BATTLE: LOS ANGELES Discussion

I am excited for this movie, loving both the trailers and the actors, but in the absence of reliable online reviews there is, um, an imdb review that sums it up as "District 9 and the Bourne Identity had a really stupid baby."

It honestly looks pretty critic-proof. Aside from the brief, cursory exposition at the beginning, won't this be context-free mayhem? Not to say this is gonna be good or bad, but I bet most reviews of this film will fail to convey exactly what's in store.

It hasn't shown me anything that hasn't been in any other alien invasion movie.

It's had stellar trailers so far, but that's the song choice more than the footage. I'm still waiting for the thing that'll set this apart from everything else.

I'm mostly hoping this is good, so I can justify defending Michelle Rodriguez all the time.* That and I'm hoping for the type of alien war movie that I've been dreaming about since I was 9.

 

*Number one defense is pure lust..but I want to be less shallow.

Early reviews are popping up over here in the UK, and they're not pretty. Empire gave it two stars, and they've been very forgiving of this big-budget scifi actioner stuff over the last few years.

 

Why everyone was getting so excited over a Jonathan Liebesman film is beyond me.

Tag-team review coming.

 

I know I like it, but I'm still not sure how Nick feels about it. I definitely don't think it's perfect, but it's worthwhile. Also, I visited the set. Didn't really color my opinion (maybe made me more disappointed it wasn't incredible), but full disclosure and all.

That's been my thing. You're telling me a guy with three shitty feature films under his belt is finally going to hit it out of the park on his fourth? I'm not saying it isn't possible, but it most certainly isn't probable.
 

 

I hated the fuck out of this, and my screening was filled with the sort of derisive laughter at the dialogue you'd hear in an Ed Wood movie. After the first half hour, NOTHING of interest or consequence happens. The trailer is literally the whole movie.

Shaky, confused "I can't make sense of anything" action scenes, right?

It is literally like watching someone you don't know playing a video game. Except that it's one of those in-store demos that loops after five minutes.

Saw this last night. 3/5 from me. Some stellar visuals, Eckhart's fun to watch but there are only two worthwhile action sequences and the script is SO flat, the characters are SO bland. If you're going to have a weak story, you at least need breathtaking action but the stuff in this is just passable at best. Also LIebesman's direction is infuriating at time. For fuck's sake, we know you want it to look like BLACK HAWK DOWN but stop shaking the god damn camera for five seconds!

 

I really liked the aliens and their machinery though. And, like I said, a few memorable scenes.

 

It was alright. It could be fun with lots and lots of popcorn and a crowded theater. However, once Summer's over I don't think we'll even mention this movie again.

Oh, man, I guess this is gonna be one of those movies that no one really cares for but I remain super hateful towards. I just thought this was everything wrong with movies today.

Seeing it tonight, got some sneak preview passes. 

 

EDIT: Walked out 15 minutes into the film.  Movie was packed and I had to sit two rows back from the screen.  The shaky cam was more then I could take sitting that close, and I was just about to puke in my mouth.  From what I saw, it looked pretty cliched.  Sgt getting ready to retire, a soldier about to become a father, a nerve-ridden soldier who is terrified of women.. I'll wait for DVD.

Edited by NickP - 3/11/11 at 7:51am

Unpolished painful turd.  Walked out after an hour (surprised I got through it that long).  Just a supremely awful experience.

 

I can handle shaky-cam when the movie associated with it calls for this method of film making (the only film I've seen that uses shaky cam astutely is Saving Private Ryan), but I don't think we need a series of frantic zooms and camera jitters during a scene when two people are sitting across each other at a goddamn desk! Jesus, I can even see Greengrass wincing at that.  The camerawork is downright nauseating and gave me a migraine.  I couldn't even bring myself to even get to know the 1D characters on screen, nor did I care. 

 

fuck this filth.

Funny enough, after the "desk scene" that's when I decided my stomach couldn't take anymore of the shaky cam shit.   I saw both Bourne Sequels in the theater, and never had a problem with the Shaky Cam because it was done fine in those.  This on the other hand, why is a scene with two guys sitting at a desk, shaky?  In the Bourne films, when he was being interogated, or there was a calm scene, atleast the camera was calm. 

I thought the aliens were pretty cool. I was rooting for them.

So The Asylum's spoof/rip off of this was on tv tonight on Syfy. It's on the DVR to watch tomorrow

Thought the film was decent enough. I liked it. From hearing about the shaky cam here, I was expecting some really bad and nauseating stuff, but the only part that even remotely came close to that was the ambush in the apartment complex. Other than that, the shaky cam wasn't a bother. The friday night showing was packed too. It was a hell of a lot more entertaining than the boring shit that was Skyline.

Loved the aliens, alien vehicles/weapons, Eckhart, apocalyptic cityscapes. The effects looked so real. This is how effects are supposed to be done. They should be photo-realistic and blend seamlessly with the real world.

I feel Eckhart really carries this movie the best he can.

Technically, this movie shines. However, it's missing an egaging story and characters. I would've loved a more tragic ending.

The more I think about this movie, the less I like it.  The shaky-cam bit was overused to the point of nausea, and unless the characters are shouting basic commands, the dialogue is embarrassingly bad.

 

Seriously, someone got paid to pen the line about the kid being Eckhart's little marine?  Eckhart didn't object to that line? If I were Eckhart, I'd refuse to come out of my trailer until that horrible line was scrubbed.

 

 

As someone who has spent many hours watching other people play video games for this or that reason (granted, mostly the Uncharted series, which are basically movies) that is entirely what I got. A two hour video game and I am a-okay with that. I found it thrilling and exciting. Didn't mind the shaky cam, and I always mind the shaky cam. Eckhart carries it and the film gives me just enough reason to give a damn about the others. A good time, one of the better alien invasion films and I hope to god it doesn't get a sequel.

Not picking on you, but why are you a-okay with something that's supposed to be a film, coming off like a two hour videogame? I am genuinely curious because I have no interest in videogames and I do not understand why people think it's okay for a movie to offer nothing more than that, or futhermore, why they would pay money for an experience that they themselves imply could be easily replicated by watching a bunch of guys sitting around mashing Doritos in between buttons on their X-Box or whatever. Ten bucks and two hours out of my day is maybe not a whole lot, but I would hope that it deserves more than that.

I have been wondering that myself, Jacknife, and I guess it just worked for me on a purely visceral level and I got somewhere close to the same level of rush as I would in a Call of Duty game. It got me, it worked, my blood was pumping and it hit every single conceivable cliched note (trust me, I laughed when Nantz's marines roped down alongside him and the jingoism present...oh my) but I guess I just like watching a well executed maneuver, be it in video games or movies. Certainly more enjoyable than watching my friend get frustrated because he can't hit that one alien that's dogging him over and over.

 

Hmmm..interesting, because I got no visceral thrill from this movie.

 

I thought the actions was completely generic. Its called Battle LA but it felt like a bunchof generic rubble filled  streets in which they proceed to have yet another shooting match. Dull stuff.

Looks like I'm in the minority, but I really dug it.  When the action dies down and dialog starts to happen, the movie comes dangerously close to unraveling completely.  Chock full of cliches, cookie cutter characters, and some truly awful exchanges.  Eckhart's big motivational pep-talk in the hanger was particularly awful.  'Hes dead!  I'm here!  Thats the way it is!'  Just a shitty shitty script.  Pena's big hero moment on the bridge was a real hoot. 

 

But Liebesman has more chops than people are giving him credit for.  The visuals are impressive, and aside from that confusing dusty firefight in the beginning, the shaky-cam was effective.  I get that mileage varies when it comes to the shaky-cam, but to me, this felt like Cloverfield II, only Liebesman just drops the 'actual footage' gimmick so we dont have to stick to one POV or waste time with characters charging camera batteries.  And its nice to see a flick like this in broad daylight for a change.  Also, despite some of the truly terrible performances from some of these marines, they all carried themselves convincingly and the no-name cast keeps you guessing as to who's going to bite it next, which I like.   

I agree with a lot of what you're saying.  Visually -- shaky cam aside -- the film was pretty decent.  The effects were blended well into the real backgrounds  and I thought the designs were pretty cool.

 

However, I just can't get over the bad dialogue. The script was terrible.

I thought it was okay.

 

Talk about being a super patriotic Marine Recruitment movie. For a second I thought we would get that Armeggaddon Michael Bay shot of children running through a cornfielfd.

 

Yeah, pretty much sums up my reaction.

One of the few movies I have considered asking for my money back.  A terrible film with no redeeming qualities.

This was not good...

 

I'm really wondering what the deal at AICN was.  Every reviewer gave this film a "good" review, to the point where it really all seemed quite suspicious...and I normally ignore the talk of studio bought reviews on most sites.  I'm still trying to decide if Nordling's positive review was really just well done satire.  Tell us Nord?  It's safe here....

I assure you nobody got bribed over fucking Battle: LA.

 

Of all the films to catch a helping of utter disregard and hyperbole, I have no reason why this would be one.

I wasn't referring to the CHUD Tag Team review, which even if I didn't agree with the positive points presented, at least provided articulate criticism and coherent argument and made me say, "Ok, I'll just agree to disagree."

 

The AICN reviews however...

Saw this today - and I'm really puzzled by the level of vitriol above. It's a war movie, and pretty much follows the conventions of a war movie. I don't have any problems with formula movies, if they're done well, and I don't think this was done poorly or without care and thought.

 

I really loved that that the we as the audience only know what the soldiers or civilians would know; I like that there's no explanations and no deep background information on the invasion given. I thought it lent a powerful verisimilitude to the unfolding story. And despite being a formulaic war story, I thought it conveyed a lot of tension and fear through the experience of the group of soldiers.

 

Eckhart did a lot with a little; he brought depth and humanity to a character we're not given tons of information about. Moynahan was wasted, though; there was really nothing to the part and no way to distinguish the character.

 

Agreed that the scene in the trashed base was awful; just cliche-ridden and poorly written. It's the weakest part of the film, and just long enough to almost sink it. But for me, the skill with which the rest of the film was shot, blocked and shown more than makes up for it.

 

The effects were top-notch; I kept wondering how in the hell they managed to shoot this and make LA look like it had been wasted. I'm glad I saw it in the theater; it'll be OK on DVD, but without a decently large screen and some powerful low end in a home theater system, it's just not the same.

This was a big movie weekend for me, saw this one too and I really really liked it. I'll have to catch the CHUD tag team review but definity enjoyed the hell out of this. It's a shame I didn't see this when it first came out, this film is how you start off a new movie season! Kick ass!

 

Sort of around the sewer scene, I really got an Aliens vibe from the film.. I almost expected Eckart's character to say "Nobody touch nuttin!". Really good film, hope it comes to Blu Ray soon so I can rewatch it again.

This isn't as bad as some say it is above. Clearly this is nothing that anyone will remember in 10 years though and that is a big failing with how much money was thrown at this sucker.

 

Eckhart is a champ and gave his all the film would be lifeless without him.

 

It wasn't bad but I can't say it was good either. Studio did a good job keeping this away from the summer.

 

Yeah, but at the same time the lines Eckhart had to give pretty much killed the film. At least for me.