Modern Warfare meets the Scrin again?

[PurpleGaga27 40]

Seeing two movies of Independence Day and War of the Worlds are epic enough (which probably led to the making of the Scrin faction in C&C3), and the similar, bad movie clones just keep on coming.

 

Not exactly the topic thread name as I predicted. Right now there are three recent movies regarding this to duel it out, all involving an alien invasion in Los Angeles and the military are going to defend the area for their defense and their fate.

 

One movie that was released last year, which was Skyline, turned to be an epic fail. A sequel is on the way and it's going to get much worse than that.

 

Then the duel-out alien invasion movies to be releasing this March of 2011: World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles vs. Battle of Los Angeles

 

Trailer:

 

Really for these movies, save that for a all-in-one C&C movie with EALA's permission to do this. No need for a movie with Call of Duty meets C&C3. Toss-up story plot, quality and the events I am looking at are just plain terrible and sick in those movies. Hollywood is definitely wasting too much money on these rip-off stuff. I hope Activision isn't paying attention to this, because really we don't want a Call of Duty game set in the future involving an alien invasion.

 

And here's a true fact: The Battle of Los Angeles in 1942 involving an alien spacecraft was real. See info for details.

 

 

 

 

[Saracen 16]

Yay for Cliché!

 

On the other hand. Anything that blows the hell of Los Angeles gets my vote. The city is a total s**t pit..... You never know, aliens might make it look better!

 

To be honest that's all I have to say. H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds' was the ultimate alien invasion story. Mother Nature killed them off and not some small team of gung-ho Americans.... and that's how I like it. Would just be nice for once if Hollywood got their patriotic head out of their backsides, and finished a movie where the human race gets wiped out. But within that convey a strong and emotional tie with the characters within their final days.

 

It'd probably have to be European made to be honest. The reason the UK TV version of "The Office" got low ratings in the US was because of the focus on the fall of a boss and his office employees, with no chance of a happy ending. To quote roughly what a media guru our side of the pond:

Most American's hate, and cannot understand the unique concept of failure and/or tragedy. It is not their patriotic understanding to imagine such concepts. So if you were to create a world where the lead character dies, and stays dead. Or at the very least, contributes to their downfall, without them overcoming the odds, leading to a happy or satisfactory ending. Then you might as well have not bothered.

 

This is why when you look at American TV, your every day sitcom is cheesy and over the top. Or in the case of a more gritty realistic program like the very end of '24'. Jack Bower's downfall doesn't lead to his death like it would if the series was British. Instead he's saved at the 11th hour, so he can just walk away. Indeed to kill off a character who holds worth, you have to sever the bonding ties and make him more the enemy, or a nobody, so that failure and/or tragedy can be conveyed.

It's perhaps quite a shallow portrayal, and maybe even stereotypical to a degree. (Interpret and discuss this if you like). But from what I've seen over the years, there is an element of truth to it. Going back to this movie, if it was made in the hands of a British Director, we would all be wiped out, main characters killed off and the movie finished in the most downright depressed state of oblivion. But of course it wouldn't make mega-bucks unless an American Director was to pick up from that first movie, and mount a full blown sequel where their were survivors, who happen to be American, who then for the sake of pure cliché, rise up against the invaders, find their weakness, and blow them all to hell (The only way the US knows how). Only then can the first original film be given a typical "Part 1"status, and hold some material worth... For it all was a platform towards an "Epic Finale" as is so used more in Hollywood than the words "Supersize me!" at McDonalds.

 

But still... I'll go see it for the sake of a mindless action flick. We already know the start, beginning and end, but I'll roll with it.

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Why do I have the urge to just not care about the movies? I don't even think it matters. purplescrin, if you don't like the idea, don't see the movie. Sitting back and whining like a jackass is annoying.

[Sonic 296]

Never even heard of those movies.... probably shows how much I care I guess.

[Luk3us 63]

Nothing wrong with these types of movies, mindless fun. If you're looking for something with more 'substance' then you really need to look towards more independent films. Or ones with a tiny budget. Because mainstream movies are all the same, with perhaps one or two exceptions a year.

 

Face it, the creative industry is ****e.

 

 

But that's only a problem if you can't leave your 'brain at hte door'.

[Inferno 22]

But that's only a problem if you can't leave your 'brain at hte door'.

As long as I get it back on my way out

[TheBlackOut 7]

We understand tragedy and failure over here, but we just don't like to see it. There's a difference... I like a lot of British programs (Monkey Dust is by far my favorite, very dark) but the UK's The Office was just so boring. It wasn't that it was bad, just so boring, to me, anyway, and obviously most of the viewing public in the States too, lol.

 

Eh, I'm going to see this movie because pretty pew pew kaboom stuff is going to happen, not because it's some masterpiece or a great story.

[Gben 20]

I heard a quip recently that this was more like Black Hawk Down with Aliens... but I didn't hear who made the comment. If my local cinema runs this at cheap prices I'll make the effort to watch this at the cinema.

I saw "I am Number 4" which was enjoyable, but not for the price I paid AUD$22 - still it was a shout for cousins birthday so the price wasn't important. But still I can rent more than 5 new releases for that price...

[Inferno 22]

I heard a quip recently that this was more like Black Hawk Down with Aliens... but I didn't hear who made the comment. If my local cinema runs this at cheap prices I'll make the effort to watch this at the cinema.

I saw "I am Number 4" which was enjoyable, but not for the price I paid AUD$22 - still it was a shout for cousins birthday so the price wasn't important. But still I can rent more than 5 new releases for that price...

Does anyone still rent anymore?

[Luk3us 63]

Its a euphemism for 'torrent' or 'download'.

[Gben 20]

heh... that's my point I can rent a minimum 4 premium AAA titles and watch on blu-ray, with huge flat screen tv and dolby surround sound if I wanted too and it will still be better value that going to a dirty, smelly cinema, where the film is often out of focus, and kids in the row in front of me just won't stop yapping throughout the whole movie.

 

It's no wonder the cinema was empty.

 

And so the prices go up to cover costs, and even less people go because of the insane prices, and so the prices go up to cover the costs... and then the industry blames pirates.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

I just found out in Metacritic, the preview ratings are already an epic fail for "Battle: Los Angeles", with a 30% rating amongst 6 reviews. Even I agree with one critic saying the visual effects are terrible like as if they aren't completely edited.

 

Yeah, I probably won't be watching that movie anyway.

Edited March 10, 2011 by zocom7

[Malovolpe 3]

I never watch movies based on critics reviews. I am still going to see Battle: LA because it looks like a good alien invasion flick and it doesn't look like the entirely crappy movie that was Independence Day. Battle of Los Angeles is a mockbuster by Asylum, the people who brought you Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus.

[Luk3us 63]

Metaritic is too unreliable. On the one hand you have all the 'official' reviewers who are all so in bed with the movie industry. Then you have the 'user' reviews and the only people who review either loved teh **** out of it, or hated the **** out of it. The average person doesn't bother.

 

I'll no doubt see hte movie at some point, either on TV, or my computer. I haven't been to a movie theatre in years though, not much point really.

[rSquar3d 0]

Reviews are good references, but it's important to note that each and every person has a specific bias... One man's trash might be another man's gold, after all. And considering that sometimes, we just need to have some mindless fun, these movies might fill in that need... Not that I have that urge now (or anytime soon). Movies can never please everyone; I can't imagine a movie in existence that doesn't have its share of both detractors and lovers.

 

And @Luk3us: I totally agree with your second paragraph. I will see that movie; my dad's bound to DL it anyway, probably for purposes of mockery. >

[Malovolpe 3]

I am going to see it tomorrow and I can't wait. Hopefully it will be better than Skyline and Monsters.

[Guest Stevie_K]

Mind dropping in with a short review?

[Malovolpe 3]

Well I just saw it today. Battle scenes were intense and the aliens had a pretty interesting reason for invading earth. The movie has great special effects and I thought the acting was good. This movie is 100 times better than Independence Day.

[Guest Stevie_K]

So it's nowhere near as bad as Skyline?

[Malovolpe 3]

So it's nowhere near as bad as Skyline?

 

It is 1000 times better than Skyline.

[Plok 327]

Erm, Malovolpe... Independence Day is as serious and realistic as a documentary compared to Battle Los Angeles. It became one of the worst movies I've ever seen

[Malovolpe 3]

Independence was all stereotypes and bad acting. Why would aliens invade earth and not deploy anything on the ground? At least in Battle: LA the aliens behaved more realistically.

[Luk3us 63]

They intended to soften up the target (Earth) before committing troops nothing wrong with that. I think the worst part of that movie was the 'I made a virus', plot point, seems unlikely to me.

 

So rest assured if Aliens arrive, Anonymous will save us! Or just send them gay porn, either way.

[Malovolpe 3]

Yeah but you usually don't wait for days to launch your ground attack. I agree with you on the whole virus thing.

[Mighty BOB! 5]

Well I just saw it today. Battle scenes were intense and the aliens had one of the worst reasons for invading earth that has ever been used in science fiction.

Fixed that for you.

 

Yeah but you usually don't wait for days to launch your ground attack. I agree with you on the whole virus thing.

 

If you control the orbit around any planet, you control every place of that planet that isn't underwater. They don't need a ground invasion if their goal is to wipe out all of the native inhabitants. If this had been a more realistic movie, every human aircraft would have been shot down from space or very high altitude, or they would just drop some asteroids on all population centers. The alien tactics/strategy/logistics were terrible. But I put all of that aside and enjoyed it for what it was, and in that regard it was really good. I enjoyed the fact that the aliens didn't have omgadvancedshields and instead had a more gritty/realistic feel to them.