There were times during Battle: Los Angeles when I wasn't sure if I was watching a sci-fi war film or a recruitment video for the Marines. "The few. The proud. The Marines." Not that I have a problem with the Marines. Far from it. I guess I just didn't expect that kind of a vibe from this kind of a movie. Some are calling Battle: Los Angeles, Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day. While that description is on the road to being accurate, this film doesn't hold a candle to Black Hawk Down, because it lacks the character and sheer power that made Ridley's Scott's picture such an exceptional portrait of war. Having said that, I applaud director Jonathan Liebesman for taking a scenario we've seen countless times (see War of the Worlds, Signs, Skyline, etc.) and giving it a relatively new point of view.

Battle: Los Angeles is often entertaining...When characters aren't talking! Try as he might, even the gifted Aaron Eckhart (who has all the makings of a splendid action hero) has a difficult time bringing the mediocre dialogue to life. Watch a silly scene towards the end of a film in which Eckhart tries to console a child during a time of tragedy. This is a moment that should be powerful but ultimately, it comes across as artificial. In fact, many of the characters in this picture feel like actors playing military. None of them feel like the real deal. On the flip side, Liebesman mounts some pretty impressive action sequences in a setting that could be best described as epic and intimate at the same time. He applies the handheld camera technique which has been done to death, but here, it does feel appropriate. The alien attack in Battle: Los Angeles comes without warning and we don't get much insight into what makes these soldiers from outer space tick, but by presenting the assault in this manor, audiences will feel the spontaneous shock that Eckhart and his platoon feel as their lives are plunged into absolute chaos. The sub par dialogue and poor characterizations aren't quite trumped by Liebesman's technical craftsmanship, but I'll give him points for a new spin on a familiar scenario and for making a picture that is--without question-- stronger than last year's nutty alien invasion spectacle, Skyline.