Battle Los Angeles

For years, people have claimed to see UFO’s, and for years, their existence has been denied. Now, we have no choice but to believe, when Earth comes under attack by unknown extra-terrestrial forces. As the great cities of the world begin to fall, Los Angeles becomes the sight of humanity’s last stand; its last hope, a Marine Staff Sargent (Eckhart) and his new squad, who must face their worst nightmares if humanity stands a chance of survival.

World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles looks like a typical man vs. alien film; the aliens are attacking, and our last hope is a bunch of people from the army with funny names and tragic backgrounds. There may be elements of that, but World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles feels like something more. The characters feel real, grounded in their world, horrified by what’s going on but still prepared to risk their lives to stop it. Eckhart in particular gives a performance that rivals his portrayal of Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight in terms of depth.

Jonathan Liebesman is a relatively unknown director, with World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles being possibly his biggest film to date. However, he handles the film well, never letting it fall too deeply into the territory of corny sci-fi. The scale of the film is also impressive, though some of the larger set pieces suffer from obvious CGI backgrounds, which can detract from the immersion.

Sci-fi franchises come and go, and with a title like World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles, a World Invasion: Battle Washington D.C. or World Invasion: Battle London can’t be far behind if this film is successful. But, if they keep to the standards set by World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles, then we need only fear the aliens in the future.

Tom Freeman