Battle Los Angeles

Finally! A movie worth seeing in the year 2011, and it's been quite the wait.

Synopsis: You follow the story of aging Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz who wishes to leave the marines after an incident involving a poor decision in Afghanistan, killing his troops. Just days before his retirement, an unexpected alien attack rains down upon the entire earth. Under the command of a fresh-out-of-college lieutenant, he and his platoon must go to an over run police station and rescue civilians before time runs out and the city is flattened.

Review: Well I came in to this movie with high hopes, and i walked out kind of disappointed. The director; Johnathan Liebesman, seemed unsure of what movie to emulate in his own. There were obvious cues from Blackhawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, and even District 9. The camera angles were obviously meant to feel like a documentary, but they were poorly done. This often created bizarre shots that were blocked and terrible. Not that it matters, because no one gave a crap about these one dimensional characters. I can't count the number of monologues with cliche music playing in the background with a single hand. The characters had no development, and the entire cast was extremely cookie cutter. All this being said, the action was superb. I was constantly enthralled in the extensive fight scenes that ensued. The aliens were interesting enough but very little information was given about them, and all scenes with them were shaky and blurred. Overall, the movie proved to be entertaining enough, but with no depth, and a shaky plot, just check your brain at the door. 19/25