action
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez
**1/2
Battle: Los Angeles’ producers are waging their bets that audiences will get a sadistic joy out of watching Hollywood burn.
After all, in this thriller, not only do heavily-armed extraterrestrials conquer Earth, but the last fortress to withstand demolition is seemingly the California coastline — thanks mostly to a platoon of Marines led by a serious but disgraced sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) seeking redemption.
As for plot, that’s pretty much it. The thin premise (they’re after our water apparently), dodgy dialogue and flat supporting characters don’t benefit this gung-ho war movie. In fact, it’s a bit too Pearl Harbor with Martians in tone. However, the action truly does get a boost from sensational special effects spun around a few genuine moments of high tension shot from the soldiers’ perspective, which makes this battle nothing if not worth its kitsch value for sci-fi fans or people who simply hate L.A.
