Just saw “Battle: Los Angeles” with the brother, and enjoyed it. Tells the story of an alien invasion and a US Marine platoon led by Aaron Eckhart (In character. They’re not letting celebrities lead combat missions. Yet. Although as an idea: A patrol in Helmand province featuring Charlie Sheen? I’d watch that!) fighting the aliens in Los Angeles. What’s good about it is that, for once, it’s not the usual “Aliens have super shields it’s all so pointless!” plot. The aliens are more advanced, but not that much more, and the marines quickly adapt to being able to fight and kill them. As an aside: I’d love to see an alien invasion movie done from the alien side, as they deal with the resourcefulness of the human race. But that’s me.
It drags a bit in the middle, but just when you think it is over it picks up again and turns into a crowd pleaser (and room for a sequel). The usual American “Marines! Yeah!” stuff grates, as it always does to Europeans, but overall it’s a bit of fun, and far far superior to that other alien invasion movie “Skyline” which most boast the most surreal ending of any mainstream movie made in the last five years.
