“BATTLE: LOS ANGELES”
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2011, PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language
Best extra: “Command Control” commands the viewing experience with a “Picture-in-Picture”, Storyboard Comparisons, Battle Points and more during the movie.
TURN THE SPEAKERS up and get ready to be tossed and turned from one action scene to the next in “Battle: Los Angeles.” Director Jonathan Liebesman’s take on a U.S. Marine Corps unit’s fight against alien invaders proves that war movies can be mindless and still thrill.
The plot is simple: a barrage of aliens invade the planet to suck up Earth’s water. They hit coastal areas all over the globe, including California, where one Marine Corps unit, headed by Sgt. Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), must try to rescue civilians before the U.S. destroys parts of L.A. It’s a nonstop ride with grenades, bombed out buildings, tattered helicopters and gross, liquid-spewing ETs.
Watching all that in high definition and with an uncompressed soundtrack provides two hours of pure entertainment. Turn the lights down and make some popcorn.
Keep in mind that the scenes are fairly grey given the nature of war-torn L.A. There’s always a fog that hinders the marines’ vision and, of course, the uniforms aren’t exactly Technicolor wonders. But when those bombs and grenades explode – BAM! – watch out! You can almost feel the heat from your screen. The close up of an alien autopsy (or would it be a necropsy?) also is pretty graphic as gurgles and buzzes from the thing ring in the rear channels of the surround sound. Creepy!
Everything about Liebesman’s film is meant to cause suspense and ultimately entertain. Sony does an outstanding job of in HD bonus features that carry this mantra home. The picture-in-picture commentary rarely repeats other featurettes, which is a bonus in and of itself. The “Command Control” also features cast and crew interviews, storyboards of certain scenes, and a talk with the military experts that helped make the film true-to-life. In fact, all the bonus features are worth watching.
Viewers can also access several mini-features through the picture-in-picture control, including a look at Staff Sgt. Nantz, and Alien Autopsy and Visual FX on the Freeway, which can also be viewed through the main menu.
Other bonuses, range in time from more than five minutes to nearly 18 are: “Behind the Battle” about Liebesman’s documentary shooting style; “Aliens in L.A.” about designing this movie’s bad guys; “Preparing for Battle” about the actors’ physical demands on set; “Boot Camp” about the actors’ five days training boot-camp style for their roles; “Creating L.A. in La.” about the need to film some scenes in Louisiana; “Directing the Battle” about how Liebesman landed this directing gig, which apparently changed the way other directors in Hollywood need to appy for jobs; and “The Freeway Battle” about making some of these action-pack scenes look real. For those with BDLive capabilities, Sony’s choices are standard.
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2011, PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language
Best extra: “Command Control” commands the viewing experience with a “Picture-in-Picture”, Storyboard Comparisons, Battle Points and more during the movie.
The plot is simple: a barrage of aliens invade the planet to suck up Earth’s water. They hit coastal areas all over the globe, including California, where one Marine Corps unit, headed by Sgt. Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), must try to rescue civilians before the U.S. destroys parts of L.A. It’s a nonstop ride with grenades, bombed out buildings, tattered helicopters and gross, liquid-spewing ETs.
Watching all that in high definition and with an uncompressed soundtrack provides two hours of pure entertainment. Turn the lights down and make some popcorn.
Keep in mind that the scenes are fairly grey given the nature of war-torn L.A. There’s always a fog that hinders the marines’ vision and, of course, the uniforms aren’t exactly Technicolor wonders. But when those bombs and grenades explode – BAM! – watch out! You can almost feel the heat from your screen. The close up of an alien autopsy (or would it be a necropsy?) also is pretty graphic as gurgles and buzzes from the thing ring in the rear channels of the surround sound. Creepy!
Everything about Liebesman’s film is meant to cause suspense and ultimately entertain. Sony does an outstanding job of in HD bonus features that carry this mantra home. The picture-in-picture commentary rarely repeats other featurettes, which is a bonus in and of itself. The “Command Control” also features cast and crew interviews, storyboards of certain scenes, and a talk with the military experts that helped make the film true-to-life. In fact, all the bonus features are worth watching.
Viewers can also access several mini-features through the picture-in-picture control, including a look at Staff Sgt. Nantz, and Alien Autopsy and Visual FX on the Freeway, which can also be viewed through the main menu.
Other bonuses, range in time from more than five minutes to nearly 18 are: “Behind the Battle” about Liebesman’s documentary shooting style; “Aliens in L.A.” about designing this movie’s bad guys; “Preparing for Battle” about the actors’ physical demands on set; “Boot Camp” about the actors’ five days training boot-camp style for their roles; “Creating L.A. in La.” about the need to film some scenes in Louisiana; “Directing the Battle” about how Liebesman landed this directing gig, which apparently changed the way other directors in Hollywood need to appy for jobs; and “The Freeway Battle” about making some of these action-pack scenes look real. For those with BDLive capabilities, Sony’s choices are standard.
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