If You Think You've Already Seen All Of Battle Los Angeles Already . . . You're Mostly Right!

The Good: Solidly entertaining, Decent character development, Decent acting, Good special effects.
The Bad: Derivative plot structure, Character cliches, Revealing previews, Pulls punches
The Basics: Battle Los Angeles may be shockingly derivative of Aliens, but it work . . . for anyone who has not seen any previews for it.


There has been an annoying trend in current cinema where previews for a film become more and more revealing such that one is left with the feeling it is not even worth bothering to go see the actual movie being advertised. I was actually getting quite excited about the potentials of Battle: Los Angeles up until the advertising campaign for the last few weeks stepped up how much the previews revealed. So when my wife managed to snag me screening tickets to the movie, I was a bit less excited about it than I had been months ago.

And now having seen Battle Los Angeles, the biggest surprise for me was how very much I actually enjoyed the film. Battle Los Angeles is almost completely ruined by the previews and this is an instance where the journey could have been filled with some real surprises, were it not for the previews. While virtually anyone with a brain who saw even the final movie poster to Battle Los Angeles could tell that the giant alien device rising out of the ground came very late in the film, the real disservice for viewers comes in how the advertising campaign for the film featured alien air support. Without beating that mistake by revealing too much, those who enjoyed the advertising campaign will find that they are just waiting for the characters to catch up with them based on the weeks of advertising they had seen in advance of the film. Even so, Battle Los Angeles is incredibly entertaining and is 2011's first legitimate blockbuster film.

Twenty-four hours before an alien assault begins - Battle Los Angeles opens with the bass of explosions and Spanish news reports revealing the attack as helicopters fly over a beach that is under attack - Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz is outrun by younger Marines and decides it is time to quit the military. Peppered in with introducing the young officers and enlisted men training at Camp Pendleton are news reports about a meteor shower which will be hitting various points on Earth the next day. When the next morning comes, Nantz, Stavros, Harris, Adukuwe, Martinez and Lockett (among others) are recalled to active service when the military realizes that the meteors are not natural occurring phenomenon - because they decelerate before impact - and that Earth is under attack. As the troops move out, CNN illustrates what the military suspected when civilians on the Los Angeles beaches are slaughtered wholesale by armored alien beings advancing out of the ocean.

Nantz and his team are dropped into the war zone that is Los Angeles with a simple mission: help clear civilians out before the Marines fire-bomb Santa Monica to destroy the alien ground forces. Nantz and his team are sent behind the advancing alien front to a police station where civilians were trapped when the firefight began. With three hours until Santa Monica is liquidated, Nantz finds himself and his men outgunned by aliens. And the news goes from bad to worse when a tech Sergeant from the Air Force, Santos, finds her way to the unit with news that her team was tracking a much larger alien force before they were wiped out. With time running out, the humans on the ground and in the sky above struggle to survive extermination.

I feel the need to reiterate two things before I go into more analysis of Battle Los Angeles: 1. I actually enjoyed the movie and 2. It was ruined by the advertisements. I feel it is important to reiterate that first point because the more I think objectively about the movie, the more I find myself nit-picking it. Throughout Battle Los Angeles, news reports feature scientists doing their best to explain the invasion and the conclusion that the aliens have come for Earth's liquid water. Given that, one has to wonder why the aliens are bothering to try to wipe out humanity at all. The middle of the ocean is much harder for humans to defend and it could be a much more powerful position for these particular aliens. Come to think of it, if aliens decided to claim a giant chunk of ocean, there wouldn't be much we could do about it ("Mr. President, I'd like to nuke the Pacific!" "Gosh Gary, that sounds idiotic, you're fired"), so the basic premise of Battle Los Angeles doesn't make that much sense. Or I'm just that much smarter than the invading aliens in it. But I liked the film.

But it doesn't take a very sophisticated reviewer to notice that Battle Los Angeles is plotted identically to Aliens (reviewed here!). If you're looking for the parallels, it's pretty simple. In Battle Los Angeles, the marines are introduced (like in Aliens), they go to the front, which is like when the marines in Aliens encounter the aliens on the colony, they find the civilians and Santos, like finding Newt in Aliens, drive a bus (like the all-terrain vehicle in the classic), and barricade themselves before a firefight which involves one of the people blowing themselves up and ultimately face the Big Bad (in Aliens it was the Queen). Battle Los Angeles lacks the quips from Aliens and the sense of mood is constant and impressive for the sense of futility that pervades the movie.

Unfortunately, the character arcs are almost entirely cliche. Harris is preparing for his wedding, Martinez is married with a pregnant wife at home and Nantz is plagued by his prior mission where the men he led were killed. The lieutenant leading the company is fresh out of officer training (hmmm . . . wasn't Gorman in Aliens on his first actual combat drop?!) and one of the men is the brother of a man who had been in Nantz's last squad. Battle Los Angeles makes a decent showing of attempting to insert some sense of individuality to the characters, but because many of them get glossed over, some seem like real cliches. The most notable of these is Martinez with his pregnant wife.

What the viewer is left with, then, is a pretty solid experience piece. This is The Hurt Locker meets Independence Day and the combat in it is intense. The dialogue is very military oriented - measurements are in "clicks" and the phrase ". . . asset fell off the grid" insinuates authenticity - so the movie feels like what it is supposed to be, a bunch of Marines fighting for the survival of humanity. The only truly disturbing aspect of the Marines buckling up and doing what has to be done is that in the closing credits there are credited members of the military (entertainment liaison), so there is a sense that this could be just one real long advertisement to go enlist with the Marines.

But director Jonathan Liebesman deserves a lot of credit for not making seriously annoying - and common - mistakes that his contemporaries make. Cloverfield and District 9 leap instantly to mind as films where the directors overused handheld cameras to make frenetic movies that ended up as just nauseating. Liebesman seems to have a strong grasp on the idea that if one is making a movie where there are lots of explosions, advancing aliens and realistically obscured eyelines, that the camera shouldn't make the movie more difficult to watch.

Unfortunately, Liebesman seems to be a Hollywood wh . . . um, director, of the caliber who is more determined to make a PG-13 film than a good one. Battle Los Angeles too frequently pulls its punches to make the movie kid-safe. The one use of the f-word comes late in the film and is used to refer to the aliens, as opposed to any of the Marines getting upset over either the casualties the squad is taking or the destruction of their homeworld. The bodies that are seen littering Los Angeles are not frequently burned, maimed or otherwise anything but window dressing and many of the casualties of characters happen very quickly and without too much realism to their demise. The most problematic way the film is cropped, though, is in a scene in the middle where Nantz, Santos and a civilian veterinarian find an alien and basically vivisect it to figure out how to kill it. The creature is never focused on enough to truly tell where the organs they are pulling out are coming from or what they are actually doing.

But for all my griping, Battle Los Angeles has some pretty decent acting. Aaron Eckhart is a favorite of mine and he does not use his trademark smile through the entire film. His smirk is only hinted at and it never reaches his eyes, allowing Eckhart to establish Nantz as a deeply serious and humorless character . . . which makes him the archetypal Marine. The others in the work are convincing, though Michelle Roderiguez seems to have landed in this niche ever since she finished on Lost.

Battle Los Angeles is not troubled by an oppressive or overly bassy soundtrack, so Bryan Tyler deserves some credit for defying expectations in that regard. The special effects do look good, even if there is frequently a lot of realistic warfare going on around the aliens and their vehicles to prevent viewers from actually seeing them clearly. There is no real sense of catharsis to the movie or the few victories that happen early in the film. Even so, Battle Los Angeles is entertaining, worth watching and captivating from beginning to end. And while the DVD release date will almost certainly be August 12, 2011, perhaps by that time viewers will have forgotten how much was spoiled by the advertising and rediscover it as something even more thrilling than it was on the big screen.

For other works with Aaron Eckhart, check out my reviews of:
Love Happens
The Dark Knight
Frasier Season Eleven

7/10

For other film reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Season Underground And Dangerous: Lost Season Two Is Perfect!

The Good: Excellent character work, interesting plots, good acting, great concept
The Bad: Moments of predictable reversal
The Basics: With its intriguing characters and interesting story, Lost spends a season underground in the hatch, saving the world and one another.



Sophomore seasons can make or break a hit show. With Lost, (first season DVD set review can be read by clicking here!) the challenge was to answer questions left from the first season and continue to grow the mysteries of the island and the backstory of the characters in such a way as to keep people interested and guessing. And in true J.J. Abrams fashion, Lost - The Complete Second Season: The Extended Experience on DVD delivers, only without J.J. Abrams. Due to Abrams' working on Mission Impossible III and finishing off the series Alias, there is little of J.J. Abrams in the second season of Lost, though executive producers Carlton Cuse and Daimon Lindoff seamlessly execute the second season with the same mood and feel of the first.

Picking up in the moment after the last shot of season 1, Locke and Jack are instantly captivated by the now-open hatch. Exploring the hatch causes conflict between Jack, Lock and Kate and when they discover that what lies beneath the island may be an apocalyptic device, the leaders of the survivors become conflicted over what to do. Meanwhile, having been left adrift by the Others, Sawyer, Michael and Jin soon find themselves back on the island and at the mercy of a rugged group who is soon revealed to be more survivors from Oceanic flight 815, and their experiences on the island have not been pleasant.

Under tragic circumstances, the two groups of survivors come together, but the Island's version of fate soon hands them a prize or gift that has the potential to lead to more even more conflict, tragedy and possibly a way off the island.

One of the most effective aspects of Lost is the tension and mysteries surrounding the island. The island acts as a character in the first season with the menace of the Thing In The Woods, the Others, the Hatch and the strange confluence of other apparent coincidences it reveals. The Hatch was the big mystery of season one and season two was set up to deliver exactly what was in the hatch. The revelation of what is in the bunker happens over the course of the first three episodes of season 2 and the demands it places on our protagonists on the island are certainly compelling. On one of the commentaries, one of the execs defines season two as "The Year of the Hatch" and it certainly is a year with our characters underground, both physically and metaphorically.

Equally as interesting is the introduction of the Tailies (as Hurley calls them), who have survived - barely - under the guidance of Ana-Lucia (who was introduced in the season 1 finale) while being under siege by the Others. One of the most intense episodes of the season "The Other 48 Days" recalls the attempts by the Tailies to survive. Their story is not one of foraging for food and waiting for rescue. It's a dark tale wherein they are attacked, kidnaped and forced to flee into the jungle by the Others who are preying upon them. They are merciless when Sawyer, Michael and Jin wash up on shore and their dismal view of the world as a result of their experiences makes for compelling television.

What works so well on Lost is not simply that it tells an interesting story, but that it takes the time to explore characters with a depth and richness that we do not usually see on television. As in the first season, most episodes of Lost combine a character-driven narrative in the present time with an exploration of the important character's backstory. So, for example, in season 2, we learn "What Kate Did," what it was actually like for Hurley to win the lottery and we witness Sawyer living up to his potential as a con man.

All great television focuses on great characters and Lost certainly applies. Here is where season two finds the principles of Lost:

Jack - Determined to keep the survivors alive and safe, Jack's initial plan to move everyone into the hatch fails, but he quickly adapts. Upon learning what is in the hatch, Jack steps up to become the leader he had resisted becoming and he works to give purpose to the survivors, until a new arrival threatens everything,

Sayid - Having just found love with Shannon, Sayid's expertise soon comes into play with exploring the hatch and later when Rousseau presents him with an intriguing gift,

Hurley - Given the responsibilities of a quartermaster when the hatch is opened, Hugo comes to understand that the island is guided by forces much bigger than he is. Hurley also finds himself attracted to one of the Tailies,

Sawyer - Wounded and broken following the events on the raft, Sawyer works to reconcile his feelings for Kate with his past and his desire to make something out of his time on the island,

Jin - Soon reunited with his wife, Jin struggles to learn English and help Michael find Walt. However, Sun soon provides him with a reason to stand by her,

Sun - Still keeping secrets from Jin, she is overwhelmed by the powers the island appears to possess and she finds herself in another serious predicament,

Kate - While attempting to help Jack, Kate allies herself with Locke to explore what is in the hatch. Soon after, she discovers her feelings for Sawyer are growing and when he abruptly returns, she finds herself seriously conflicted with her feelings for both Sawyer and Jack,

Charlie - Struggling to remain clean after finding more heroin on the island and soon abandoned by Locke, Charlie finds himself in a strange apprenticeship with Mr. Eko, from the tail section,

John Locke - Having made it to the bottom of the hatch, Locke finds the purpose he was looking for and he abandons the survivors for an attempt to save the world. In that, he soon discovers his chance at a greater destiny and he embraces his Fate in a way no one would expect,

Claire - Dealing with her baby and her on and off relationship with Charlie, Claire soon learns her baby might be in danger and she goes on a search for the answers to what happened to her in her missing days on the island,

Michael - Having lost Walt to the Others, Michael becomes obsessed with finding them. He leaves the safety of the hatch to find Walt and when he returns, his answers will change everything for the survivors,

Shannon - Falling in love with Sayid leads to consequences Shannon would not have guessed,

Ana-Lucia - The leader of the Tailies, Ana-Lucia works to overcome her violent past and when the survivors from the raft wash ashore, she works hard to trust them. With her arrival in the hatch, she attempts to restart her life by trusting Jack and the others,

Libby - A psychologist with a past linked to Hurley, Libby survived with the Tailies and works to fit in with the survivors on the other side of the island. She soon develops a relationship with Hurley,

Mr. Eko - With his mysterious past as a priest and a criminal in Africa, Eko feels a sense of destiny and responsibility on the island. He takes in Charlie as his apprentice and when he is given the opportunity to help Locke, he takes it, leading to cataclysmic events on the island,

and Walt - Captured by the Others, Walt appears as a phantasm throughout the season to various characters in their moments of greatest need, confusion or conflict.

The characters in Lost are compelling and the show does an excellent job balancing them, which is difficult to do with such a large cast as Lost has. Indeed, the addition of new characters could have been problematic, but the executive producers do an excellent job balancing the new characters with the ones from the first season and the show continues to work rather well. We have the feeling that this is the continuation of the narrative we began in season 1 as opposed to being a totally new show. That takes finesse and the producers deserve credit for that.

The actors deserve a lot of credit as well. This is a strong ensemble cast and they work quite well together. Daniel Dae Kim remains one of the most powerful actors of the show, convincing viewers easily of his difficulty speaking English so effectively that when in "Everybody Hates Hugo," Jin speaks flawless English in a dream sequence, the viewers are easily rattled. Of course Daniel Dae Kim is paired frequently with Yoon-jin Kim who is an exceptional actress and the two work quite well with one another.

Matthew Fox continues to do strong work that is completely different from any other character he has played. Similarly, Evangeline Lilly gives strong performances that balance her character's coarseness and vulnerability. Josh Holloway is convincing as Sawyer, for more than just his rugged good looks.

Perhaps the most neglected on the cast is the truly wonderful Naveen Andrews, who plays Sayid. Sayid is given surprisingly little until midseason, though his part in the mid and latter episodes is quite strong. Andrews does remarkably well with the part he is given, but it seems a shame to use such a talented individual so little. The character was initially set up as a "type" as opposed to an individual and Andrews has worked hard to add depth to what could be a fairly awful stereotype.

But the mind-blowing standout in the cast is once again Terry O'Quinn. John Locke, who spent season one as a mysterious and in-control character becomes vulnerable in season two, especially through his backstory. O'Quinn not only rises to the occasion as Locke, but he makes the viewers wait for his stories and we gobble them up when they are given to us. Terry O'Quinn is given an incredible acting challenge as Locke finds purpose, collapses, and then takes charge in an incredible new way and never once does his performance waver. O'Quinn is the man to watch on Lost.

So, who will like season 2 of Lost? Those who saw season one. It is, quite simply, a waste of time for newcomers. Unlike some series' that one can jump right into, Lost is heavily serialized and the clip show recap of the series (available at Best Buy as an exclusive bonus disc, though they are almost impossible to find) does not do it justice and will not prepare the viewer for the experience of the show. Then again, after seeing this season, it is hard not to want the complete series!

For other science fiction television programs, please check out my reviews of:
Star Trek
VR.5

10/10

For other television programs, please check out the index page!

© 2010, 2007, 2006 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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