Movies: Battle: LA

Score: **1/2 out of *****

Long Story Short: Battle: LA has an enticing action premise, with gritty street fighting, cool visuals, and a high level of suspense. It delivers these, but is dragged down, first and foremost, by a simply horrendous script (even for an action film). The nail in the coffin is a wretched final act that just gets worse until its abrupt ending.

For the first time in a long time, I finally got to see a movie on opening night! I have been looking forward to Battle: LA since I saw the trailer last summer. The film is about an alien invasion of a certain city in California (sadly, no mention was made of whether or not the Lakers survived); it was directed by Jonathan Liebesman (who hasn't really done anything else of note). Unfortunately, my expectations were not quite met...

Here's a synopsis of the "story" of Battle: LA. Marine Staff Sgt. Nantz (Eckhart) is a veteran soldier on the cusp of retirement; he won some medals in combat, but is currently training new troops back at home. We also meet some of his trainees, including a young guy set to take command of the unit. TV reports of a meteor shower prompt a mobilization of the military which, as Eckhart and co. arrive, knows that in reality it's a landing of extraterrestrial beings. Missions are divvied out, and Eckhart's unit has to try to retrieve some civilians stuck in an area designated for imminent carpet bombing by our own forces.

The Marines make their way through the ruins of an LA suburb, and eventually find the civilians in a busted police HQ. The next large chunk of the film shows the Marines taking them to "safety"; but they arrive to find the forward operating airbase in ruins. Somehow, they manage to call for evac, but the Marines take a detour (while the civilians get ferried to safety) that ends up saving the day.

Yes, it's a mindless action film, but I'll still talk about the acting here anyway. I'll preface individual roles by saying, whoever wrote this film (looking... Christopher Bertolini) should never ever be allowed to write dialogue ever again. It isn't too terrible for the first half, but after that, it is painfully bad. With that said, the lead actor, Aaron Eckhart, manages a pretty good job portraying a grizzled Marine veteran with genuine courage. It doesn't hurt that he both looks and sounds the part, too. Everyone else has such a small role (at least in terms of dialogue) that they're barely worth mentioning, and unfortunately Bertolini ruins most of their parts. Michelle Rodriguez is the most recognizable of the supporting cast, and she gives a pretty average performance (basically the same role she had in Avatar).

I have to give Battle: LA at least a little credit: I was on the edge of my seat with tension for just about all of the first half to two-thirds of the film. The action (at least until the last act) seems as realistic as you could make battle against aliens. The Marines (again, at least until the last act) aren't super heroes by any means, and the looming sense of danger and death is ever-present. The shaky-cam style is used, which I don't typically like; however, it's a good fit for the film, and it's done significantly better than some other films. There are a few attempts made at humor in this film, most of which fail; unfortunately, there is also a healthy dose of unintentional humor, especially toward the end.

***

The strength of the suspense and direction of the action (throughout most of the film) might have been enough to get Battle: LA three stars. However, I am frustrated because, with just a little more effort and thought behind this, it could have been a really good action film. The first thing I would have done is drop the haphazard "Hollywood" feel in the non-shooting parts, as it clashes horribly with the gritty action sequences (and worsened by the terrible writing itself). Second, the ending is completely lazy, although it really starts going downhill fast right after the Marines make it to the ruined airport. One of my pet peeves in movies is lazily or just generally badly done endings, and this is a prime offender. Thus, it only gets two and a half stars, a poor opening big-budget action flick for 2011.