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BATTLE: LOS ANGELESMovie Reviews
Science fiction thriller about a Marine platoon that takes on alien invaders bent on the destruction of Los Angeles. Cast:Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodríguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-YoDirector:Jonathan LiebesmanRelease Date:March 11, 2011DVD Release:June 14, 2011From:Columbia PicturesRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 30 min
Battle: Los Angeles played to weak reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Owen Gleiberman wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "It's all fractious guerrilla-newsreel 'style' masquerading a void.... so inept it's exhausting.... like playing a videogame without rules." • And Kevin Johnson wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...so-so... isn't nearly as good as any of the movies that may have inspired it..." More Reviews Below...
Battle: Los Angeles Positive Reviews (43 Reviews, reviews below)
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "The spectacle of disaster is oddly lacking throughout. At one point, our jaws are supposed to drop for an obliterated freeway onramp."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 794 words, 03/10/11
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: POOR(cg) "It's all fractious guerrilla-newsreel 'style' masquerading a void.... so inept it's exhausting.... like playing a videogame without rules."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 496 words, 03/11/11
Scott Bowles, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...buckles from cardboard protagonists and a script that echoes a Marine recruitment video.... takes its fight so seriously that it's hard to get behind the mission."(See all of Scott Bowles's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 03/11/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "...noisy, violent, ugly and stupid.... a science-fiction film that's an insult to the words 'science' and 'fiction,' and the hyphen in between them."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 751 words, 03/11/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "The combination of thematic dumbness and technical competence is certainly better than many of the alternatives... does not really pay off, in spite of a dedicated cast..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 819 words, 03/11/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...isn't original, or even bearable.... a slow trudge. It rushes from one La-La Land firefight to the next, its people a blur of barking jarheads..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 03/11/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Original, it's not. Exciting, it is.... a jacked-up B-movie hybrid of 'Black Hawk Down' and 'War of the Worlds'... a modest but crafty triumph of tension over good sense..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 03/11/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "...noisy, violent, ugly and stupid.... a science-fiction film that's an insult to the words 'science' and 'fiction,' and the hyphen in between them."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 751 words, 03/11/11
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "The shaky-cam is coming, the shaky-cam is coming! Jonathan Liebesman directs his alien-invasion saga Battle: Los Angeles as if he were having a violent seizure..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 03/09/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: WEAK(cg) "I can suspend my disbelief as willingly as any credulous moviegoer. Yet not even an industrial crane would have helped here."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 716 words, 03/11/11
Josep Parera, La Opinion: GOOD(cg) "...satisface al espectador menos presto a ser sorprendido y al que simplemente desea pasar unos minutos refugiándose de las presiones diarias..."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 03/11/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's all forward momentum, except when it pauses to let Aaron Eckhart's world-weary staff sergeant deliver a generic motivational speech."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 03/10/11
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...the movie's pounding symphonic score and irony-free outlook are closer to World War II B-movies. So are its lack of humor and embrace of cliche."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 03/11/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "...cartoonish... [but] it works as a film diversion because of Eckhardt's unwaveringly earnest and resolute performance."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 03/11/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...designed to put you through the wringer, and that's exactly what it does. This is a total war scenario, people. Man up or stand back. Hoo-rah!"(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 03/11/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If you're going to make an alien-invasion movie, you need some satisfying aliens. And if you're going to put Aaron Eckhart in it, you ought to make it good."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 03/11/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a loud, frenetic, viscerally gripping two-hour tour of duty that mostly plays fair by the rules of the genre and mostly avoids macho posturing."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 772 words, 03/11/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...a video game without a joystick, a sci-fi movie without a point, and pretty much two hours without a break. That is, if it weren't for the occasional snarky giggles."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 03/11/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "The action predominates, and director Jonathan Liebesman does pretty well with it... in time the treacly elements of Christopher Bertolini's script overwhelm."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 03/11/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: MODERATE(cg) "When the troops aren't seething or shooting, they're barking out tactical jargon and trying to stay in Lukas Ettlin's attention-challenged camera frame."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 455 words, 03/10/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: MODERATE(cg) "Who needs characters, who needs plot, who needs context, who needs heart? Just shoot the aliens. That, folks, is modern-day entertainment."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 03/11/11
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "The shaky-cam is coming, the shaky-cam is coming! Jonathan Liebesman directs his alien-invasion saga Battle: Los Angeles as if he were having a violent seizure..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 03/09/11
Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend: WEAK(cg) "...the kind of movie that ends with one of those defeat the enemy by blowing up the one magical thing which can hurt them and conveniently isn't guarded scenarios."(See all of Josh Tyler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 754 words, 03/11/11
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "At times, the film dazzles... but not as much can be said for the needless backstory preamble and an overindulgent aural overload..."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 03/17/11
Scott Tobias, AV Club: WEAK(cg) "...clichés about a hero about to retire and in need of redemption, clichés about the bonds between granite-cut men, clichés in every speech... loud, relentless..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 378 words, 03/10/11
Michelle Orange, Movieline: POOR(cg) "Aside from dialogue that would make James Cameron cry, Bertolini's script is notable for its recruitment pamphlet-level of dedication to the glory of the U.S. Marines."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 864 words, 03/10/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's all forward momentum, except when it pauses to let Aaron Eckhart's world-weary staff sergeant deliver a generic motivational speech."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 03/10/11
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "...has no more character development than the average 'Call of Duty' video game, which at least gives the consumer the chance to pull the trigger."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 03/11/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a bleak fantasy about karma being a bitch. It's about collective cultural guilt. Looked at from that angle, 'Battle: Los Angeles' is fascinating."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,046 words, 03/11/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "The combination of thematic dumbness and technical competence is certainly better than many of the alternatives... does not really pay off, in spite of a dedicated cast..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 819 words, 03/11/11
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: MODERATE "...keeps things rolling, and there is a silly but rich satisfaction in watching men of arms grow ever more resourceful as the fight proceeds."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,139 words, 03/14/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: WEAK "...made me wish, from the first to the last of its 116 minutes (forewarned is forearmed!), that I were at home watching Paul Verhoeven's 'Starship Troopers' again instead."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 813 words, 03/09/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "...laughable litany of shouted military-style dialogue eventually pummels into submission any hope for fresh creative angles on this well-worn format."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 852 words, 03/09/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: FAIR(cg) "...shamelessly borrows elements from numerous pictures, including 'Independence Day,' 'Starship Trropers,' 'Cloverfield,' and even 'Black Hawk Down'..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 988 words, 03/09/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "The combination of thematic dumbness and technical competence is certainly better than many of the alternatives... does not really pay off, in spite of a dedicated cast..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 819 words, 03/11/11
22.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Battle: Los Angeles's reviews are separated by an average 22.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Battle: Los Angeles (43 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Battle: Los Angeles's reviews cover 66.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,460 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 592 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Battle: Los Angeles Coverage, Volume & Length (43 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 1.7 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Battle: Los Angeles's reviews on average broke 1.7 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Battle: Los Angeles's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Battle: Los Angeles (43 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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