Alien Invasion Rocks California

Does life exist on other planets, in other galaxies, or other universes? While science investigates these possibilities, fans of science fiction continue to enjoy movies that suggests what might happen if alien entities not only exist but decide to pay a visit to our planet. Such is the case in Sony Pictures' film, Battle: Los Angeles.

In many science fiction movies, the aliens initially come with peaceful intentions that are misunderstood or are not received well, which causes the extraterrestrials to fight back or flee, or the aliens come with hostile agendas from the start. In Battle: Los Angeles, mysterious objects turn out to be non-human soldiers intent on colonizing the planet and eliminating any human who gets in their way.

The viewer quickly learns that the alien invasion is occurring in different areas around the globe. However, the movie focuses on what occurs in the Los Angeles area, providing continual action around the main character, Marine Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz, played by actor Aaron Eckhart, and his platoon, other soldiers, and civilians, and what happens to them.

While some movies involving alien invasion devote considerable time and details to background and other data about non-human intruders, Battle: Los Angeles does not. Although we learn some interesting information or theories, for example, about what the aliens are after and how they die, we do not discover anything about where they came from, what they eat, or how they live, reproduce, or socialize. Instead, the movie focuses on the much more critical issue of fighting for survival against a deadly enemy that must be driven off at all costs.

Although Battle: Los Angeles shares some similarities with other movies dealing with the subject of unfriendly aliens and alien invasion, there are also noteworthy differences. While these movies all tend to show different types and frequencies of weaponry use and application of force in driving back or exterminating the enemy, none bring the intensity of the fight to the level reflected in this film.

The reason for this relates to the presentation of the movie, which is like a fast-paced, action-filled World War II movie, set against graphic images of violence and loss. The viewer experiences the thrill of taking down an enemy, the suspense of waiting for the next moves of the human versus alien soldiers, and sadness and sometimes tear-jerking reactions to the fate of the innocent children and civilians caught up in the war.

My own opinion from watching the movie was that it was much better than I expected, especially for being another alien invasion movie with some of the same predictable influences. Also, while I was disappointed with the lack of creativity reflected in the appearance of the aliens, I did like the movie because it was able to hold my interest and entertain me throughout the almost 2 hours of watching it, something that not all movies of that duration are able to do for me. For these reasons, I gave it a B rating.

If you enjoy science fiction and movies about alien invasion, you'll want to check out this film. At the very least, whether you like it or not, you'll get a better idea of what a war in America between U.S. soldiers and unfriendly extraterrestrials might look like.