“Battle: Los Angeles’: No surprises but plenty of thrills | 2½ stars - Kansas City Star”

Battle: Los Angeles’: No surprises but plenty of thrills | 2½ stars - Kansas City Star

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By ROBERT W. BUTLER

The Kansas City Star

COLUMBIA PICTURES

After San Francisco and San Diego fold, Los Angeles becomes the last human stronghold on the West Coast.

The Marines kick some alien keister in "Battle: Los Angeles," a sci-fi/combat flick that dishes big booms and even louder clichés.

Aaron Eckhart is Michael Nantz, a staff sergeant still dealing with the loss of most of his squad in Afghanistan. He's turned in his retirement papers, but — wouldn't you know it? — before they're processed alien invaders arrive under cover of a meteor shower.

The invaders' ships land in the oceans off the world's biggest cities, and soon the waves are disgorging armored troops. In no time at all, the gangly, big-headed baddies hold the California coastline.

Nantz, hurriedly reassigned to a new unit, is sent on a mission to rescue civilians trapped behind enemy lines. He and his troops had best step on it, because in three hours a scheduled air strike will turn Santa Monica into dust.

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and written by Christopher Bertolini, "Battle: Los Angeles" is a block-by-block, street-by-street combat film like "Black Hawk Down"… except that here the enemy has superior technology. The Marines, though, are better shots.

Along the way Nantz and his men become the protectors of some civilians (Michael Pena, Bridget Moynahan, a couple of kids) and take in a woman warrior ("Avatar's" Michelle Rodriguez … who else?) sent to locate the alien control center responsible for unmanned aerial drones.

The film has been shot almost entirely with handheld cameras, and the combination of wobbly images and state-of-the-art f/x is thoroughly convincing.

Emotionally "Battle: Los Angeles" is utterly predictable, but Eckhart's thoughtful machismo provides a reliable anchor.

Big, bright, noisy, empty escapism.

'BATTLE: LOS ANGELES' ★★ 1/2
Rated PG-13

Time: 1:56

Contact Robert W. Butler at bbutler@kcstar.com and 816-234-4760.

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