This was a good movie, it had the points you made, decent action, and the aliens are deceptively fleshed out with using squad tactics, hand signals, a clear chain of command in infantry squads, and even went so far as to try and drag wounded team members out of danger. Hell if you made like me and went searching for background info you’d find these guys, for as B-movie and scrappy as they are, are meant to look like that. These guys aren’t a powerful space fairing civilization who goes from world to world draining the life out of them and spreading fear through the stars. This is the galactic equivalent of Somali pirates, the lowest common denominator in a rust bucket of a ship using long outdated weapons and clever tricks to try and win against an enemy they thought would be a pushover. Also if want a piece of fridge horror, refer back to what I said about how they have a chain of command and go out of their way to try and save injured teammates. They have the capacity for concern of their fellow aliens and defined personalities, if you’ve seen the movie think back to that “lesson in Xeno anatomy” scene. They were alive and screaming for help over radio while get vivisected by the locals.

My fav scene was at the end... The CO says "you did well, go get something to eat." They stand in the briefing area a moment, then hear the radio, hear marines fighting, calling for help, dieing. Then they start rearming, gathering ammo, grenades, magazines. "What are you doing?" "We've already had breakfast sir." simply put, they couldn't stand on the sidelines, they couldn't take it easy while other marines are dieing. Even after all of that... their duty had them go right back out... and this is something most people don't understand but... if you know your friends are dying out there... sitting around makes you feel worse...

Ah man, I went to see Battle LA in theaters with my then girlfriend and some of her friends. We're walking out after and I haven't said anything yet. My girlfriend turns to me, punches me in the shoulder to get my attention and says "You are NOT reenlisting!" Just about fell over laughing. Semper Fi!

I came for your light-hearted snarkiness and stayed for your heart-warming tribute to my beloved Corps. Semper Fi, shipmate. I hope you had a great Veterans' Day!

Battle LA is one of my favorite newer movies. Fun little side note, the alien troops also appear to use small group tactics for the small bits that we see them as well

One of my favorite viewings of this movie was on a projector in the middle of Bagram Air Field. It was ironically, surrounded by all these tropes in a multiservice environment. We all laughed about it, spent hours joking and laughing about who was who, all while the 2 Marines spent the whole time justifying why it was great. Consensus at the end: Battleship still won the world movie Alien Invasion Era, but Battle LA was still top tier

I remember watching this movie with dad once upon a time. He was an Australian Navy boy who laughed at the American tropes, and then got real quiet when the Marines got to work. It was a good movie and a good memory.

“Battle LA” was a fun throwback to the old WWII movies like “Sands of Iwo Jima” or “Go For Broke”. It had to be aliens cause, at the time at least, aliens were the only thing that could give the Marines and the DoD, thowing everything we have at the enemy, a run for their money.

As a former swabbie, I feel the need to chime in. I've been around Marines - sometimes doing stupid things, often underfoot, and always unintentionally hysterically funny. Every sailor has a collection of choice Marine sea stories; Lord knows I have mine. However, they're my brothers and sisters. I may laugh at them, but most often laugh with them; and we've got each others' backs. Each warfighting community (hate the term, but it's unfortunately the most appropriate) seemingly selects for certain characteristics, making stereotypes easy. If I said what my personal stereotype was, every other squid would instantly know in which community I served. The Marines as a whole are no different. They are all, without any exception I'd ever met, heroes. Even before Paris Island, they'd internalized that truth and everything that surrounds them promotes it. There may be brutally practical reasons for the psychological conditioning; but that doesn't change the truth: Marines are heroes, all of them. Often flawed, sometimes wrong, but always. Semper Fi, little brothers.

"It came from the sky, how would that change things?" Well, IFF would be a LOT easier!

This movie is severely underrated

The fact that CENTCOM cancelled their MC ball this year due to "unforseen operational commitments" for the first time since Iwo Jima, should be raising alarm bells with everyone that wishes to FAFO in that area

Battle for LA came out right around the time that I hit the Fleet and because I was a Moto Boot, I lost my mind and loved it then the salt dogs found out and the razzing was legendary. Battle for LA lost it's luster with me after Afghanistan, nothing wrong with the movie but war movies hit different now than when I was younger.

Is Battle:LA a 'good' movie? I dont know. It is one of my favorites though. The starting point of the concept almost feels like someone wanted to do a film about what a modern near-peer conflict on US soil would look like, and then slotted in the aliens simply as a stand in. The aliens use squad tactics, have air dominance, strike EM so comms are cut, prefer to standoff and call in airstrikes when able, do an L shaped ambush, and more. They fight like US. A scenario the average serviceman hasnt really had to face this century. Its really interesting how this movie comes along right around the time the USMC really started to look into what a post-GWOT Corps might have to deal with.

Water can be a power source if you use the H2 for Fusion, and the O2 for life support, so water is a valuable resource. But, you are right about the abundance of H2O in the universe. Go Devil Dogs! Happy 248th Birthday USMC. From a USN Glow worm.

This is perfectly timed, especially for me being part of 5th Marines

Glad to see I'm not the only person who loves Battle LA

There is always something to be said about the various branches and how they focus on making more of what makes that branch individualized. The Navy focuses on making a Navy, the Air Force focuses on making an Air Force and the Army focuses on making an Army. But the Marines focus on making Marines, which happens to be a very specific template, with a predictable outcome and mentality. Semper Fidelis

With regard to the statement of critics only liking super heroes and not normal heroes: it's funny that the only scene that really hits, for me for the superhero movies I've seen, is the one where Loki commands the crowd to kneel but the one old man refuses.

Dad always said the CMH was "One of those postman medals". Because they are usually delivered by the postman to the widow.

And he served with Smedly Butler & Dan Daley both having earned the Medal of Honor twice

For some reason the opening where they're helicoptering in over the battlefield sticks with me, just like the beginning of "Of Their Own Accord" in Modern Warfare 2. I remember watching it with my brother, he lived in LA a couple years and seemed pretty impressed with how good a job they did at replicating it. Holy crap i didn't think about the drones, yeah especially some of the videos you get out of Ukraine from both sides utterly terrorizing each other with those. Im starting to wonder if we should revive some of those scrapped designs and ideas from the "Future Soldier 2030 Program."

This definitely sums up all the reasons why I went with a marine backstory for my books' protagonist. Not only are they super fun to write, particularly whenever crayons enter the picture, but there's a certain inability to just stand by that makes for a very compelling hero character. While my series often deals with themes of machiavellianism, it's fitting that the protagonist standing against that, who's very core is honor, is an ex-marine.

That was a very entertaining episode. I share your sentiments the movie almost verbatim. Mostly I enjoyed the fact that the tech, albeit more advanced (I think the weapons are plasma-based but no one yet has echoed my assessment), they were not over the top and they could be taken by our weapons. That made it easier for me to suspend my disbelief (even though not one crayon was consumed). As a jarhead, I'll admit, although the movie was partially a recruitment commercial, it was a great attempt to show our armed forces combating extraterrestrials using conventional warfare techniques...that made it unique. If you are a vet, kudos for this and thanks. Remembering you, Brother.

This movie has been on my top 5 list ever since the first time I saw it, as it was (like you said) one hell of an accurate representation of small unit tactics and it wasn't attempting to be anything other than what it was. A lot of slick scifi films with military themes sugar coat the combat and either overdo it with the gore, or else focus on the slick aliens and lack any sense of reality. This one slags the alien, drops a grenade in the pool and gets back to the rally point in order to figure out which way is home... Now, while I haven't served in the military myself, I have talked with more than enough veterans from the special forces and worked with many military members, so I'm no expert and I don't claim to be, but if I found myself in a fight for survival against aliens, I'd rather have this unit off misfits having my back than some overproduced, underdeveloped group of shoe-licking Hollywood types (like we'd expect from any other military show from that time frame)...

Listening to the bit about drones networking makes me think that aspect is best described as what happens when you lack effective EW. It was already on my mind because I just watched Perun's latest video on how impactful different systems have been in Ukraine, and the EW is underestimated to an almost criminal degree in how much it's worked to limit the complete reshaping of the battlefield by the introduction of cheap drones and guided weapons.

18:51 the why is that it terrifying to them. If enough people realize that if they are willing to sacrifice great losses and do the right thing an small group of average Jane and/or Jone Does can do and achieve anything and there is little the powers that be can do about it. And that terrifies them

I knew you had to get around to this movie eventually. Did not disappoint. Underrated scene: when they do the alien 'autopsy' . Playin' with their guts to figure out how to kill even more squirts, Chesty would be proud

I do like alien invasion movies that don’t make the aliens wizards as a cheap way to hand wave the effectiveness of modern weapons. Modern adaptations of the War of the worlds are really bad at this what with their anti everything force fields.

I really liked Battle LA. I recall there had been vague plans to make other films along the same theme. Same invasion but we see it from different cities and nations. Sadly it was not a big enough hit.

Might have to actually give this movie a watch... Hoping to one day see a video on the SSV Normandy SR-1 and it's "successor" the SR-2.

For all its foibles, I enjoyed Battle: Los Angeles.

I liked B:LA. I even brought the game, as barebones as it was. I wish the movie did well enough to be a franchise, as I've always heard the plan was to have each movie take place in a different city.

It appears that the dockmaster never really tried to analyze a warship from 40k, which is rather odd. I hope that this issue will be remedied soon.

I'm a big fan of this movie. An underappreciated gem, glad to see it getting some love.

I really enjoyed this movie. I also enjoyed this video about the movie.

I had a karate instructor named Martin M. Martin. Guess what his middle name was …

i really wish there were sequals to this movie, hell id love and FPS or RTS game set in this world

I always love your episodes I truly enjoy sitting there and listening to them insuring them around. Where the hell do I get one of those Smeg toasters without selling an arm and leg in my left kidney

BASED!!! Thank you chief, I hope you and your's are doing great and the ship yard is still profitable. I don't know if you celebrate them but I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and let me be the first to say Merry Christmas. It's a little thing that we followers of "His Way" are doing just to let those around us know we still do in fact exist. Take care and God Bless...

I thought there was an editing style or mistake when you are describing the movie Marine throwing the Air Force serviceman from danger and it looped back to the story of Cpt. William tells the medic to take care of his men first. After a moment or two I realized the snack bag that I was rummaging through must've clicked on the video's timeline to that point again. Speaking of aliens and their weird objectives I remembered a novel I read as a teenager. It was one of the rare alien invasion books that is set in my country. In the book my country was suddenly invaded by sky people in mere hours and the whole world didn't know about it. To the rest of the world we were still the same peaceful South East Asia country. The alien's objective: to pillage my country's resources which is weird because we don't have the same vast amount of raw resources as other countries. Indonesia beats us in oil palm, Brunei produces more raw oil, Thailand imports more durians than us and we import rice from other countries. And the aliens that wiped our military in hours and were able to hide their invasion from Earth's superpowers...were defeated by rebel groups that were able to communicate, SOMEHOW, across the country to launch a simultaneous counter attack.

useing the fact im here ealry to try and get you to look at the ships of nebulous fleet command. please?

Semper Fidelis my fellow Devil Dogs.

Alright, I need to give this a rewatch. I didn't like it when it was new but I've heard a lot of interesting perspectives from others.

"Retreat, hell!" >infinite ammo rocket launchers "Retreat! Hell!"

Could you give the Gamilas warships and Gatlantian warships from both SBY 2199 and 2202 a review, because you'll love how interesting the ships looked.

Marines everywhere seem to have similar reputations. I know our own (Portugal) have built a reputation of not to me messed with.

i was always more of a siege at firebase gloria kind of guy. still regret coming up 4-f when i tried to join the corps.

Two stories, one reference. First, in a friend's house. "Well the Marines are technically a branch of the Navy, originally. Right?" Retired Marine - "Don't ever call me part of the Navy." Sounds of Assassin's Creedv Black Flag in the background. His wife - "Go back and play your boat game, honey." We had fun. Second thing: a Marine officer in the Middle East (I want to say Iraq, but its been years since this article) gets told by his superiors "Congratulations, you're the governor of this region now. Good luck." That's almost a quote. Man immediately grabs a Quaran. Reads it through, intensely. Calls back home, because there was a mosque in his hometown. Talks extensively with the guy in charge of it. Tells his men to stop shaving. *Reiterates* it when they are confused. Makes other procedural changes as necessary. That region had some of the lowest violence of the whole country, the whole time he was there. There are good arguments, for a "Department of Something Else." But there's an attitude the military carries that could be damn useful most anywhere. Quoting a Navy CWO, though I think I've commented this before: "Sometimes, a job needs doing. And you're the only one who can do it. Even if the odds are hopeless. Even if the cost is terrible and unfair. A job needs doing. So get up, Marines. And let's get at it."

4 min ago? I'm actually rather on time for once.

Came for the Sci-fi, stayed for the history lesson.

Aliens vs. MARINES....poor aliens, they never had a chance.

Did I tell you when I sent a Marine regiment to the infirmary? I thought they would enjoy the Cherry GOJO. They did, and every one of them tried a bowl...

DID SOMEBODY SAY CRAYONS? NOM NOM NOM!

I watched this movie in the theater, I don't remember much about the opening, so I can agree the beginning was a bit of an exposition dump. But the combat, I recall being some of the best I have seen in movies in a while.

It's on my guilty pleasure movies list. Not one of the greatest SF movies, plot holes, but entertaining. There is a interesting clip somewhere at youtube about the different drones.

One of my favorite movies. Have it it in my collection. Despite its premise.

I bought this movie on dvd when it first came out.

Woo-hoo! My Alma-mater! Friends in the ROTC lived in Major Bill while I was a student and another later had offices there as a prof.

Berryville is still a small community in Clarke County Virginia.

Battle: LA is one of my favorite movies, but I am a old army guy now days so what do I know.

We do love our bois in the uniform. God bless them, for we know the government doesn’t. I am forever grateful for their volunteering so that I don’t have to draft.

I remember watching and liking this movie. Didn't realize its so poorly received by reviewers

I thought it was a really good movie the first watch but upon seeing it again i thought it was just ok with a few large plot points that didnt make sense but in all was an ok movie

Good one for the weekend.

Battle: Santa Monica is one of my favorite Alien Invasion Movies; good or bad (by someone's judgment), who cares- I likes it.

This is one I regret not seeing at the theater. -_-

Just checking but has the channel ever done a review of the Chiggy von Richtoven episode of Space Above and Beyond?

And now I have to ask.....Have you done Skyline yet? Like with Volcano and Dante's Peak or Armageddon and Deep Impact or Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down, Battle LA also had a very similar premised movie come out that same year - That movie was Skyline :)

I like this guy no sugar coating

Not a serious movie but an earnest one. Kinda reminded me of the book about the stargate movie, it was a lot more squad level with kurt Russell’s jack being far less talkative than in the movie but very much aware of why he was assigned a mission instead of forcibly retired.

All in all the evacuation in Battle Los Angeles was pretty clean.

The conclusion regarding film critics. Normal people sacrifice? Termminator 1 and 2. In particular the guy who blows himself up in the 2nd film. Independence Day the issues with Battle Los Angeles goes beyond the characters. Weird conclusion to arrive to

Battle LA has its issues but it was one of the few movies where the aliens ground tactics made some small Level of sense.

So, you missed the day this year, too, but decided to publish anyway. VPI&SU!

Hoo-Rah, Cubed. 👍

Battle: Los Angeles is one of my favorite films ever for the same reasons the critics hated it. For that matter, as a general rule if critics don’t like a film made after say 1965 it’s a good movie. There’s a lot of backstory that either didn’t get into the exposition or got garbled. The invading aliens were refugees from their home world, a faction that had lost a war there and decided to colonize the Earth. The bit about them being here for the water is one of the garbled bits, they needed a world with lots of water same as we do. Water being a power source referred to them extracting deuterium from seawater to fuel their fusion reactors same as we are planning to do. Some day. Otherwise, your assessment is spot on. The Earth military (not just the US) is depicted as operating all too realistically from small unit tactics to logistics to the exhaustion and confusion that afflicts your average soldier to the transmitting of how to disable the aliens’ CCCI sharing network once our Marines figured it out. (Aside: I had to tell my spielchucker that Marines should be capitalized.) I know why critics don’t like films like this one and no, I don’t like it either. Hollywood and the film critic “industry” are so thoroughly infested with Marxists that anything remotely resembling individuality much less heroism, patriotism and so forth must be deprecated by them because collectivism and anti-heroes are the only acceptable themes. I don’t care. I don’t put any stock in the opinions of those who promote cowardice. Semper Fi to jarheads everywhere. Keep doing what you do. We know you don’t do it for the thanks but thanks anyway.

Hoorah, Semper Fi

yay! one of my favorite alien invasion movies, actually.

So, I have a movie idea bouncing around in my head. You know how _The Martian_ is sometimes called "competence porn," with people working together well to solve a difficult problem? Apply that to the military in a horror scenario, specifically zombies. Usually, the military in zombie movies is sidelined, either bombing innocents to stop the outbreak, not listening to the scientists, or it was all their fault to begin with, a biowarfare lab leak or some shit. I want to see a spec ops unit that actually has some professionalism and ethics deal with the problem alongside civilians in the affected area. I feel like this is a job a Green Beret ODA was basically born to do. Have to stack the odds against them a little, say, most of the conventional forces are holding the perimeter of safe regions. So we're dropping them into hot zones to save who can be saved and get them back to friendly lines...

I enjoyed it. Great movie.

I genuinely liked this film. Yes, some things were very basic, but still done well enough to suck me in

IMHO the reason Battle LA became a cult classic with the service is this. During the age of GWOT & hearts and minds it showed the USA military engaged in LSCO against uniformed baddies over which we held the moral high ground. That was the greatest fantasy fulfillment Battle LA offered. It was a fun film don’t get me wrong. I just think we have to be honest about why it’s a cult classic. The critics didn’t think much of it because it didn’t resonate for them the same way it did for those of us who love it. I don’t think there is anything nefarious happening there.

SEMPER FI!!

Please do an episode on the Spirit of Fire from Halo Wars.

They're retreating! ADVANCE!!

I enjoyed the movie and still do

now i want to know if anyone here has read/is reading the r/HFY story "Retreat, Hell!"

I know the film well and enjoyed it, for all the reasons you mentioned. As to its weaknesses, meh... I don't expect modern films to tell good stories. It would require the writers to think.

One thing that seems to be really rare in the universe is phosphorus. So if aliens do invade earth for a resource it may be that.

About the alien's intent to take water, they could have gone to Europa. We don't have any Marines there, yet. Might have panned out for them better.

Take a shot every time he says "By your calendar".

I loved Battle LA. But then, I love most war movies... BUT... Have you heard about C.R.E. Crayons Ready to Eat? That's right, a candy company has made crayons out of chocolate, and in 6 fun colors! Jarhead Red - Marines Squid Blue - Navy Dawg Face Green - Army Flyboy Yellow -Air Force Puddle Pirate Orange - Coast Guard Space Cadet White - Space Force Get a pack for your favorite machinegun-toting teen, with questionable IQ, today!

Had they given any other reason in regards to why they wanted water it might have been explained by the fact we have spectral analysis that off world water contains cyanogen.

I've long ago decided that critic reviews are more often than not inverse to how good the movie actually is...

UNSC Infinity, I demand it.

this video was a peek into your soul

Why are military units referred to with the lower level organization first? Why is it 2nd Battalion of the 5th Regiment and not 5th regiment, 2nd battalion?

I think Transformers and similar movies with the deal for access to military equipment to film primed people to reject this.

they better have purple ones...they taste the best.