Battle: LA

It’s been obvious that I haven’t been to the movies lately and most of you know why. A week in the hospital will put a sever crimp in ones social activities but upon my parole from patient prison and nurse hell I was able to drag myself to the theater. I braved these mean city streets (a five minute cab ride from my house to the multiplex down the block) to see “Battle: LA” and I have to admit that it as worth the cab ride. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman (a director whose previous works did NOT impress me) and starring Aaron Eckhart as Sergeant Michael Nance this movie takes you on a ride from one hair raising situation to another once the action starts and it doesn’t take long for that to happen.

Now admittedly I cringe when I see Ne-Yo cast in any movie and because I haven't really been fond of Liebesman's work I was sort of skeptical going in but I was chose to see it because I loved the premise and enjoyed the trailer. Plus I’m actually starting to respect Aaron Ekhart’s acting abilities. Good thing too because he’s in almost every shot of this alien invasion movie (can you say vanity project?). Normally I wouldn’t think Aaron would be the first choice for this kind of role which in fact makes him perfect to carry this movie. He represents the everyday guy, playing a Marine who while in Pakistan got his whole platoon killed and now wants out of the service. Unfortunately the moment his papers are signed those damn aliens show up and throw a wrench in the program.

It starts off pretty much like any other movie where the hero is dealing with a crisis of epic proportions. Nance is a loner now and when doing his morning run on the beach he gets past embarrassingly easy by the younger Marines he knows his “shelf life” as a Marine has pretty much expired. There’s no wife to go home to, no children waiting to see him, all Nance knows is the Corp. and he states that once his papers are signed. Meanwhile you get to meet the new platoon Nance will be a part of later down the line. It’s a cast of character actors, some familiar faces (Ne-Yo for instance), some new and none of them trust Nance since he’s the sole survivor of his time in Pakistan. Leading the platoon this time around is 2nd Lieutenant William Martinez played by Ramon Rodriguez (he was Sam Witwicky's roomate in Transformers 2, remember Kitten Calenders? Yeah, that guy). Fresh out of officers school and itching to lead his men he also knows of Nance’s reputation but he seemingly withholds judgement and Nance seems perfectly fine getting orders from some wet behind the ear officer who’s never seen combat of any kind. This dynamic is an interesting one and the two actors play extremely well off one another. The best part of the cast however happens to be the civilians played by the lovely Bridget Moynahan, the talented Michael Pena and relative newcomer Bryce Cass who plays Pena's son. They give this movie the emotional impact it needs (although there is one corny scene between Nance and Moynahan's character where they do an autopsy and all I could think of was "spare me"). Bryce Cass however impressed me to no end and for a thirteen year old to do that is saying something.

The platoon’s orders are to evacuate some civilians stuck in a police station behind enemy lines and get them back to the deployed operating base or the D.O.B. before the air force bombs the area with everything they have. Now my two biggest issues with this movie are that the aliens are nowhere near as scary and as frightening as you hope them to be. They could have come up with something more nightmare inducing than the bobble heads that land on our shores. My second beef is the camera work. Director of Photography usually works hand in hand with the director so I'm going to place all the blame for the annoying camera work on the director. It was "Saving Private Ryan" but without the skill of Spielberg. At least he knew when enough was enough. Here however the camera is always right there in the middle of the action and the lack of steady cam, herky jerky, quick pan movements would have been a good touch had it not been done for the entire movie. Shot entirely in Louisianna and put together with the help of at least eight digital effects company (at least that's how many I counted when the credits rolled) this movie really was put together well. I just wish the camera work was better.

Now I ripped this man a new one when I reviewed that horrible movie "The Expendables" and commented on his score. This time around Brian Tyler redeems himself. I really enjoyed the music and thought it was the perfect match for this film. It had moments where it sounded like the group "Explosions In The Sky" (thankfully I like their sound) and most other times it showered the images with great heroic themes. It was a job well done.

This movie helped me forget my issues and what I'm currently going through health wise and it really was just what the doctor ordered. I would recommend it if you want a good time at the movies and you need to get away for a bit. See you at the theater!