Reviews

I found this to be a great, fun, well-acted, funny, and "unique" take on the typical action films of our our past. I say "unique", because it is not, in any way, unique. I give that the setting is something new, but all in all, this movie pulls from great movies past, and in doing so, made off with a seasoned, enjoyable film.

Guy Pearce was flawless and oddly fresh as the standard "I don't care" action hero. The Snake Plisken-gone right character was the driving point of the whole film, and definitely the best part. Maggie Grace pulls off her best performance yet, even well above her LOST and Taken characterization, showing that a "Taken"-style damsel doesn't have to be in distress. The villains were all over the board in this film, with neither one taking complete center stage. All of them equally hold the necessary torch for the situation.

This is a story that has been told before, but in a new way that is fresh and fun. The acting makes this movie truly what it is, and with solid action, and excellent pace, I believe this subtle action film may be the best yet of the year (future films not comparable).

DO NOT BELIEVE THESE REVIEWS! This movie IS NOT a direct copy of the first movie. It IS NOT a throwaway sequel. You must understand that any filmmaker who puts out a trailer EXPLOITING a similar OR FIRST FILM is INTENDED!!

Now that this point is out of the way, let me explain. This movie knows that it is a sequel. The characters know that the first movie happened. That is why they find this new situation as unbelievable as it is. It is all apart of the plot, and it is an excellent one! I have read reviews on here that comment on the overt similarities and bash this movie for it. These people are superficial and DO NOT GET THE JOKE! It is so infuriating to see a great movie like this lose its credibility over close-mindedness. A lot of the reviews I have read point out how recycled the jokes are, how the brother-in-law is a stick, how Allen comes off as Sad rather than funny, and that the whole movie is a copy-pasted mess. This is all wrong. The jokes are so ingenious and well placed, Zach's acting is PHENOMENAL, the new character additions are flawless, and the whole movie is an astounding experience that deserves repeated views!

Why do people not get this movie?! This movie is worlds smarter than the first and sets the bar incredibly high for the final chapter.

IF YOU LOVED THE FIRST MOVIE, YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE! I in now way ever felt let down while watching this film. You cannot go into this thinking it will suck, because you will always carry that pouted expression through the film, ruining the experience.

Sit back, relax, throw some popcorn at your girl/boy/friend, and laugh. This movie was made for those who enjoy movies. SO ENJOY! And stop with the cynicism!

This film was actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I walked in expecting basically everything the original few posters on this site stated: sub par acting, sub par plot, shaky camera, etc. What I got, however, was a much more enthralling experience.

Lets talk abut the cinematography: Yes, most of the movie is shaky cam. Is it as bad as Cloverfield? Absolutely not. It is used modestly and seemingly very controlled. The film does NOT feel like a bunch of kids are shooting it with handicams. They really did a great job at bringing me into this alarming and scary setting and placing me beside these characters.

Speaking of characters, the other posters seem to believe that every character here follows an explicit cliché and is, therefore, boring and amateur. Not true. Other films feel the need to sell us these actors as people, throwing family stories, explanations, and long-winded monologues at us to make us believe that this is real. This movie does away with all of that and relies on short bursts of conversation and the body language acting of the actors to display emotion. Yes, Michelle Rodriquez just plays yet another version of herself in this movie. Is that bad? No. She does OK.

The movie isn't about one or two guys. There is no love story. It doesn't really matter if the characters are a little cliché (which I didn't really notice as much as some of these other posters did, I guess). The movie is about a team of Marines fighting an enemy that no one knows much about.

Speaking of which, the Aliens are very well handled. There isn't some all-knowing force that can explain what exactly planet Earth is up against; we learn about them through this platoons attempts at understanding them. I thought they did a great job with the battles. The city FEELS destroyed and hopeless as the characters are fighting their way through. The battles are well paced and give ample down time in between. The director did a great job at giving us a very literal 'Alien' enemy, that works and functions in ways we haven't seen before. I mean, you do have to suspend some disbelief. For instance, if a completely alien culture is invading planet Earth, why would they have weapons that shoot fully automatic laser rays? Does every developed species with weapons get to the fully-automatic stage of weapon-izing and stop? And the final battle seems a little too easy for our heroes. But none of this kills the suspense of human beings attempting to survive a desperately terrifying situation.

Basically if you came to this movie to see a war film set in Los Angeles that just so happens to involve aliens, then the movie will not disappoint. However, if you came expecting Two- Face to go Arnold on some Covenant, Modern Warfare style while surrounded by hot women and no responsibilities, then you will be disappointed. Battle: Los Angeles is human, modest, and huge at the same time. Bravo