The first time we see the Marines in Battle: Los Angeles in a confined space fighting off an alien attack, it’s tense and exciting. Then it happens again. And again. And… ultimately the same scenario becomes so repetitive that you leave wanting this movie about an alien invasion to be more creative. Bet you don’t expect that going in.


What starts as an unexpected meteor shower turns into a full-scale alien invasion, and in true Independence Day fashion the extraterrestrials strategically position themselves all over the world. Leading the “2/5” (second battalion, fifth Marines) platoon is Lieutenant William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez), whose wife is pregnant (of course). However, we know the real man in charge is the much older and experienced Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), who’s about to retire. Nantz also lost a bunch of men under his command on a recent mission, so he has that cliché going for him as well.


The rest of the platoon rounds out the clichés: There’s Harris (R&B artist Ne-Yo), who’s getting married; Kerns (Jim Parrack), who has frazzled nerves; Lockett (Cory Hardrict), whose brother died under Nantz’s command; Linehan (Noel Fisher), the virgin inexperienced rookie; Stavrou (Gino Anthony Pesi), who’s from Jersey and can hotwire a bus; and more. Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar) also tags along as an Air Force pilot, Bridget Moynahan (Lord Of War) is a completely useless veterinarian, and Michael Pena (Lions For Lambs) plays a concerned father. 


Giving a brief introduction to each member of the platoon is a wise, albeit half-assed attempt at character development by writer Christopher Bertolini and director Jonathan Liebesman. This would have manifested with more resonance had the action scenes been easier to understand – as is, they’re a bunch of rapidly-edited sessions of chaos that are indiscernible until they slow down so we can see who was killed/injured.


The (not-so) good news is, we get plenty of chances to observe this approach. At different times the Marines are trapped on a street, inside an apartment building, on a destroyed highway and in the sewer, and each time they have to loudly fight off the aliens to survive. The repetition gets old pretty fast, to the point of comical redundancy. Cutting out 10-15 minutes of action and moving the story along quicker would have been a wise decision.


To its credit, Battle: Los Angeles does have a gritty, almost intimate District 9 feel, and the story is logical. Even better, it often plays like a love letter to the Marines, and any salute to military heroism is admirable.


Too bad the action, though intense at times and featuring sufficient visual effects, isn’t creative enough to hold up its end of the bargain. And when that’s the main selling point to an action-ready audience, the movie is not a success. 


BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (1½) Directed by Jonathan Liebesman • Starring Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez • Rated PG-13 • 116 min • At Century Cinemas Del Monte, Maya Cinemas, Northridge Cinemas.