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Watch: Another TV Trailer + Newsreel Video for 'Battle: Los Angeles'

by Alex Billington
February 11, 2011

For a time before this movie existed, if you searched for Battle: Los Angeles the top result was the Battle of Los Angeles, a real life event that took place back in Los Angeles in 1942 where the military shot artillery at "something" in the sky one night. Jump ahead to 2011 and now we've got Battle: Los Angeles - hmmm, a mysterious connection? On top of that badass Super Bowl spot for this sci-fi action movie, Sony has debuted an exciting new 63-second TV trailer that's pretty damn cool. Additionally, they released a "newswrap" video about the Battle of Los Angeles event and how it might all be connected. Check out both new videos below!

Watch the newest TV trailer for Jonathan Liebesman's Battle: Los Angeles:

Watch Sony's newswrap video about the 1942 Battle of Los Angeles:

A young Marine platoon, lead by Aaron Eckhart, faces off against a surprise alien invasion in Los Angeles.

Battle: Los Angeles is directed by South African-born director Jonathan Liebesman, of Darkness Falls, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and The Killing Room previously, but he is really breaking out in a good way with this. The screenplay credit, according to IMDb, goes solely to Christopher Bertolini, of only The General's Daughter and Madso's War previously. Sony / Columbia Pictures will be bringing Battle: Los Angeles to theaters everywhere starting on March 11th this spring! I'll be there on opening day, will you?

Filed under Hype, To Watch, Trailers, TV Spots

From around the web:

Anonymous

Wait.......what this is an historical event
Anonymous

I love knowing I won't be disappointed in a film.
Brandon

This is going to be like D-9 but more. If that is possible. Can't wait!
- Anonymous
  
  how is this like D-9?
- Anonymous
  
  Easy now, District 9 was a catalyst of sci-fi. If this comes even close to D9 it will have done it's job
  - Anonymous
    
    there have been MANY great sci-fi films before D9.........it was good - but hardly genre defining.
    - Anonymous
      
      And that's where we disagree. I feel that District 9 was in fact genre defining.
    - SLee
      
      I agree Beevis, there's no doubt that D9 was a brilliant movie. But there are so many stronger movies before it.
    - Brandon
      
      There haven't been many docum drama style Sci-Fi's like D-9. It's a unique film. This film is similar because it's doing the same thing, just with more money behind it and clearly even more imagination behind it.
    - Anonymous
      
      I agree with beevis. D9 was good, I'll give it that, but it dropped the ball in a lot of ways as well. The thing that stood out was that the aliens WEREN'T trying to take over the world. Really, they just wanted to leave but couldn't. There have only been a few films about aliens where the aliens were peaceful. Even D9, whose aliens weren't really aggressive, made the aliens a lot stronger than humans. ET is one of the few I can think of where the alien species is peaceful and also very weak and vulnerable. This movie is just another alien invasion movie. I don't see how you can compare it to D9 at all. "Dude, Schindler's List was a catalyst for films about the plight of jews during WW2! If Inglorious Basterds comes even close it will have done it's job!"
    - Anonymous
      
      brandon -brandon - docudrama? movies under that classification are based on some TRUE story - clearly, D9 (nor battlerfield:LA) is NOT based on a true story. apollo13 is an example of a docudrama. D9 is "sci-fi"
- http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington
  
  I get the comparison, but yea, it's something else completely on its own. Alien invasion lots of action, more Black Hawk Down where D9 was all about the political side of it. But yea, they both have aliens I guess!
  - Anonymous
    
    that was my only gripe, alex - it seems ANY movie comes out now with an alien in it -and people say it's like D9. and i don't see the similarity at all. hey! i finally saw "monsters"......it was outstanding. and is it me, or was theending begging for a sequel?
  - Solo Calrissian
    
    very much agree... D-9 had 'moments' of brilliance but i didnt walk away thinking it was the next Dark knight or something. Good as a self-contained movie, not great as a blockbuster. Having watched black hawk down on starz eariler this week, it definately has that sort of gritty feel to it and it does help having people who can act. I'm looking forward to this one for sure, so no more previews for me.
Anonymous

i am SO ready to watch this movie!
Zach

I had forgotten about all that went down on that cali beach till i watched half a second of the newswrap. good way to tie it in with their film Kudos
Anonymous

Not watching anything else, gotta save it for the big screen.
- Anonymous
  
  Exactly. It's too much... I was already in since it was announced and I don't need anything to get me more excited.
  - Anonymous
    
    my thoughts exactly.
- Anonymous
  
  My thoughts exactly when I saw the headline. Overexposure will just make me tired of the movie before it's even released, and I have been really fucking excited for this movie so far. Sooo...no more additional footage/pictures for me.
  - Anonymous
    
    agreed.
http://twitter.com/JohnnyNeat Johnny Neat

I can't wait.
Quazzimotto

This had all the right things to make it "look" like its going to be great...until they showed the PG-13 rating. I'm still excited. I'm still going to see it. However, anytime the industry dumbs down a film to reach the teen audience, spitting out non-stop action trailers as enticements...it makes me think all they're concerned about is maximizing profits. Meaning, we get another action movie that could've been great, but wasn't. This movie looks fantastic. I certainly hope it lives up to everyone's expectations, I'm just a little leary though now.
- Anonymous
  
  I don't think it necessarily needs blood, gore, tits and swear words to pull you in and be amazing. The first trailers had no dialog except for the TV news person. All it took for me to already get emotionally invested was the sheer terror, desperation and hopelessness on the faces of the people.
  - Boon
    
    Aliens massacring the indigenous population... Yeah, that definitely warrants a PG13 rating [sarcasm detected]
- Anonymous
  
  What things generally earn an "R" rating. *F*%# words *Nudity *Over the top violence *Perverse humor *Anti Government BS Although some great films may use some of these, they are not what make those films great.
  - Quazzimotto
    
    I don't need the nudity, language, perverse humor, political agendas, etc, to enjoy a movie. But what happens when you take away the gore and the language from movies like Black Hawk Down, D-9, Saving Private Ryan, Alien, Braveheart, Kick-Ass...do you get the same tone, the same "realistic" feel? I doubt it. Not saying this movie can't be or won't be good. Like I posted earlier, the movie looks fantastic. But anytime a film is compared to great films (like D-9 and BHD), that carry an R rating, and its toting the PG-13, it makes me skeptical of the quality of the film. The action looks great, but "looks great" doesn't always translate into "being" great. Transformers 2 is just one example. Just my opinion, after getting excited and being let down numerous times I feel I'm entitled to it.
    - Anonymous
      
      I can definitely see your angle, and I absolutely agree with you. I hope this movie was written and filmed for the purpose of PG-13... rather than having things removed from it to make a PG-13 rating. The "R" rated films you listed are very good examples of where "R" rating subject matter are used, for the most part very well, however it's not required to make a good film. When it's used to Parallel life in certain situations it will feel authentic, but when it's gratuitously used... that's when I lose respect for the film.
    - Quazzimotto
      
      Absolutely agree with you 100%. And you're right, there are plenty of outstanding PG-13 films that have subjective violence or content, and rise above their R rated counter-parts. The Dark Knight, LOTR, and the Harry Potter series, are just a few examples. I really hope Battle:LA is among them. I want this movie to be as incredible as it looks. And it really does look incredible.
- Kaim
  
  This is not an Alien movie. PG13 is fine. Tone is way more important in regards to being dramatic and realistic than violence and f bombs.
  - Quazzimotto
    
    Yeah, I guess all those real-life documentaries depicting the lives of real soldiers, fighting real wars (like Restrepo), would've had better tone and been more realistic and dramatic if they hadn't had all the violence and language. These docu-dramas hinge on the fact that they are trying to be realistic. Thats what sets up their tone. Look at D-9 and Black Hawk Down. Those films stay true to that, they never shy away from it. How would they size up without the action or language? Now we're presented with a film that's being labeled "Black Hawk Down with aliens" and I fully expect the film to live up to the standard they're trying to set. Which is a realistic war doc, following a group of Marines in an intense battle against what appears to be a relentless enemy bent on conquering humanity. By giving a PG-13 rating, it says to me that: a) they either don't have the balls to go all out, or b) the studios are more interested in putting butts in the seats than they are in the quality of the film. More than likely its the later. I hope I'm wrong, this film looks great by all accounts. The feel, the look, the action, everything I've seen so far about this has me pumped to see it. BUT again, the rating is a flag IMHO. I hope this is truly as good as it looks, I'm just concerned it'll be another action-oriented, story-less POS thats only good for providing blu-ray demo material at Best Buy. There's been too much of that lately for me not to feel just a little pessimistic.
    - Boon
      
      Even though I completely agree that this needs to be rated R.. if they're trying to sell a movie about an alien invasion "wiping out the indigenous population" (their words, not mine), then shouldn't we expect gore and violence? *sigh* but.. this is a movie about aliens; thus, the realism argument is null.. we just have to grow up or wait for movie execs with brass balls to make a good r-rated scifi flic
    - Quazzimotto
      
      Boon: My argument for realism comes from the kind of film that they're trying to sell. Which is a realistic "Documentary Styled" format in the same vein as Black Hawk Down and D-9. Realism isn't limited to non-fiction. D-9 is my platform here. Blomkamp captured the struggles, the turmoil, the fear, and the angst of every day life that the people and aliens shared while being forced to co-exist next to each other. Blomkamp kept it feeling very realistic throughout, even though it was a blatant Sci-fi film. The language, violence, and gore, all added to the reality of the situation at hand, giving the film a true human element. Without the R rating...I don't know that D-9 would've been what it is. Of course Battle:LA doesn't need excessive language and gore to be good. But for the kind of film they're trying to create, a PG-13 rating doesn't bode well IMO. I agree with you, this seems like it should carry an R rating all the way. Hopefully they've stretched the rating to its limits, similar to the Dark Knight and LOTR, but all we can do is hope =)
    - Boon
      
      I did enjoy District 9 a lot. What made District 9 so great was it was refreshing from the rest of the sci-fi films that were coming out during that time and presently as well. A large part of that has to do with the autonomy Blompamp had for D9, which is a rarity for a first time director. Until movie execs catch on, Liebesman will be a puppet for all the greedy movie execs in control of this film.
- Number Six
  
  It's a shame many action movies today don't (or rather, can't) have the balls to be R-rated. Of course it's purely a business decision, though it really holds films back by needing to fit a PG-13. There's no two ways about it.
  - Quazzimotto
    
    Knawx made some good points. Just because its PG-13 doesn't mean it won't be good. But with this particular style of movie, I think an R rating is not only appropriate, its necessary. Sacrificing realism for a lesser rating seems like an industry ploy to make more money off the masses. Which is why I'm concerned about the overall quality of the film. I'm hoping for the best, it sure does look good, but I'll be waiting for reviews before I hit the theater.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9emWB_rrMt0 Crapola

Using water for fuel? They're going to beat them with giant hairdryers, called it. I'm not too fussed for this, looks okay I suppose.
Slime

You know what I like about this movie............IT'S NOT 3D!!!! And it looks all around bad ass.
- Anonymous
  
  REJOICE!
BriApoc

The more they advertise this movie the less I want to see it. At least once a week there seems to be a new trailer to it.
Boon

It's probably more like Skyline or whatever that movie's name was Not digging the Transformers sounds in the trailer
http://twitter.com/A5J4DX A5J4DX

epic but lol pg 13 and wow i didnt know it really happened in a similar way
(_)_)IIIIIIIIIIIIIID~~~~

silly aleins earth doesnt have resourses
Gh

The tagline that they might come here because of water is ridiculous. There are planets out there for water. Well suppose they could be coming for water with their advanced technologies. Why not just take the water and leave? Anyway,I love the documentary footage and this tv spot! really well done!
Lucid Dreamer

Alien 1979, The best Sci-Fi / Alien movie ever filmed!!! If Battle: Los Angeles is even Half as good it will be a great movie to see.