"Battle: Los Angeles" Review by Chris

We’re screwed. If alien invasion movies teach us anything, it's this: if the government doesn't have a secret facility or the aliens don’t have a fatal aversion to water or country music, then we're going to go through hell before we get our planet back. Were the unthinkable to occur, would "Battle: Los Angeles" provide a different plan that might save our lives?

Aaron Eckhart plays Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz, a 20-year career soldier finishing up before retirement. Commanding a cookie cutter group of soldiers to evacuate civilians from what appears to be a meteor shower, Nantz is forced to fight the unknown when it becomes clear this is an unnatural disaster. Smashing into the West Coast, these aliens don't waste time giving warnings or hovering over our government buildings. They invade our biggest cities, and take down most of the west coast in a matter of hours. But this movie isn't about winning a war, it's about finding small victories. Nantz's only goal is to get as many survivors out as possible, but he and his group go above and beyond the call of duty, not only saving lives but finding enemy weak points to help tilt the battle in their favor.

Though the movie takes time to set up each character, it fails to connect with the audience early on, and often it's hard to tell who gets shot or killed. It's not until the numbers have thinned and their personalities develop that you start to feel involved in their lives. Epic visuals and military realism make this war devastatingly scary. Within minutes the city is burning and hope seems lost, making the comparatively small scale of Nantz’s quest that much grander. Aaron Eckhart does an excellent job as an inspiring leader, and if humanity’s forces have soldiers like him around, it bodes well for our side.

"Battle: L.A." gives a less fanciful perspective on the alien invasion, and while it takes time to get you situated into its universe, once there, you're cringing at every explosion and cheering at every conquest. It's a great movie for alien and military movie fans.

I Give it four flying saucers out of five.

Writen by Chris
Edited by Aaron