Battle: Los Angeles
Encyclopedia
Battle: Los Angeles is a 2011 American
military science fiction
war film
directed by Jonathan Liebesman
, and starring Aaron Eckhart
, Michelle Rodriguez
, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan
, Ne-Yo
and Michael Peña
. The film is set in modern day Los Angeles
and follows a platoon of U.S. Marines
during a global alien invasion
, who are joined by an Airman
who is a Combat Air Controller from the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command
and some Soldiers from an U.S. Army National Guard Infantry
Regiment. The events of the film are inspired by the Battle of Los Angeles
, a supposed World War II
air raid of the city which turned out to be a false alarm caused by several unidentified flying objects.
s land in Earth's oceans near many major cities. These objects are revealed to be spacecraft containing hostile extraterrestrial life
. Marines
from Camp Pendleton arrive in Los Angeles
, including SSgt.
Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart
), a 20-year veteran who lost his squad during his last deployment in Iraq
. Nantz had planned to retire, but must replace the platoon sergeant
from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines
.
Under command of 2ndLt. William Martinez (Ramón Rodríguez), who graduated from The Basic School one month earlier, the platoon arrives at Santa Monica Airport
, now a Forward Operating Base
. The alien ground forces have no air support, and the Air Force
plans to commence saturation bombing of the Santa Monica
area. The platoon must rescue civilians from an LAPD police station in West Los Angeles before the bombing. As they advance through the city, they are ambushed and suffer casualties, but find a group of Army National Guard
soldiers from the 40th Infantry Division, including Air Force intelligence TSgt. Elena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez
). At the police station the platoon finds five civilians inside: A veterinarian
named Michele (Bridget Moynahan
), children Hector Rincon (Bryce Cass), Kirsten (Joey King
), and Amy (Jadin Gould), and Hector's father Joe (Michael Peña
). A helicopter
arrives to evacuate the wounded Marines Simmons, Guerrero, Lenihan, and Grayston, but cannot take the civilians. An alien aircraft destroys the helicopter, killing everyone aboard.
The Marines commandeer a city bus for evacuation. They also find a wounded alien and, with the help of Michele, study the aliens' physiology, finding a weak point in the torso. They also learn that the alien aircraft are remote-controlled drones which track human radio transmissions. Santos reveals that her original mission was to locate the aliens' central command center
, believing that its destruction would deactivate the alien drones. On the I-10 freeway
, the bus comes under attack. Because the off-ramp is destroyed, the Marines rappel the civilians off the freeway. The Army personnel and Marines Stravou and Mottola are killed, and Rincon and Lt. Martinez are wounded. Martinez sacrifices himself to destroy the enemy unit by detonating C-4 explosives
inside the bus, leaving Nantz in command.
The survivors (Nantz, Santos, Cpl.
Kevin Harris (Ne-Yo
), Corpsman Jibril Adukwu (Adetokumboh M'Cormack), LCpl.
Peter Kerns (Jim Parrack
), Cpl. Lee Imlay (Will Rothhaar
), Cpl. Jason Lockett (Cory Hardrict
), and the five civilians) escape the bombing zone. A news report speculates that the aliens want Earth's water, which they use as fuel. The team waits for the bombing, but nothing happens. At the airport the Marines learn that the aliens destroyed the FOB and that the military is retreating from Los Angeles. Echo Company plans to escort the civilians to an alternate extraction point. Before they leave, Rincon dies from his wounds and Lockett, whose brother died under Nantz's command in Iraq, questions Nantz's ability to lead. Nantz and Lockett deal with their guilt and anger as Nantz lists the names, ranks, and service numbers of all the Marines who have died under his command from memory. They reach the extraction point and leave.
From the air, their evacuation helicopter has a power glitch and Nantz speculates that it is the location of the alien command center beaming radio energy to the drones. He decides to recon the area alone, but his team insists on accompanying him. Going underground, the Marines confirm the presence of a large alien vessel and return to the surface. Kerns radios in to request guided missiles
, which Nantz will target via laser designator
while the others defend the position. Kerns is killed when his radio broadcasts draw attention to him, and the command center, damaged but not disabled by the first missile, rises from the ground to escape. The Marines succeed in guiding another missile to the command center, which collapses. The alien ground forces retreat as their uncontrolled drones fall to the ground, and reinforcements arrive to extract the surviving Marines.
At a base in the Mojave Desert
Nantz's team is greeted as heroes for their bravery. Other cities under attack will emulate their strategy. Despite orders to rest, Nantz's team rejoin the rest of the Marines in retaking Los Angeles.
, taking inspiration from the films Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan
, and United 93
for his documentary
style of filming. Liebesman also drew inspiration from YouTube
videos of Marines fighting in Fallujah for the look of the film. As a result the film was not shot in 3D as the director felt that combined with the handheld camera style of shooting would make the audience "throw up in two minutes." Instead standard film
was used, intercutting footage from three different cameras. The filmmakers tested shooting the film digitally
on a Red camera, but found the camera could not capture the same quality image as standard film. The film was shot for a PG-13 rating, as the director felt making the film overly gory did not suit the more suspenseful tone they were trying to achieve. Screenwriter Chris Bertolini tried to include humour and suspense as well as action, which he felt were important elements to help draw the audience into the drama.
The film's story was partly inspired by the Battle of Los Angeles
, a rumored enemy attack and subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage that took place in Los Angeles during World War II, on the night of February 24, 1942; this real incident was used as the main focus of an early teaser trailer to promote the film, in which its strongly implied the alien invaders spent decades planning their attack and invasion. The filmmakers drew upon this historical event in an attempt to help ground the film in reality. Aaron Eckhart said that the objective of the film was to make as realistic an alien invasion movie as possible; "The goal was: this is a war movie, a documentary style war movie—with aliens in it." The actors went through three weeks of boot camp
, in order to learn how to realistically operate as a marine platoon. In addition, Eckhart had done training with the Marines for a few months beforehand in weapons training and drills. On set, military technical advisor
s worked with the actors to ensure they gave a realistic performance. Eckhart broke his upper arm when he fell off a ledge during an action sequence, but continued to work for the remainder of the film without having it put in a cast.
While the director tried to use practical effects whenever possible (although green screen and CGI were used), such as for explosions, 90% of the aliens are computer generated, as the director felt they would be too difficult to achieve any other way. The invaders were designed by Paul Gerrard, who made them to appear "very alien", neither arthropod
nor vertebrate
, while Liebesman described them as "genocidal Nazis... They look at us like we look at ants." Liebesman wanted the aliens to appear to function as a real army, complete with medic
s and different ranking
officers, and using tactics such as taking cover
to protect themselves. Liebesman also confirmed that the aliens are invading for the Earth's natural resources, specifically because the Earth is 70% covered with water.
Filming took place from September 2009 through December 2009 in Shreveport
and Baton Rouge, Louisiana
(with some scenes filmed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, CA). Louisiana was chosen instead of Los Angeles
mainly due to financial advantages. Principal photography began in the second week of September in Shreveport with scenes depicting a destroyed interstate
filled with cars, an overturned tanker truck, and a crashed helicopter. Post-production lasted throughout 2010 and into 2011. Special effects used in the principal photography included pyrotechnics
. The most climactic of all was a large fireball-producing explosion which was said to have alarmed some residents and passers-by. Film crews implemented use of a large "green-screen
" billboard at the base (end) of the "destroyed" interstate to use later for inserting CGI
images of Los Angeles.
There was military support for filming. Numerous Marine units assisted in filming, including infantry from 2nd Battalion 1st Marines
, MV-22 Ospreys from VMMT-204
(based at Marine Corps Air Station New River
in North Carolina
), CH-46 Sea Knights from HMM-268
and HMM-774
(based in Camp Pendleton and Naval Station Norfolk
, respectively), and reservists
from 3rd Battalion 23rd Marines
based in Belle Chasse, Louisiana
.
investigated the possibility of legal action against the filmmakers Greg and Colin Strause
, who were hired to do visual effects work on Battle: Los Angeles through their special effects company Hydraulx
. Sony Pictures suspected the Strause brothers had created their own Los Angeles-based alien invasion film Skyline, which would compete with the Battle: Los Angeles release, by using resources they had gained while working on Battle: Los Angeles without the consent of Sony Pictures. A spokesman for the Strauses responded by saying, "Any claims of impropriety are completely baseless. This is a blatant attempt by Sony to force these independent filmmakers to move a release date that has long been set by Universal and Relativity and is outside the filmmakers' control."
and published by Konami
has been released on Xbox Live Arcade
and Steam on 11 March, the OnLive
game service (as part of its Playpack subscription service) on 15 March, and on PlayStation Network on 22 March. Eckhart reprised his role for the game. Players assume the role of Corporal Lee Imlay throughout the game.
.
The soundtrack for the film released on 8 March 2011.
A song used in the trailer is "The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black" by Jóhann Jóhannsson
.
reports that 35% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 191 reviews, with an average score of 4.8/10. The website reported the critical consensus, "Overlong and overly burdened with war movie clichés, Battle: Los Angeles will entertain only the most ardent action junkies". The Rotten Tomatoes "Audience" rating stands at 34%; the "Top Critics" section stands at 20%. Review aggregator Metacritic
assigned the film a weighted average score of 37 (out of 100) based on 35 reviews from mainstream critics, considered to be "Generally unfavorable reviews".
Roger Ebert
panned Battle: Los Angeles in a lengthy review, calling the movie "noisy, violent, ugly and stupid", giving the film a mere half star rating. Though he praised Aaron Eckhart's performance, Ebert heavily criticized the film's writing, effects designs, camerawork and editing. He closed his review by saying, "When I think of the elegant construction of something like Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, I want to rend the hair from my head and weep bitter tears of despair. Generations of filmmakers devoted their lives to perfecting techniques that a director like Jonathan Liebesman is either ignorant of, or indifferent to. Yet he is given millions of dollars to produce this assault on the attention span of a generation."
Battle: Los Angeles was given poor reviews by the Los Angeles Times
, New York Times, USA Today
, Entertainment Weekly
, and Variety. Kim Newman of Empire
rated the film 2 stars out of 5 and criticized its lack of originality. Nigel Floyd of Time Out rated the film 2 stars saying that it "... lumbers the flat military characters with hackneyed dialogue and corny sentimentality
".
Neil Smith of Total Film
magazine rated the film as 3 stars out of 5 and summarized, "Imagine Black Hawk Down with ET's instead of Somalis and you'll have the measure of an explosive if functional actioner that will do while we're waiting for summer's big guns to arrive". Both the Radio Times
and the Chicago Tribune
also rated the film 3 out of 5. IGN
rated the film 3 out of 5, stating that the film has spectacular visuals and intense action packed scenes.
topped the box office on St. Patrick's Day
. As of May 22, 2011, the film has grossed $83,552,429 in the United States and Canadian markets and $118,914,327 in international markets, for a worldwide total of $202,466,756.
has stated he would be interested in returning for a sequel. However, fans have been pressuring the directors about reaching to another site of the world, if "the war continued", but with same characters.
will release the film on DVD and Blu-ray on 11 July 2011 in the UK.. And on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray Combo Pack June 14, 2011 in the U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military science fiction
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
directed by Jonathan Liebesman
Jonathan Liebesman
Jonathan Liebesman is a South African film director.-Personal life:Liebesman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa...
, and starring Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
, Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan
Bridget Moynahan
Kathryn Bridget Moynahan , best known as Bridget Moynahan, is an American model and actress. After graduating from Longmeadow High School in 1989, Moynahan pursued a career in modeling. She was signed by a modeling agency, which led her to appear in department store catalogs and the covers of...
, Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
and Michael Peña
Michael Peña
Michael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
. The film is set in modern day Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and follows a platoon of U.S. Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during a global alien invasion
Alien invasion
The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which extraterrestrial life invades Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under a colonial system, harvest humans for food, steal the planet's resources, or destroy the planet altogether.The...
, who are joined by an Airman
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
who is a Combat Air Controller from the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command
Special Operations Command
Special Operations Command may refer to any of these military or police organizations:*Special Operations Command *Special Operations Command elite unit of Maldives Police*Special Operations Command...
and some Soldiers from an U.S. Army National Guard Infantry
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
Regiment. The events of the film are inspired by the Battle of Los Angeles
Battle of Los Ángeles
The Battle of Los Ángeles was a military action fought on March 22, 1880 between the Chilean and Peruvian armies during the Tacna and Arica Campaign of the War of the Pacific...
, a supposed World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
air raid of the city which turned out to be a false alarm caused by several unidentified flying objects.
Plot
Mysterious objects thought to be meteoriteMeteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s land in Earth's oceans near many major cities. These objects are revealed to be spacecraft containing hostile extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
. Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
from Camp Pendleton arrive in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, including SSgt.
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
), a 20-year veteran who lost his squad during his last deployment in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Nantz had planned to retire, but must replace the platoon sergeant
Platoon Sergeant
In many militaries, a platoon sergeant is the senior enlisted member of a platoon, who advises and supports the platoon's commanding officer in leading the unit.-Singapore:...
from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines
2nd Battalion 5th Marines
2nd Battalion 5th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the command of the 5th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division...
.
Under command of 2ndLt. William Martinez (Ramón Rodríguez), who graduated from The Basic School one month earlier, the platoon arrives at Santa Monica Airport
Santa Monica Airport
Santa Monica Airport , also known as Santa Monica Municipal Airport, is a general aviation airport located largely in Santa Monica, California, United States. The airport is located about from the Pacific Ocean and north of LAX...
, now a Forward Operating Base
Forward Operating Base
A forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...
. The alien ground forces have no air support, and the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
plans to commence saturation bombing of the Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
area. The platoon must rescue civilians from an LAPD police station in West Los Angeles before the bombing. As they advance through the city, they are ambushed and suffer casualties, but find a group of Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
soldiers from the 40th Infantry Division, including Air Force intelligence TSgt. Elena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
). At the police station the platoon finds five civilians inside: A veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
named Michele (Bridget Moynahan
Bridget Moynahan
Kathryn Bridget Moynahan , best known as Bridget Moynahan, is an American model and actress. After graduating from Longmeadow High School in 1989, Moynahan pursued a career in modeling. She was signed by a modeling agency, which led her to appear in department store catalogs and the covers of...
), children Hector Rincon (Bryce Cass), Kirsten (Joey King
Joey King
Joey Lynn King is an American child actress and singer who is known for her starring role as Ramona Quimby in the 2010 adaption of Beverly Cleary's well-known book series with the same title.- Personal life :...
), and Amy (Jadin Gould), and Hector's father Joe (Michael Peña
Michael Peña
Michael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
). A helicopter
UH-1N Twin Huey
The Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter that first flew in April, 1969. The UH-1N has a fifteen seat configuration, with one pilot and fourteen passengers. In cargo configuration the UH-1N has an internal capacity of 220 ft³ . An external load of 5,000 lb can be carried...
arrives to evacuate the wounded Marines Simmons, Guerrero, Lenihan, and Grayston, but cannot take the civilians. An alien aircraft destroys the helicopter, killing everyone aboard.
The Marines commandeer a city bus for evacuation. They also find a wounded alien and, with the help of Michele, study the aliens' physiology, finding a weak point in the torso. They also learn that the alien aircraft are remote-controlled drones which track human radio transmissions. Santos reveals that her original mission was to locate the aliens' central command center
Command center
A command center is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose.While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses...
, believing that its destruction would deactivate the alien drones. On the I-10 freeway
Interstate 10 in California
Interstate 10 , the major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States, runs in the U.S. state of California east from Santa Monica, on the Pacific Ocean, through Los Angeles and San Bernardino to the border with Arizona...
, the bus comes under attack. Because the off-ramp is destroyed, the Marines rappel the civilians off the freeway. The Army personnel and Marines Stravou and Mottola are killed, and Rincon and Lt. Martinez are wounded. Martinez sacrifices himself to destroy the enemy unit by detonating C-4 explosives
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
inside the bus, leaving Nantz in command.
The survivors (Nantz, Santos, Cpl.
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Kevin Harris (Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
), Corpsman Jibril Adukwu (Adetokumboh M'Cormack), LCpl.
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
Peter Kerns (Jim Parrack
Jim Parrack
Jim Parrack is an American actor. He has a starring role as Hoyt Fortenberry in HBO series True Blood, and appeared in the film Battle: Los Angeles, which was released March 2011....
), Cpl. Lee Imlay (Will Rothhaar
Will Rothhaar
Will Rothhaar is an American actor.Rothhaar was born in New York City, New York, the son of Michael Rothhaar and Nancy Linehan Charles, both of whom are playwrights, actors and directors....
), Cpl. Jason Lockett (Cory Hardrict
Cory Hardrict
Cory D. Hardrict is an American actor and film producer.-Life and career:Born in Chicago, Illinios, Hardrict began his career on television during the late 1990s, with appearances in weekly prime-time programs including Smart Guy, Felicity, Once and Again and ER...
), and the five civilians) escape the bombing zone. A news report speculates that the aliens want Earth's water, which they use as fuel. The team waits for the bombing, but nothing happens. At the airport the Marines learn that the aliens destroyed the FOB and that the military is retreating from Los Angeles. Echo Company plans to escort the civilians to an alternate extraction point. Before they leave, Rincon dies from his wounds and Lockett, whose brother died under Nantz's command in Iraq, questions Nantz's ability to lead. Nantz and Lockett deal with their guilt and anger as Nantz lists the names, ranks, and service numbers of all the Marines who have died under his command from memory. They reach the extraction point and leave.
From the air, their evacuation helicopter has a power glitch and Nantz speculates that it is the location of the alien command center beaming radio energy to the drones. He decides to recon the area alone, but his team insists on accompanying him. Going underground, the Marines confirm the presence of a large alien vessel and return to the surface. Kerns radios in to request guided missiles
M712 Copperhead
The M712 Copperhead is a caliber cannon-launched, fin-stabilized, terminally laser guided, explosive projectile intended to engage hard point targets such as tanks, self-propelled howitzers or other high-value targets. It may be fired from different artillery pieces, such as the M114, M109 and...
, which Nantz will target via laser designator
Laser designator
A laser designator is a laser light source which is used to designate a target. Laser designators provide targeting for laser guided bombs, missiles, or precision artillery munitions, such as the Paveway series of bombs, Lockheed-Martin's Hellfire, or the Copperhead round, respectively.When a...
while the others defend the position. Kerns is killed when his radio broadcasts draw attention to him, and the command center, damaged but not disabled by the first missile, rises from the ground to escape. The Marines succeed in guiding another missile to the command center, which collapses. The alien ground forces retreat as their uncontrolled drones fall to the ground, and reinforcements arrive to extract the surviving Marines.
At a base in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
Nantz's team is greeted as heroes for their bravery. Other cities under attack will emulate their strategy. Despite orders to rest, Nantz's team rejoin the rest of the Marines in retaking Los Angeles.
Cast
- Aaron EckhartAaron EckhartAaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
as USMC SSgt. Michael Nantz, 2/52nd Battalion 5th Marines2nd Battalion 5th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the command of the 5th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division... - Ramon Rodriguez as USMC 2ndLt. William Martinez, 1st Platoon's acting commander
- Will RothhaarWill RothhaarWill Rothhaar is an American actor.Rothhaar was born in New York City, New York, the son of Michael Rothhaar and Nancy Linehan Charles, both of whom are playwrights, actors and directors....
as USMC Cpl. Lee "Cowboy" Imlay - Cory HardrictCory HardrictCory D. Hardrict is an American actor and film producer.-Life and career:Born in Chicago, Illinios, Hardrict began his career on television during the late 1990s, with appearances in weekly prime-time programs including Smart Guy, Felicity, Once and Again and ER...
as USMC Cpl. Jason "Cocheez" Lockett, younger brother of Cpl. Dwayne G. Lockett whom was killed in SSgt. Nantz' previous tour. - Jim ParrackJim ParrackJim Parrack is an American actor. He has a starring role as Hoyt Fortenberry in HBO series True Blood, and appeared in the film Battle: Los Angeles, which was released March 2011....
as USMC LCpl. Peter J. "Irish" Kerns - Gino Anthony Pesi as USMC Cpl. Nick C. "Stavs" Stavrou
- Ne-YoNe-YoShaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
as USMC Cpl. Kevin J. "Specks" Harris, Cpl. Stavrou's friend - James Hiroyuki LiaoJames Hiroyuki LiaoJames Hiroyuki Liao is an American television, film and theatre actor.-Life and career:Liao was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and is a 2004 graduate of the Juilliard School's drama division. He also studied at the Marjorie Ballentine Studio. In his acting work, he has also been credited as James...
as USMC LCpl. Steven "Motorolla" Mottola (nickname spelled "Mottorola" in DVD subtitles). - Bridget MoynahanBridget MoynahanKathryn Bridget Moynahan , best known as Bridget Moynahan, is an American model and actress. After graduating from Longmeadow High School in 1989, Moynahan pursued a career in modeling. She was signed by a modeling agency, which led her to appear in department store catalogs and the covers of...
as Michele, a veterinarianVeterinarianA veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals.... - Noel Fisher as USMC PFC Shaun "Casper" Lenihan, Cpl. Imlay's friend
- Adetokumboh M'CormackAdetokumboh McCormackFrederick Adetokumboh McCormack is a Sierra Leone Creole actor, known for his roles in the television series Lost and Heroes.-Personal life:...
as USN HMUnited States Navy Hospital CorpsmanA Hospital Corpsman is an enlisted medical specialist for the United States Navy who serves with Navy and United States Marine Corps units. The Hospital Corpsman works in a wide variety of capacities and locations, including shore establishments such as naval hospitals and clinics, aboard ships,...
Jibril A. "Doc" Adukwu - Bryce Cass as Hector Rincon
- Michael PeñaMichael PeñaMichael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
as Joe Rincon, Hector's father - Michelle RodriguezMichelle RodriguezMayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
as USAF TSgt. Elena Santos, 61 ABW61st Air Base WingThe 61st Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California.... - Neil Brown, Jr. as USMC LCpl. Richard "Motown" Guerrero
- Taylor HandleyTaylor HandleyTaylor Laurence Handley is an American actor.In 1998, Taylor played Rory Buck in the movie Jack Frost. In 2000, Handley starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Phantom of the Megaplex. Handley appeared in three episodes during the last season of Dawson's Creek and guest starred during an...
as USMC LCpl. Corey T. "Point Break" Simmons - Joey KingJoey KingJoey Lynn King is an American child actress and singer who is known for her starring role as Ramona Quimby in the 2010 adaption of Beverly Cleary's well-known book series with the same title.- Personal life :...
as Kirsten, Michele's niece - Jadin Gould as Amy
- Jessica HeapJessica HeapJessica Heap is an American actress. She has appeared on various television series, though her most notable role to date is that of Eden Baldwin on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Heap joined the cast in June 2011.-References:...
as Jessy - Lucas TillLucas TillLucas Daniel Till is an American actor. He began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of films and television parts, including his roles on House, Hannah Montana: The Movie and X-Men: First Class...
as USMC Cpl. Scott L. Grayston - Kenneth Brown, Jr. as ARNGArmy National GuardEstablished under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
CPL Richard Oswald, 40th ID - Jadin Gould as Amy, Kirsten's sister
- Joe Chrest as USMC 1stSgt. John Roy, SSgt. Nantz' superior and friend
- E. Roger Mitchell as USMC Capt. D. Heffler
- Rus Blackwell as USMC LtCol.Lieutenant Colonel (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
J.N. Ritchey (credited as LtCol. K.N. Ritchie) - Susie Abromeit as Amanda
- Brandi Coleman as Cherise, Cpl. Harris' fiancée
- Elizabeth L. Keener as Kathy Martinez, 2ndLt. Martinez' pregnant wife
- David JensenDavid JensenDavid "Kid" Jensen , is a Danish Canadian-born, British radio DJ.-Early career:Born in a Danish family residing Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began his career in his home country at the age of sixteen playing jazz and classical music. He then joined Radio Luxembourg at the age of eighteen in...
as Dr. L. Boyd, M.D.Doctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, LCpl. Kerns' psychiatrist - Lena Clark as Chris
- Nzinga BlakeNzinga BlakeNzinga Blake is an American / Sierra Leonean actress, writer and currently the host of Culture Click, which appears on Saturday mornings on most ABC stations. Blake was a host on Current TV and starred on the TV series Fridays on Cartoon Network, as well as in national television commercials for...
as HM Adukwu's sister - Taryn SouthernTaryn SouthernTaryn Southern is an American singer, actress and comedian. She was part of American Idol season three's Top 50. Southern gained national attention with her video Hot4Hill during the 2008 Presidential race...
as Kate, the beachSanta Monica State BeachSanta Monica State Beach is a California State Park operated by the city of Santa Monica.-Santa Monica Beach:The beach is located along Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica...
reporter - Jim Dever as USMC SgtMaj. Dever
Production
Jonathan Liebesman intended the film to be a realistic depiction of an alien invasion in the style of a war filmWar film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
, taking inspiration from the films Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....
, and United 93
United 93 (film)
United 93 is a 2006 fact-based historical drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Greengrass that chronicles events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked during the September 11 attacks...
for his documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
style of filming. Liebesman also drew inspiration from YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
videos of Marines fighting in Fallujah for the look of the film. As a result the film was not shot in 3D as the director felt that combined with the handheld camera style of shooting would make the audience "throw up in two minutes." Instead standard film
Film stock
Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. The equivalent in television production is video tape.-1889–1899:...
was used, intercutting footage from three different cameras. The filmmakers tested shooting the film digitally
Digital cinematography
Digital cinematography is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images, rather than on film. Digital capture may occur on video tape, hard disks, flash memory, or other media which can record digital data. As digital technology has improved, this practice has become increasingly common...
on a Red camera, but found the camera could not capture the same quality image as standard film. The film was shot for a PG-13 rating, as the director felt making the film overly gory did not suit the more suspenseful tone they were trying to achieve. Screenwriter Chris Bertolini tried to include humour and suspense as well as action, which he felt were important elements to help draw the audience into the drama.
The film's story was partly inspired by the Battle of Los Angeles
Battle of Los Ángeles
The Battle of Los Ángeles was a military action fought on March 22, 1880 between the Chilean and Peruvian armies during the Tacna and Arica Campaign of the War of the Pacific...
, a rumored enemy attack and subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage that took place in Los Angeles during World War II, on the night of February 24, 1942; this real incident was used as the main focus of an early teaser trailer to promote the film, in which its strongly implied the alien invaders spent decades planning their attack and invasion. The filmmakers drew upon this historical event in an attempt to help ground the film in reality. Aaron Eckhart said that the objective of the film was to make as realistic an alien invasion movie as possible; "The goal was: this is a war movie, a documentary style war movie—with aliens in it." The actors went through three weeks of boot camp
Recruit training
Recruit training, more commonly known as Basic Training and colloquially called Boot Camp, is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer...
, in order to learn how to realistically operate as a marine platoon. In addition, Eckhart had done training with the Marines for a few months beforehand in weapons training and drills. On set, military technical advisor
Technical advisor
A technical advisor is an individual who is expert in a particular field of knowledge, hired to provide detailed information and advice to people working in that field...
s worked with the actors to ensure they gave a realistic performance. Eckhart broke his upper arm when he fell off a ledge during an action sequence, but continued to work for the remainder of the film without having it put in a cast.
While the director tried to use practical effects whenever possible (although green screen and CGI were used), such as for explosions, 90% of the aliens are computer generated, as the director felt they would be too difficult to achieve any other way. The invaders were designed by Paul Gerrard, who made them to appear "very alien", neither arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
nor vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
, while Liebesman described them as "genocidal Nazis... They look at us like we look at ants." Liebesman wanted the aliens to appear to function as a real army, complete with medic
Medic
Medic is a general term for a person involved in medicine, especially emergency or first-response medicine, such as an emergency medical technician, paramedic, or a military member trained in battlefield medicine. Also the term is used toward a Nurse in pre-hospital care and/or emergency...
s and different ranking
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
officers, and using tactics such as taking cover
Cover (military)
In military combat, the concept of cover refers to anything which is capable of physically protecting an individual from enemy fire. This differentiates it from the similar concept of concealment, in that an object or area of concealment only affords the benefit of stealth, not actual protection...
to protect themselves. Liebesman also confirmed that the aliens are invading for the Earth's natural resources, specifically because the Earth is 70% covered with water.
Filming took place from September 2009 through December 2009 in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
and Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
(with some scenes filmed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, CA). Louisiana was chosen instead of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
mainly due to financial advantages. Principal photography began in the second week of September in Shreveport with scenes depicting a destroyed interstate
Interstate
An Interstate is a type of high-speed, limited-access highway in the United StatesInterstate may also refer to:-Media:*Interstate 60 , a metaphysical comedy/drama road film...
filled with cars, an overturned tanker truck, and a crashed helicopter. Post-production lasted throughout 2010 and into 2011. Special effects used in the principal photography included pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
. The most climactic of all was a large fireball-producing explosion which was said to have alarmed some residents and passers-by. Film crews implemented use of a large "green-screen
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
" billboard at the base (end) of the "destroyed" interstate to use later for inserting CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
images of Los Angeles.
There was military support for filming. Numerous Marine units assisted in filming, including infantry from 2nd Battalion 1st Marines
2nd Battalion 1st Marines
2nd Battalion, 1st Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Nicknamed "The Professionals," the battalion consists of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors...
, MV-22 Ospreys from VMMT-204
VMMT-204
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 is the MV-22 Osprey training squadron of the United States Marine Corps. Known as the "Raptors", the squadron was originally designated Marine Medium Helicopter Training Squadron 204 to train new CH-46E pilots and was officially redesignated as...
(based at Marine Corps Air Station New River
Marine Corps Air Station New River
Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for Brigadier General Keith B. McCutcheon, one of the fathers of Marine Corps helicopter aviation...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
), CH-46 Sea Knights from HMM-268
HMM-268
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-46E Sea Knight transport helicopters...
and HMM-774
HMM-774
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 774 is a United States Marine Corps medium helicopter squadron consisting of CH-46E Sea Knight transport helicopters...
(based in Camp Pendleton and Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
, respectively), and reservists
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command in the U.S...
from 3rd Battalion 23rd Marines
3rd Battalion 23rd Marines
3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment is a reserve infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps located throughout the Southern United States consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. The battalion is headquartered in Belle Chase, Louisiana with outlying units throughout the...
based in Belle Chasse, Louisiana
Belle Chasse, Louisiana
Belle Chasse is a census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Belle Chasse is part of the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area. The population was 9,848 at the 2000 census....
.
Legal conflict
Sony Pictures EntertainmentSony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
investigated the possibility of legal action against the filmmakers Greg and Colin Strause
Brothers Strause
Brothers Greg and Colin Strause are a directing duo, most famous for directing Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Skyline, and special effects artists who make movies and grew up in Waukegan, Illinois...
, who were hired to do visual effects work on Battle: Los Angeles through their special effects company Hydraulx
Hydraulx
hy*drau"lx, alternatively spelled HYDRAULX and Hydraulx, is a visual effects company based in Santa Monica, California.It was founded in 2002 by Greg and Colin Strause, directors of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. In 2005, the studio completed over 700 visual effects shots for feature films...
. Sony Pictures suspected the Strause brothers had created their own Los Angeles-based alien invasion film Skyline, which would compete with the Battle: Los Angeles release, by using resources they had gained while working on Battle: Los Angeles without the consent of Sony Pictures. A spokesman for the Strauses responded by saying, "Any claims of impropriety are completely baseless. This is a blatant attempt by Sony to force these independent filmmakers to move a release date that has long been set by Universal and Relativity and is outside the filmmakers' control."
Video game
As of 2011, a first-person shooter video game developed by Live Action StudiosSaber Interactive
Saber Interactive is a video game developer headquartered in Millburn, New Jersey, with development offices in Saint Petersburg, Russia. They primarily develop action games. The studio released the game Will Rock in 2003, and released another game called TimeShift for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360...
and published by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
has been released on Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and Steam on 11 March, the OnLive
OnLive
OnLive is a cloud gaming platform: the games are synchronized, rendered, and stored on remote servers and delivered via the Internet.The service is available using the OnLive Game System, PCs running Microsoft Windows and Intel-based Macs with OS X 10.5.8 or later...
game service (as part of its Playpack subscription service) on 15 March, and on PlayStation Network on 22 March. Eckhart reprised his role for the game. Players assume the role of Corporal Lee Imlay throughout the game.
Soundtrack
The score was composed by Brian Tyler and performed by the Hollywood Studio SymphonyHollywood Studio Symphony
The Hollywood Studio Symphony is the credited name of the symphony orchestra behind many major soundtracks, including The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sucker Punch, Jurassic Park 3, Last Samurai, Pirates of the Caribbean, We Are Marshall, Spider-Man 2, Lost and The...
.
The soundtrack for the film released on 8 March 2011.
A song used in the trailer is "The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black" by Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhann Jóhannsson is an Icelandic musician, composer and producer. He is a co-founder of Kitchen Motors in Reykjavík, the art organization/think tank/record label which specializes in initiating collaborations, promoting concerts and exhibitions, performances, chamber operas, producing films,...
.
Critical response
The film's reception was generally negative. Most critics praised the special effects, but criticized the cliched script. Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 35% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 191 reviews, with an average score of 4.8/10. The website reported the critical consensus, "Overlong and overly burdened with war movie clichés, Battle: Los Angeles will entertain only the most ardent action junkies". The Rotten Tomatoes "Audience" rating stands at 34%; the "Top Critics" section stands at 20%. Review aggregator Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
assigned the film a weighted average score of 37 (out of 100) based on 35 reviews from mainstream critics, considered to be "Generally unfavorable reviews".
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
panned Battle: Los Angeles in a lengthy review, calling the movie "noisy, violent, ugly and stupid", giving the film a mere half star rating. Though he praised Aaron Eckhart's performance, Ebert heavily criticized the film's writing, effects designs, camerawork and editing. He closed his review by saying, "When I think of the elegant construction of something like Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, I want to rend the hair from my head and weep bitter tears of despair. Generations of filmmakers devoted their lives to perfecting techniques that a director like Jonathan Liebesman is either ignorant of, or indifferent to. Yet he is given millions of dollars to produce this assault on the attention span of a generation."
Battle: Los Angeles was given poor reviews by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, New York Times, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, and Variety. Kim Newman of Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
rated the film 2 stars out of 5 and criticized its lack of originality. Nigel Floyd of Time Out rated the film 2 stars saying that it "... lumbers the flat military characters with hackneyed dialogue and corny sentimentality
Sentimentality
Sentimentality originally indicated the reliance on feelings as a guide to truth, but current usage defines it as an appeal to shallow, uncomplicated emotions at the expense of reason....
".
Neil Smith of Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
magazine rated the film as 3 stars out of 5 and summarized, "Imagine Black Hawk Down with ET's instead of Somalis and you'll have the measure of an explosive if functional actioner that will do while we're waiting for summer's big guns to arrive". Both the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
and the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
also rated the film 3 out of 5. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated the film 3 out of 5, stating that the film has spectacular visuals and intense action packed scenes.
Box office
Battle: Los Angeles debuted in 3,417 theaters, grossing $13,399,310 on its opening day, which was the best opening-day gross for 2011 until the record was surpassed by Fast Five. Overall the film made $35,573,187 and ranked #1 on its opening weekend ahead of Red Riding Hood and Mars Needs Moms. The film dropped to #2 after a week when RangoRango (2011 film)
Rango is a 2011 American computer-animated Western Comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Graham King. In the film, a chameleon named Rango accidentally ends up in the town of Dirt, an outpost that is in desperate need of a new sheriff...
topped the box office on St. Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
. As of May 22, 2011, the film has grossed $83,552,429 in the United States and Canadian markets and $118,914,327 in international markets, for a worldwide total of $202,466,756.
Sequel
Aaron EckhartAaron Eckhart
Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
has stated he would be interested in returning for a sequel. However, fans have been pressuring the directors about reaching to another site of the world, if "the war continued", but with same characters.
Home media
Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
will release the film on DVD and Blu-ray on 11 July 2011 in the UK.. And on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray Combo Pack June 14, 2011 in the U.S.A.
See also
- Battle of Los AngelesBattle of Los Angeles (film)Battle of Los Angeles is a science fiction action comedy film by The Asylum, which premiered on the Syfy cable TV channel on Saturday March 12, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. EST and was released to DVD the following Tuesday...
, a direct-to-DVD film released in the same month, attempting to capitalize on Battle: Los Angeles. - Alien autopsyAlien autopsyAn alien autopsy refers to a medical examination and dissection of the dead body of an extraterrestrial being. Such a procedure would more accurately be called an "alien necropsy", since an "autopsy" is, by definition, performed on a subject who is the same species as the examiner...