# Battle of Los Angeles (2011)



## Starbeast (Dec 25, 2010)

*Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*





 


I think it's cool that a big production movie company is going to recreate the 1942 U.F.O. event that really happened (small scene for the movie). Reports back then said sadly that the falling debris from the projectiles that bounced off of the U.F.O. killed a handful of people. Even B-movie director Ed Wood used the 1942 U.F.O. incident as inspiration for his film _PLAN 9 FROM OUTRER SPACE._​


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## biodroid (Dec 26, 2010)

*Re: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*

Looks awesome, like Independence Day but better and more realistic. Cool thing is it's directed by a South African like the guy who did District 9. I'm sure this should be good as Michael Bay hired him to do the modern version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But why is LA so special?


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## Captain Campion (Dec 27, 2010)

*Re: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*

That does look cool. Of course, I'm a sucker for invasion movies (and zombie movies).


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## Rodders (Dec 27, 2010)

*Re: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*

I'm looking forward to this. It certainly looks like it'll be better than Skyline.


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## J Riff (Jan 10, 2011)

*Re: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*

Bring it on. Save LA because that's where the movie sets are. It looks promising.


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## biodroid (Jan 10, 2011)

*Re: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*

I really hope this is better than Skyline.


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## Morridini (Jan 10, 2011)

*Re: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*

How odd that there suddenly is four or five invasion movies coming out this year, but I'm not complaining.


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## biodroid (Jan 10, 2011)

*Re: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*

Just don't bother with Skyline it literally is a load a cr*p. Poor script really and the directors don't really know how to direct actors.


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## J Riff (Mar 14, 2011)

This one is up there in all-time rounds fired. Will wait to see what others say.
 It's a major shoot'emup in Santa Monica, total wreckage,death and horror, an obvious analogy for riding the bus on Pico Blvd., or being stuck in rush hour on Lincoln Blvd., which is where a lot of things explode, as well as Ocean Park Drive. There's a few shots on Patterson as well, which is just up the street from, curiously, Cloverfield Ave.
 They fight the Aliens there.


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## IainRichmond (Mar 14, 2011)

I believe the movie is based on the possible future as Northern Cal tries to keep it's sprawling Southern sphere from infesting it's casual, environmentally friendly beliefs (insert humor here).

In any case, I look forward to an awesome, CGI battleFEST!


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## williamjm (Mar 15, 2011)

I saw it yesterday. I thought it was quite good, although nothing special. There isn't much in the way of plot or depth or SF content beyond the fact that aliens are attacking, it's basically just two hours of continual action scenes. I think they manage to fit in most military film clichés at some point during the film. On the plus side, some of the action scenes are quite tense and it was effective at showing the devastation and disorienting effects of the alien invasion.


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## PTeppic (Mar 15, 2011)

williamjm said:


> On the plus side, some of the action scenes are quite tense and it was effective at showing the devastation and disorienting effects of the alien invasion.



And simply for showing the problems of urban fighting, I'd guess. But, two hours of almost non-stop adrenalin. Haven't had such a rush in ages, the battle is relentless. As for the CGI, seamless, realistic, constantly moving, all depths of field, in and out of focus, dust, smoke, fire: astounding. And, technically, most of it to steadicam filming. Or, as it felt, unsteadicam.


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## Culhwch (Mar 15, 2011)

I'm really keen to see this one, but I think I'll wait for the DVD. I've heard mixed reviews so far, but I think the negative ones are generally expecting too much, which I definitely am not!


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## J Riff (Mar 15, 2011)

That's the spirit. Prepare to stay with the US Marines start to finish in this one. There's 15 min. marine character development, and a twenty minute lull for an indoctrination speech late in the movie... but Marines don't quit!
Aliens? No detail, we never see their point of view, or even their bodies since they seem to fight in robot-suits. They are terrible shots.
London, England is also attacked though you'll have to watch close to spot it.
Memorable lines:
Aliens? That's not possible, right? 
We cannot lose LA! We're abandoning LA! Let's take back LA!
Maybe I can help- I'm a veterinarian.
Let's let those B*s know who they're F*ing with.

Hard to make out much of the neighborhood, it's mostly wreckage with only billboards advertising beer and gas companies visible, though they do end up stuck in a bus on what looks the Ten Hwy. after three o'clock, which is bad enough even without Aliens attacking.


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## biodroid (Mar 15, 2011)

J.Riff - was it a good movie at least? It's tops in the box office at the moment.


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## J Riff (Mar 15, 2011)

It's not a good SF movie. It's a terrific action movie, a marine indoctrination movie, the usual thing. The kids are saved, the marines are like_ Alien_ or similar flicks, and they keep shooting until they win.
 Actually they don't win the war, and it ends with no resolution.
Very little information about the robo-suited aliens, who are stealing water from the ocean steadily. A professor informs us that "nowhere else in our universe is there water in liquid form!" They are using our water for fuel.
That's about it- you stay with the Marines the whole way, fighting in the streets. Some great stunts and CGI I guess.


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## biodroid (Mar 15, 2011)

Basically mindless action


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## Rodders (Mar 15, 2011)

I just got back from seeing this with the missus. She loved it. It was OK, but i won't be going out of my way to see it again.


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## jojajihisc (Mar 16, 2011)

J Riff said:


> an obvious analogy for riding the bus on Pico Blvd.


 
I missed that one. I think the rapacious thirst of the aliens may also be a sympathetic nod to NoCal's water sent south.


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## J Riff (Mar 18, 2011)

Watched it again...and it's very frustrating because, like a lot of these hacks at SF, it could have been so much better with 5 minutes explanation of the aliens.
 Why are they so awkward, and such lousy shots? Why do they need a huge underground command center? How did they sneak it in there with no-one seeing?
 There's other flaws... the Aliens have blasted hell out of the beach area, most of Santa Monica is wreckage, yet the Marines fly on in to SM airport as if it's untouched, when it is sitting in the middle of the attack zone. 
 Really, these aliens... must have recently built this machinery they are attacking with, maybe they aren't used to it. Something, anything about the Aliens, please... 
No. Doubtless the sequel will spend a minute or two on this subject, yknow, the Alien creatures attacking the planet? What about them? I know that Earth Marines are interesting people, but gosh so are Marines from other planets.


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## Anthony G Williams (Apr 20, 2014)

I watched *Battle: Los Angeles* with low expectations, supposing it to be another juvenile popcorn movie like *Battleship*. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised: it is instead a grittily realistic war movie that just happens to involve an alien invasion. The hero is a war-scarred US Marine Staff Sargeant (Aaron Eckhart) who is about to retire when clusters of "meteorites" landing in the oceans next to major cities turn out to be alien invaders. He leads a squad on a mission to rescue civilians trapped in a part of Los Angeles due to be heavily bombed by the USAF to clear it of aliens. His task is not helped by the fact that he has gained a reputation for losing his men in combat. Naturally, all does not go smoothly and what follows is a violent, confused running battle with the aliens not even seen for some time, except for brief glimpses. 

I've not been a soldier (let alone a US Marine) so I may be mistaken, but the combat action seemed convincing to me – especially in its early, confused stages – until the finale involving laser-guided Copperhead missiles streaking horizontally across the sky and leaving flame and smoke trails. In fact the Copperhead is a guided 155mm artillery shell without a rocket motor and would have arrived in a downward trajectory at far too high a velocity to be visible (obviously unacceptable to Hollywood!). Despite this quibble it is a solid film, worth seeing if you like SF and enjoy war movies.

 (An extract from my SFF blog: Science Fiction & Fantasy)


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