It’s a sad day when millions of dollars are once again wasted on a high-concept sci-fi film, which falls far short of delivering the goods.  Hack Director Jonathan Liebesman is behind the latest alien invasion film, Battle: Los Angeles. 

Liebesman’s first feature, Darkness Falls (2003), wasn’t necessarily horrible, but certainly nothing memorable (let’s not even touch his attempt at a Texas Chainsaw prequel in 2006).  The biggest disappoint here is that Battle: Los Angeles (the film) was preceded by the fabulous Battle: Los Angeles (the trailer).

What a trailer!  With its superb use of imagery and uniquely eerie music by Icelandic musician Jóhann Jóhannsson, Battle: Los Angeles (the trailer) is a dramatic, haunting and beautiful presentation in its own right.

But what of Battle: Los Angeles (the film)?

Hack directors seem to always forget the basics of filmmaking and storytelling.  Here’s an observation from one major film critic about Director Jonathan Liebesman and Battle: Los Angeles:

“When I think of the elegant construction of something like ‘Gunfight at the OK Corral,’ I want to rend the hair from my head and weep bitter tears of despair. Generations of filmmakers devoted their lives to perfecting techniques that a director like Jonathan Liebesman is either ignorant of, or indifferent to. Yet he is given millions of dollars to produce this assault on the attention span of a generation.”
~ Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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