As a title, Battle: Los Angeles is the perfect summation of Hollywood's latest alien invasion fantasy. This is a war movie unconcerned with little things like plot or characterization. Oh sure, there's a general through-line (meteors land off the coast of Santa Monica, aliens arrive on shore and open a can of whoop-ass, U.S. Marines fight to rescue civilians and stay alive) and a few characters get some depth, most notably Aaron Eckhart's Marine Staff Sgt. Michael Nantz, a 20-year vet who just signed the paperwork to leave the corp when the invasion begins. But these are formalities. Battle: Los Angeles only aspires to be a loud, rocking combat film (think Independence Day meets Black Hawk Down), and on that score it's a blast.
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2011.