DVD Review - Battle Los Angeles

This summer's theater selection is promising to be a decent one.  Sadly, the same can't be said for the local Redbox, at least not if Battle Los Angeles  is to be considered a prime choice.

The film debuted in theaters scarcely three months ago, and already it's stinking up DVD players.  I mean, "Let's get to the objective, balanced review."

Why is it every action film post- Saving Private Ryan seems to need to give us a overdose of handicam-induced nausea? Did they throw away all the SteadyCam's in Hollywood? A camera dolly, a tripod?  Anything?  Director Jonathan Liebesman has us shaking and baking all over the LA basin, making lightning-fast cuts and never really giving us any idea what is happening or who it's happening to.  There is a brief introduction of a couple of characters I suppose we're supposed to care about later, and then right into the explosions, frantic action, dead people and semi-robotic aliens.

Let's see if this plot sounds familiar: strange objects approach Earth, the government knows that they are aliens because they are slowing down, they attack major cities all over the world, the reluctant hero risks all to take out the command center, and once the Americans figure out to how to disable the mother ship in LA, they tell others around the world how to do it.  I take it screenwriter Chris Bertolini has seen Independence Day a couple of times.

Normally I would use this space right here to summarize the key points relevant to letting kids see the movie.  I'll give you the short version: don't.  Don't even let yourself see it.