Battle: Los Angeles

"It's not war. It's survival."

2011 1h 56m EN

😐

5.8

MID

🥫

37%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.7

IMDB

★5.8TMDB · 3,872🥫37%Rotten Tomatoes●37Metacritic★5.7IMDB · 188,290

Science FictionAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When once distant UFOs become a terrifying threat and an alien invasion force begins attacking Earths major costal and riverside cities, a U.S Marine staff sergeant and his team are sent into battle only to find they must take it upon themselves to defeat an unknown enemy and protect what remains of Los Angeles.

“It's not war. It's survival.”

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Cast

Aaron Eckhart
Michael Nantz
Ramón Rodríguez
William Martinez
Will Rothhaar
Cpl. Lee Imlay
Michael Peña
Joe Rincon
Bridget Moynahan
Michelle
Noel Fisher
Pfc. Shaun Lenihan
Joey King
Kirsten
Beth Keener
Kathy Martinez

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writers: Christopher Bertolini, Phillip Norwood, Ricardo F. Delgado
Languages: English, Ukrainian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $70M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Ukrainian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

344+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, shot by Lukas Ettlin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Brian Tyler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christian Wagner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jonathan Liebesman directs. Lukas Ettlin behind the camera. Brian Tyler scores. Christian Wagner cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Ukrainian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $70M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 3.0× over at the box office.
3Released 15 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Ukrainian.
5344+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, shot by Lukas Ettlin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Brian Tyler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Christian Wagner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Aaron Eckhart and Ramón Rodríguez and Will Rothhaar carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "It's not war. It's survival.".
11IMDB entry: tt1217613 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 18 themes, including "hero", "saving the world", "chaos", "marine corps".
13Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lukas Ettlin
Original score: Brian Tyler
Editing: Christian Wagner
Production design: Peter Wenham
Costume design: Sanja Milkovic Hays
Makeup / hair: Joel Harlow
VFX supervisor: David Carriker
Sound: Chris M. Jacobson
Stunt coordinator: Joey Box
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $70,000,000
Box office: $211,800,000
Return: 303% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 37% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 37/100
IMDB rating: 5.7/10 · 188,290 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 4 nominations total

Also by

Jonathan Liebesman

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

wilburKlick2017-12-30
When it comes to violent film - I'm divided. I don't go out of my way to watch movies about actual, historical battles, because I know that real people died (or were physically or mentally crippled); sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers . . . even children. The prospect of of reliving those tragic (even if heroic) deaths is too painful for me. And yet, give me an alien invasion and I'm "all up in that". I find the fantasy of war exciting, and yet I have to be aware of how such films glorify violence; glorify war. I'm conflicted, enjoying this guilty pleasure. I'm a little surprised by the low rating. Have there been too many movies of this sort? a burnout by the viewing public? A burnout - when it comes to war? Another sign that we might be a war-weary nation / world? As for me, I don't watch a lot of flicks, so I'm not "burnt out" when it comes to military action films. So, this was not "same-o, same-o" for me. I thought the script was impressively tight. That applies to character development as well; quick snap-shot profiles; a glance, a nod and you had pretty much all you needed to know about this or that character. I'm not a fan of the "shaky-cam", but I thought it was well employed in some of the battle scenes. I've never been in such a situation, but I think the camera gave us that sense of heart-pounding, out of control terror that being shot at and bombed can produce; often no knowing even where the fire is coming from as you hunker down and question your very soul. Yes, this is a familiar theme - seasoned tough old lifer in charge of a bunch of kids - typical of many such films (Heartbreak Ridge comes to mind; many more). I wonder, also, if there is more of a connection with military vets; something the civilian population can never really get (no offense; just fact; I served but never got shot at)? From my experience, I thought the military portrayal was pretty spot on (military gear, tactics, fallibility, rank, age differences, rancor, "I got your 6", sense of duty and dedication to mission; never give up, never surrender). Predictable formula script? sure, in some ways, but I found plenty of surprises as well. Maybe if I watched this sort of film all the time, I'd be as cynical as many here. I really enjoyed this film (gave it 8/10; probably would have given it 7 1/2, but it deserves better than what I see others giving it). Recent revelations from sources such Bigelow and Elizondo, have all but confirmed that we are being visited by aliens. And, who knows, maybe they will decide to harvest our water before we contaminate it any further, as we creep and crawl closer and closer to our own nuclear annihilation.
SierraKiloBravo2020-05-24
★ 8/10
Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/kdUtKcM4rJA Battle: Los Angeles is a 2011 film that Wikipedia describes as a “military science fiction apocalyptic action film”. That’s a lot of genres mashed into one movie, but boy do they pull it off. So what’s this all about then? Here’s the official description: The Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before. I originally saw this in a theatre when it came out, and just like back then, this second viewing was a real good time. What I think makes this so good is that while this is basically a sci-fi movie about an alien invasion, what makes it stand out from the crowd is that it's put together like a war movie. Much like Monsters: Dark Continent and Dog Soldiers this is a soldier movie with aliens, not an alien movie with soldiers. This is quite a big difference. There are some familiar faces in this, there's Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, and a very young Joey King. Everyone is in good form, but this isn't a star power movie, its a blow your hair back action film. The story itself is pretty simple. Their first mission is to get to a police station and rescue some civilians. On the way there its full of urban warfare like you’ve seen on many videos from overseas in YouTube videos, but this time it’s in America amongst a very familiar looking urban environment. The focus then shifts to a search and destroy mission and it all winds up to an action packed finale. Adding to the chaos all along the way was the film-makers choice to not give you a super clear look at the enemy. It adds another level of tension to it all. This is a great turn off your brain type movie that cracks along at a good pace and has lots to entertain you all the way through.
The Movie Mob2023-01-16
★ 8/10
Battle: Los Angeles is a grounded and well-done invasion movie that tells its story with a realism unique to the genre. Battle: Los Angeles is excellent! I am baffled by the low Rotten Tomatoes score and bad reviews. Battle: Los Angeles tells a gritty and realistic story of what it might actually look like if otherworldly extraterrestrials invaded. There aren’t any larger-than-life characters like in Independence Day - just courageous soldiers fighting to save the lives of everyone they hold dear. The realism makes this movie feel like Black Hawk Down with aliens. Even with this film being over a decade old, the clever use of CGI doesn’t feel overly dated and looks better than many films today. Aaron Eckhart leads these heroic marines with a strong, authentic, powerful performance anchoring the rest of the cast and the movie. Battle: Los Angeles has its flaws, but this war/sci-fi blend is done in a way, unlike any other invasion film. Don’t get caught up in the reviews. If you enjoy alien movies and invasion films, give this movie a shot.