I need to make a point in saying this straight out of the gate: I had NO expectations for this movie. That fact alone may mean that this review is biased in favor of the film, but overall, and in a really weird way, I adored this movie. And this is coming from someone who has always been a fan of science-fiction and has never held sci-fi movies to a lower standard than any other film genre. Is this something worthy of, say, the praise I constantly give District 9? No. But, in its own way, it really held its own on-screen.I've read many a complaint about this movie that its dizzying, hard to follow, jumpy, blurry, lacks a general plot, etc., and on the one hand, I don't necessarily think those complaints lack a certain merit, but on the other, this movie kind of puts everything out there on the table just in the title. It's called Battle: Los Angeles, not Battle: Whole Earth Invasion, and the trailer in no way implied it would be anything other than that. Reduced to utter simplicity, this movie is like the bastard love child of Black Hawk Down and Signs. And to be honest, I don't actually think the film lacks a plot, the plot is merely extremely one-dimensional. Earth is invaded by an alien race for a natural resource that we actually have in abundance-water. They have advanced weaponry, are hugely militaristic and intend to come to Earth, take our water and destroy anything that gets in their way of achieving that goal.
As Mike said of it coming out of the theatre, "this was the most realistic 'invasion' movie" he'd seen in a long time, and I really don't disagree. The movie showed, without a doubt, how unprepared even our best military personnel really would be in the face of such complete annihilation. I think the shakey cam and blurry action only added to the sheen of authenticity that actually holds through the whole movie. The aliens are fast and have big guns. The soldiers can merely hope to react in time to hit something and stay alive.
As in most movies of this kind, there is a leader who must rise to the occasion after a moment in his history that quakes his belief in himself. This leader is, consequently, resentfully obeyed by the younger people in his squad who don't really know him aside from reputation and assume they know all there is to know about him and the mysterious mistake from his past. That leader is Aaron Eckhart, who I feel just by his presence on screen gives this movie a heart and a resonance that would have been absent otherwise. Naturally, his mistake was getting some boys killed in his last tour, one of who's brother just happens to be in Eckhart's newly formed squad. Even with everything going on around them they do eventually have the moment of discussing what happened, and I really thought the scene between Eckhart's Sgt. Nantz and Cory Hardict's Cpl. Locket was well done. Basically, Eckhart gives him the whole, don't-judge-me-until-you've-walked-in-my-shoes speech, but he does it with such sheer force of reserved military emotion that it's hard not to think about how many times that conversation has probably been had between soldiers. The respect in Nantz' voice is palpable, as is the regret he has for what happened as a result of his command. You know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that he would gladly trade places with all of them if he could.
The speech also serves as a turning point in the film, and the remaining soldiers alive suddenly feel an almost desperate familial bond to each other and Nantz and the task at hand. Armed with intel found by Sgt. Santos (Michelle Rodriguez) the team discovers a way to disable the aliens' airborne weapons (which are basically giant badass predator drones, unmanned, or shall we say, unaliened and controlled by a central machine.). Their goal is then to test their theory in the hopes of having intel to pass onto all the other countries and cities being plagued by the invaders.
The movie comes to a close with a successful and very human-triumphant vibe, but it also ends by way of continuation. Gloriously satisfied that their theory was proven correct, Nantz' team refuses to sit on the sidelines and wishes to slam head first back into the battle, because the city is not yet won. It's a moment that screams patriotism and unity amid chaos and is a general fist-pumping-generating moment.
There are brief civilian storylines thrown in and tragic deaths and very spectacularly brutal special effects and as it all rolls up together in the film I think it works. I don't think every sci-fi/alien movie has to be Aliens or District 9 or ET to be appreciated. This movie is almost like a snapshot of one area during one massive invasion. It's momentary, breathless and aggressive, but to say it's mindless or heartless would be blatantly untrue, at least in terms of how I looked at it.
I grant that it's not for everyone. For people who need a very involving plot or something that includes a lot of layers to be satisfied, then obviously this isn't for them, and if people want action that is clean and devoid of anything unpredictable they won't be pleased. But, if you want an invasion movie that is simply that, you want this. It's down and dirty, it's in your face and it doesn't apologize. You feel what those soldiers and civilians and little kids feel. You feel fear and confusion and panic and you feel blinded by the onslaught that is coming at you. So, if you can accept all that, or get past all of that, there's definitely a unique vision to see here.
