Monday Morning Talkback: Let's Hear About Battle: Los Angeles
Happy Monday! Now that we've all sprung forward, it's time to address one of the weekend's other primary cultural matters: Battle: Los Angeles. The number-one movie in America was also one of the most critically reviled of the year -- from Movieline's own Michelle Orange to Roger Ebert, opinions on this ranged from generally disapproving to bitterly angry. But that was before you saw it.
So let's open up the conversation! A $36 million weekend doesn't lie -- a lot of you saw this movie, and now's the time to really let the opinions fly. Among the talking points:
· How about that script?
· Was the shaky-cam maybe a little too shaky?
· How were the CGI?
· How were the aliens?
· How were the cast? (Or does this go back to the script?)
· Was the scene above as silly-looking in the film as it is in the publicity still?
· Sequel?
Etc., etc. Sky's the limit. Let's hear it!
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Comments
Based on the screening I attended, many people walked out and I was tempted to do the same on several occasions. This film was interminable. Also (for shame) I went to the theatre without having read any reviews.
The plot was a total rip-off of Independence Day - If you've seen Independence Day, you've seen Battle LA. Stylistic elements echoed District 9 and The Hurt Locker. There was absolutely nothing original about this movie AT ALL. I actually fell asleep at one point.
You feel asleep? With THAT noise in your face? I am impressed; I wish I could pull that off. Being able to sleep on planes would be great, too.
its just another sci fi hype after avatar but just dont compare independence day with this story may be same but the way they presented was super screen effects
Top to bottom it was a total cliche. Truly horrific in how laughably predictable it was. The effects were meh at best, the aliens were very MIB-looking, AND Michelle Rodriguez snarling her lines. All that being said, I knew exactly what I was getting going in and just enjoyed the shittiness.
_All that being said, I knew exactly what I was getting going in and just enjoyed the shittiness._
I think you nailed it. This is the trick. Well, that and Dramamine for the shaky-cam motion sickness
Remove the first reel from the movie, and Battle LA was just like Tron Legacy: It's a freakin awesome spectacle that falls apart the moment you start to think about it. My solution: Don't think about it.
Full disclosure: I went in expecting to completely hate it based on everything I read here and elsewhere. On top of which, I'm a cynical bastard, and even the slightest thing can have me turn against a movie (slightly out of focus, framed too high/low, off sound mix). So when the awful shaky cam began, and inexplicably continued through the god-awful expository opening scenes, I was prepared to dismiss it, but give the guy who cut the trailer an Academy Award for tricking me so well.
Then reel 2 began, and that's when they should have just started the movie. I don't need or want to know anything about these stock characters. I still don't know anything about the characters, except there were three black guys and one had glasses, one had an accent, and one was angry, but he sort of disappears and I thought he was dead until his convenient "Arc" has to be resolved.
See what I mean about thinking about it too much?
Anyway, point is, that stretch from the Police Station to the Military base is damn exciting and intense filmmaking that miraculously managed to hook me in and turn my opinion of the film around. Yes, it's stupid, one-note, jingoistic as hell, and I'm probably a little dumber having seen it, but I still enjoyed myself and can't understand the extreme vitriol the film is receiving. Especially when a film like Drive Angry (shot in 3D!) exists, one of the worst movies I've ever seen unleashed to the public in a long time.
And you know what? Kudos to the filmmakers for not making this in 3D! That alone should garner half a star. Of course, were it in 3D, the nausea levels would be astronomical.
People in my audience were getting up and leaving, jag offs were checking their iPhones through the whole thing (seriously, people, knock that shit off. Screens are bright in a dark place, how can you not realize this, and why do you need to hold the screen right in front of you?), and there were people next to me who fell asleep (when the lights came up, I found piles of Pixie sticks layin on the ground, which would explain that part, but being they were late 20 yr old dudes, actually just raises more questions). My favorite reaction, though, was the woman behind me, who kept freaking out because the "locations" were a mile away from where we were watching it. ("That's the Overland exit!")
PS- I enjoyed that they keep calling it Battle LA, but didn't realize until the end credits that the LA stands for Louisiana. Despite what the woman behind me believes.
you guys are just plainly put, stupid. What do you expect in a sci-fi alien invasion movie? Family drama? These kind of movies are about the graphics, the adrenaline and most importantly, they are fun-and in all these aspects, Battle LA delivered. If you don't like the genre just don't go to watch the movie.
No Bob, you're stupid. This genre could be done a lot better!
It felt like I was watching a friend play a first person shooter for two hours, and he never offered to let me play.
A 2-hour recruitment video for the Marines. Skip it.
I totally agree that its a rip off of independence day. In the trailer it even SAYS the plot in a pretty similar way to independence day. The aliens in independence day want earths rescources and moves on. The trailer for battle of los angeles said "the aliens are only here for 0ur rescources and will kill us all " or something like that. Anyway it does look pretty good. Might watch it.
Not to be too mean to y'all, but if you'd all stop running out on opening weekend to see a movie without maybe doing a little research into whether it might be actually any good, then MAYBE they'd stop creating movies from movie posters and start creating them from good scripts!