By: Lewis Dyson

Director – Jonathan Liebesman

Starring – Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Cory Hardrict

Cinema Release – Out now

Certificate – 12A

Gays.co.uk Rating

Blackhawk Down meets War of the Worlds in this entertaining yet cheesy alien invasion actioner. Professor Stephen Hawking recently said that we should fear making contact with alien life forms, as they would most likely want to invade us for our resources. In this take on Hawking’s paranoia, the aliens are after our water (they might have just asked). To enjoy this film best enjoyed switch your mind to off, open your eyes wide, and brace yourself for some cringe-inducing moments.

We follow a platoon of US Marines as they fight to protect Los Angeles from a large-scale invasion from biomechanical, squid-like aliens. As the rest of the world’s cities drop like flies, LA becomes the setting for humanity’s last stand. Aaron Eckhart plays Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz who, having returned from Iraq where his recklessness got some of his men killed, has to face the arse-ache of repelling a ruthless extra-terrestrial attack. As he fights to keep a small band of soldiers and civilians alive, he also has to deal with internal divisions within the group.

On the plus side, it is an engrossing and intense affair with the audience put smack bang in the middle of the action. The fighting is pretty much non-stop from about forty-five minutes in so you won’t leave feeling bored or cheated. The hand-held camera work and some of the shots through riflescopes make the viewer feel part of a military platoon.. The scale of the attack is executed well, as the set design and some of the wide shots create a real sense that the battle is raging everywhere even if we only see it through the eyes of a small few.

The main problem with this film is that it tries to be emotionally engaging but falls short in this respect. It tries to generate pathos with the characters but ends up being so cheesy and clichéd that you won’t really care if they live or die. This can partly be blamed on the performances, which are generally poor, including a typical musician-turned actor effort from R‘N’B star Ne-Yo. At times, it gets so sentimental you find yourself rooting for the aliensl. The film is also jam-packed with patronising salutes to the US Marines making it seem like a big, expensive recruitment video.

The movie also falls down because of some ropey special effects. This is frankly incredible considering District 9 had far more believable aliens but was made on a fraction of Battle Los Angeles’s budget. Even last year’s lo-fi sci-fi movie Monsters, which was made on a shoestring, had more seamless CGI.

Ultimately Battle Los Angeles succeeds in enthralling the viewer in its action and atmosphere but never really makes you care. Which is disappointing, as some of the clever Internet marketing for this film made it seem like an exciting prospect. If you can put the cheesiness to one side, though, it is a solid enough example of an alien invasion movie and a great piece of entertainment.