Aliens and war have become practically synonymous in the movie world recently, and the latest evidence of this is Battle: Los Angeles.

The movie begins with the same-old news reports claiming that the world is being attacked and possibly being blasted into oblivion by aliens. The viewer is then taken back 24 hours to meet the marines the movie focuses on. At first, the marines are ordered to help with the evacuation of the West Coast after reports of an impending meteor shower. But when these so-called meteors finally hit the ocean just barely offshore, everyone is terrified to realize that it’s really an extraterrestrial species attempting to colonize Earth to gain control of its most precious resource: H2O.

The movie was definitely made to be a war movie, more so than an alien invasion flick. It seems that these extraterrestrials were in it simply as a plot point, or possibly to attract a broader audience. Also, the movie did not  have the classic disaster movie setup. Despite the setting, we didn’t see the Hollywood sign missing a letter or up in flames, and we didn’t see any scantily clad starlets running for their lives. These variations, however, can be either a disappointment or a breath of fresh air, depending on your taste in movies.

The effects of the movie were nothing special. Of course, they was fairly believable, but the aliens were pretty conventional; nothing I haven’t seen before. This was disappointing, because being an alien/war movie, I expected that a new, unique set of aliens would be blowing up buildings and throwing cars around the city.

Overall, the movie was a good disaster flick. I loved seeing how the movie was more so set in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, as opposed to the cliche downtown setting. There was a lack of something to hold onto in the movie — nothing sentimental to root for — and the movie focused exclusively on a fast-paced battle between man and alien. A little deeper plot would have made the movie more layered, but it was still enjoyable and fun to watch.