In the past three years there has been a boom in versus films. And that’s primarily attributed to the boom of the direct to DVD industry that relies solely on gimmicks and plagiarism to fuel its economy and one of the primary cash cows of the market is the versus gimmick. We’ve seen every monster fight every warrior this side of folklore and what we see with “Battle Los Angeles” is pretty much soldiers versus aliens. In fact with less money and star power, Jonathan Liebesman’s film could very well have been titled “Aliens vs. Soldiers,” a roughneck balls to the wall action science fiction film that just doesn’t try too hard to bring us in close to its characters.
From minute one it’s solely intent on bringing us in to the foreboding dread of the impending alien invasion most of the country is convinced is just a meteor shower. But when the meteors become more of a threat to the planet, the military are called in to duty, where the meteors reveal themselves to be war ships. The warships are slowing down in their descent and they’re on Earth not for peace or co-existence but to solely destroy anything in its sights. Why the film is primarily set in Los Angeles is beyond me (nor is it ever completely explained to the audience); but “Battle Los Angeles” is a fun and often exciting romp that pretends to be “Saving Private Ryan” should the company have been confronted with super soldiers from an alien world a la “District 9.” The entirety of the film is set in its focus on soldiers running around screaming orders and fighting whatever alien menace comes in to their path.
And that’s basically on order for this science fiction actioner and nothing more. And yet, I managed to have so much fun with it mainly since it’s such an adrenaline fueled juggernaut of clichés, and slick action set pieces that the kid in me felt like I was watching a playground rumble come to life. It’s as if someone brought their GI Joe Action Figures and mixed them together with the Aliens monster figures and threw them at one another in a series of mismatched battles and romps that just enticed the child in me. Most importantly what’s kept most interesting about the alien menace is what they’re purpose on this Earth is for, and we delve deeper in to this war, we see that they’re basically like us. Sure it’s a clumsy almost farcical observation when approached during the film, but the contrasts add for startling realism and empathy in a movie where characterization is scant.
I forgave it for being scant in emphasizing character motives and complexities mainly because the movie is mainly here to act as a spectacle before bringing us in closer to the characters. “Battle Los Angeles” is being compared to “Independence Day,” but the fact remains is this film basically has it defeated as a movie that tries for something much more stern and less comical as a means of exploring an alien invasion juxtaposed with actual war that garners human casualties and damage to home lands, and for that I appreciated what it tried to accomplish as a war movie and what it ultimately accomplishes as a versus film that sets out to keep us glued to our seats.
The reasoning behind Los Angeles being the centerpiece of this war movie would, I’m assuming, be because of the infamous Battle of Los Angeles during the great wars that could forecast a shadow over this movie, but what’s never explained is why Los Angeles is the central set piece for this film. Why is Los Angeles so important? What would possibly be in the city that could be useful? Why did the aliens even march out of their hiding spots attacking the humans when they make such a show out of hiding themselves as meteors in the beginning of the film? And is this a world invasion of just an invasion of a city? If the latter than what is to be accomplished? Who among the high ranking alien officials assumed Los Angeles would make a great military base?
These and many more questions set the audience up for head scratching moments that make absolutely no sense, even if you’re invested in the film for a good time and nothing more. I would have loved twenty minutes of the combat time trimmed down for exposition and extrapolation toward situations to add a more dire tone that was lost in the excess violence and attempts to further the battle pprtion of the film but not the story portion. It’s a huge missed opportunty. I enjoyed “Battle: Los Angeles,” as its a pre-summer blockbuster that pretty much just intends to entertain and compel as a science fiction epic instead of bring to mind thoughts on immigration and war that “District 9” already handled so perfectly. In the end of the day, it’s a versus movie of the highest order with kids in a playground combating their alien action figures against their GI Joe Action figures. I had a lot of fun. Definitely the guilty pleasure and fun uncle of 2011, so far.