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Battle: Los Angeles
- 725 statements
- 143 feature instances
- 56 referencing feature instances
Battle: Los Angeles | type |
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Battle: Los Angeles | label |
Battle: Los Angeles | |
Battle: Los Angeles | page |
BattleLosAngeles | |
Battle: Los Angeles | comment |
Battle: Los Angeles is a science fiction film about Alien Invasion directed by Jonathan Liebesman. It was released March 11, 2011.Meteors rain into the ocean a couple of miles off of major coastal cities — one being Los Angeles. Within minutes an alien army marches out of the surf. The suntanning populace on the beach is shredded as the aliens march into the city proper. With the arrival of their aircraft, the aliens quickly establish ground- and air-superiority.As Los Angeles is evacuated, Marine Staff Sergeant Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) leads his new platoon and an inexperienced lieutenant against the attackers. Their main goal is to evacuate civilians ahead of a planned bombing offensive, but matters are complicated when they must destroy the enemy's command and control center. Meanwhile, similar battles are waged across the world in other cities.A tie-in game of the same name was published by Konami on March 2011.Not to be confused with the Rage Against the Machine album The Battle of Los Angeles, nor with the similarly-titled Direct to Video Battle of Los Angeles released the same year. However, both films are inspired by the real-life Battle of Los Angeles. | |
Battle: Los Angeles | fetched |
2023-08-03T16:43:20Z | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1161fb48 | type |
Bizarre Alien Biology | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1161fb48 | comment |
Bizarre Alien Biology: The invaders look vaguely humanoid, but they have cetaceous forms, and their bodies seem to be held up and shaped by some form of cybernetic endoskeleton, with weird turbines and other implants. They have no real brain as humans understand them (the head area seems to contain no vital organs) and the only way to quickly kill them beyond using massive force to blow them apart is to target a orb-like organ/machine part located to the immediate left of where the heart would be on a human. That being said, their psychology is very human, something which humanity takes disquieting note of. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1161fb48 | featureApplicability |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1237828f | type |
Anyone Can Die | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1237828f | comment |
Anyone Can Die: Not very many of the Marines make it out of Los Angeles. None of the Army personnel that joined up make it out alive. Tech Sergeant Santos, the lone Airman, however, does. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_13992073 | type |
Rasputinian Death | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_13992073 | comment |
Rasputinian Death: This happens twice... The first alien soldier to be successfully shot down rises back up a minute or two later, only to be shot down by the whole squad again and a grenade dumped on it just to be sure. It is lampshaded by a panicked and nearly delirious Lenihan. The second time is when they're forcibly vivisecting a wounded alien to try to figure out what part of it they have to shoot to make sure it stays dead. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1439161f | type |
Heroic BSoD | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1439161f | comment |
Heroic BSoD: A couple of the Marines, particularly LT Martinez, have these when the aliens bring their drones into the fray. Martinez's is compounded by his feeling of having failed his men, though a private pep talk from Nantz snaps him out of it. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_143939c1 | type |
Trailers Always Spoil | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_143939c1 | comment |
Trailers Always Spoil: In the early parts of the movie, the military believes that the enemy is exclusively ground-based. However, anyone who saw the trailer before coming to see the movie (which is probably everyone), was already well-aware that this belief was going to change in short order. On the other hand, it probably wasn't a major twist as the alien aircraft were shown in the first few seconds of the movie. Also, when the helicopter near the police station is lifting off, everyone who's seen the trailer knows it's about to explode. A big part of the trailer is the large "something" coming up from underground, along with it being on the movie posters. When they blast the top antenna-thing on the command center, you know it's going to rise up soon. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_159ce749 | type |
Ensign Newbie | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_159ce749 | comment |
Ensign Newbie: Second Lieutenant Martinez has just graduated from Officer Training, but is a smart leader who has his platoon's respect. In his first engagement he freezes up, unable to act, and when the casevac helicopter is shot down he goes into a Heroic BSoD. It isn't until Nantz, who has no shortage of combat experience, delivers a sharp, confidence-boosting lecture to him away from the others that he shapes up. By the time of the highway battle, he's confidently giving orders and deploying his men. Lenihan also gives off this vibe, though he proves to be awfully competent in combat. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_17501df2 | type |
Cool Old Guy | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_17501df2 | comment |
Cool Old Guy: Staff Sergeant Nantz. 20 long years in the Corps, and the first scene we see him in plays up him starting to slow down compared to the young guys. Once the aliens land in downtown LA, he turns into a Sergeant Rock. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_17ce80aa | type |
All There in the Manual | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_17ce80aa | comment |
All There in the Manual: There's a site out there called "unidentified enemy" that details a few things about the aliens, their technology and operations. It can be accessed by visiting the American version of the interactive attacks/sightings map and entering 031111 in the "Restricted Access" field. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_19d06ef7 | type |
A Father to His Men | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_19d06ef7 | comment |
A Father to His Men: Sgt. Nantz strives to be one. A few of his men aren't so sure, especially since there's been rumors that he purposefully got his entire team killed in Iraq. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1bf47ada | type |
The Medic | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1bf47ada | comment |
The Medic: Doc, though he's quick to specify he is not a medic, but a Navy corpsman. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1c398324 | type |
Death from Above | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1c398324 | comment |
Death from Above: The USAF's original plan to stop the invasion; keep the aliens contained on the Santa Monica shoreline and carpet bomb them. It doesn't work, and the air strike never happens. Whether the B-52s were shot down or if the Air Force chose not to risk them in the face of the aliens' air superiority is momentarily speculated upon. The aliens prove to be much better at this than humans; not only did they come down from the sky in large meteor-like landing craft, but they use very versatile 'Wedge Ship' UCAVs to quickly establish air superiority over LA. The wedges can even combine into a flying-saucer like floating siege platform that can rain incendiary munitions down like artillery. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1c5002bc | type |
The Stoic | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1c5002bc | comment |
The Stoic: Nantz's emotions are generally muted; he has a job to do and rarely lets his personal feelings out. Santos even says that he reminds her of her brother, because "He never smiles either." | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1c5002bc | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1e14ea2a | type |
Boss Battle | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1e14ea2a | comment |
Boss Battle: The final battle of the film with the command center is similar, with the boss having to be badly wounded before unleashing its final form while sacrificing drones so that the Boss won't get hit. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1e14ea2a | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1e669b8e | type |
Humanoid Aliens | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1e669b8e | comment |
Humanoid Aliens: Despite the major physiological differences between the alien invaders and humans (see Starfish Aliens, below), their body plans are still basically human-like, with two arms, two legs, an upright torso, a chest with a heart (or something important, at least) in it, and a head on top where the ranged sensory organs are located. The fact that Sergeant Nantz could say that their Achilles' Heel is "to the left of where the heart would be" says as much about their general similarities to us than their specific differences. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_1f6ec528 | type |
Would Not Shoot a Civilian | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_1f6ec528 | comment |
Would Not Shoot a Civilian: Subverted in the case of the aliens, who open fire on a beach crowded with people and proceed to shoot indiscriminately at everything they see. Civilian bodies are often seen in various areas. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_22f6000b | type |
Everybody's Dead, Dave | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_22f6000b | comment |
Everybody's Dead, Dave: The team finally reaches the Santa Monica FOB, and finds nothing but wreckage and dead bodies. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_2473b050 | type |
Fast-Roping | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_2473b050 | comment |
Fast-Roping: Notably, two children have to do it in order to escape a slowly approaching walking tank destroying everything on a Highway overpass. Two of the Marines spotting from the top of a building employ this to get to an evacuation vehicle fast. Nantz and the others do this to infiltrate the area where the alien command center is, since the electrical interference makes it too risky to land the chopper. It was actually a question of fuel - if chopper had landed, it would not have had enough fuel to take off. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_2493b31d | type |
Fire-Forged Friends | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_2493b31d | comment |
Fire-Forged Friends: Nantz and Lockett are this by the final battle, after Lockett gives up his Jerkass behaviour towards Nantz in the face of his clear Survivor Guilt and Nantz's clear respect for Lockett's deceased brother, one of the men who died under his command in Iraq. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_24f4c82a | type |
Semper Fi | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_24f4c82a | comment |
Semper Fi: The main characters are Marines, which makes sense since Camp Pendleton, one of the main USMC bases, is less than 100 miles away from the city and the aliens are apparently aquatic in nature; troops trained in amphibious operations are the logical soldiers to use on them. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_2a94a479 | type |
Outside-Genre Foe | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_2a94a479 | comment |
Outside-Genre Foe: zigzagged. While the aliens obviously have tricks that the human defenders aren't prepared for, they also use tactics and strategies that are similar enough to human ones to be analyzed. Their infantry, as mentioned repeatedly, is functionally the same as ours in terms of tactics, equipment and disposition; the Marines may not know what that giant thing is, but they know This Is Gonna Suck. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_2ae277ab | type |
Mauve Shirt | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_2ae277ab | comment |
Mauve Shirt: Even a lot of the named Marines get killed. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_2b706ca | type |
More Dakka | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_2b706ca | comment |
More Dakka: If it doesn't have six barrels and can't shoot missiles, it's probably not in the alien armory. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_2dc0d2bf | type |
Hidden Depths | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_2dc0d2bf | comment |
Hidden Depths: Lenihan comes off as a fresh-faced rookie, but he's an expert marksman and is the first to injure an alien. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_2f253c94 | type |
Glass Cannon | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_2f253c94 | comment |
Glass Cannon: The Drones are easily taken out, but they pack a punch. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_3107a493 | type |
Open Heart Dentistry | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_3107a493 | comment |
Open Heart Dentistry: Averted. See Not That Kind of Doctor. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_313e9485 | type |
Hero with Bad Publicity | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_313e9485 | comment |
Hero with Bad Publicity: Nantz has a very bad reputation after his tour in Iraq. Even though his orders and actions throughout the invasion are mostly sound, the marines all seem to hate his guts. It's only at the climax after his Rousing Speech that the team finally comes together and trusts his leadership. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_31c5e7fb | type |
Starfish Aliens | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_31c5e7fb | comment |
Starfish Aliens: The aliens have a very curious biology, with the majority of their vitals concentrated at an unusual part of their body (right of where their heart would be located) and make heavy use of cybernetics. The odd biology makes it difficult for the Marines to kill them effectively until they figure out where to shoot. If one looks closely at the wounded alien that is being "dissected", one can see that one of its legs is clearly damaged, and a long, rope-like tendril is extending from the creature's body. The same leg is missing the metallic/ceramic "skeleton" structures that the aliens' bio matter seems to be wrapped around, indicating that the aliens' limbs may be far longer than we're led to believe, and their bodies are held in a humanoid shape by all the machinery so they can effectively fight on land. "Doc" also digs around in the "head" area of the alien, and finds that there's nothing in there even vaguely resembling a brain as we understand it; at one point Nantz even shoots the same alien in the "head" area and it has no visible effect on the creature. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_35d4beb4 | type |
Horde of Alien Locusts | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_35d4beb4 | comment |
Horde of Alien Locusts: Experts being interviewed during some news transmission surmise that the aliens are here to steal our resources (namely, water) due to their tactics (complete eradication instead of a proper occupation). Indeed, the water level drops half-way through the film. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_3a90dc63 | type |
Aliens Are Bastards | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_3a90dc63 | comment |
Aliens Are Bastards: The aliens open fire on everything — civilian or otherwise — and are speculated to be here to steal our water. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_3d699462 | type |
Curb-Stomp Battle | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_3d699462 | comment |
Curb-Stomp Battle: The initial alien attack only becomes a curb stomp once the Attack Drones show up and steal air superiority from the humans. At the end of the movie, after Nantz's team takes out the drone control center, the Battle in Los Angeles turns in humanity's favor. It's also implied that LA is one of the few areas on the planet that humanity is actually holding out against the invaders, as the aliens are shown to have taken control of several other cities around the globe, including Paris, which is a couple of hundred miles/kilometers inland from the coastline. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_3df9c288 | type |
Keystone Army | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_3df9c288 | comment |
Keystone Army: The alien drone ships are all controlled by a single Command and Control Center. Once Nantz and his surviving squad take it out with guided cruise missiles, all of the drones shut down and fall from the sky, giving the Americans control of the air once again, and presumably reducing the invaders' ability to coordinate ground forces as well. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_3e95c264 | type |
Time to Step Up, Commander | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_3e95c264 | comment |
Time to Step Up, Commander: Twice. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_40cc0c7e | type |
Bittersweet Ending | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_40cc0c7e | comment |
Bittersweet Ending: Sure, the tide seems to be turning against the aliens, but millions of people — if not more — are still dead worldwide, and numerous cities have been completely destroyed. And the Los Angeles command ship may have been destroyed, but there's more in other major coastal cities where the invaders are establishing beachheads and there's no word on the two attacking the East Coast, or the rest of the world. The humans have won the battle, not the war. Not to mention that the aliens will defend their centers even more viciously. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_40da7cc9 | type |
Urban Warfare | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_40da7cc9 | comment |
Urban Warfare: As most of the scenes take place in Los Angeles, this is to be expected. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_4127eb1 | type |
Shut Up, Hannibal! | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4127eb1 | comment |
Shut Up, Hannibal!: Nantz's speech to the rest of his squad at the ruined FOB base is basically telling all of his men (who don't trust him because he lost his entire squad in Iraq and one of whom assumes that he deliberately engineered it in order to get a medal) to shut the fuck up. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_46c1dc8e | type |
Someone to Remember Him By | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_46c1dc8e | comment |
Someone to Remember Him By: Martinez's wife is shown to be pregnant at the beginning of the movie. He dies. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_47f5fe7d | type |
Inscrutable Aliens | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_47f5fe7d | comment |
Inscrutable Aliens: The aliens don't make any attempt at contact before they crash in and start killing people. It's heavily implied they're doing this because they just want to colonize Earth for themselves. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_49d18492 | type |
Scenery Gorn | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_49d18492 | comment |
Scenery Gorn: All over the place... especially the opening. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_4de1a4f7 | type |
Improvised Weapon | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4de1a4f7 | comment |
Improvised Weapon: Lacking in any real anti-air capability, Nantz has to take out an alien drone by luring it to a gas station by a walkie-talkie and blowing it up, taking the drone with it. | |
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1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4de1a4f7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4de1a4f7 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e7c4536 | type |
Wham Line | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e7c4536 | comment |
Wham Line: For the Marines, while getting briefed. Later, when they finally make contact with friendly forces; | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e7c4536 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e7c4536 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e7c4536 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e8b83a | type |
That's an Order! | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e8b83a | comment |
That's an Order!: When Nantz refuses to leave Martinez behind so he can perform his Heroic Sacrifice, Martinez tells him to get a note to his wife, and ends what he has to say with this. After which, Nantz reluctantly complies. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e8b83a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e8b83a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4e8b83a | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4fe592e9 | type |
Previews Pulse | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4fe592e9 | comment |
Previews Pulse: Used in the trailer. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4fe592e9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4fe592e9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_4fe592e9 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_508d91a2 | type |
Pre-Mortem One-Liner | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_508d91a2 | comment |
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Not quite one line, but Martinez's last bit of dialogue before his Heroic Sacrifice still qualifies: | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_508d91a2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_508d91a2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_508d91a2 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5313c266 | type |
Bookends | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5313c266 | comment |
Book Ends: The overhead shot early in the movie overlooking Los Angeles before LA gets pummeled to the ground is reshot in the end when marine reinforcements fly in a battle-torn LA ready to retake the city. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5313c266 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5313c266 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5313c266 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_56da86fe | type |
Walking Tank | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_56da86fe | comment |
Walking Tank: The aliens have a 7-foot tall walking gun that fires missiles, piloted by one alien behind it. A lot of missiles. In clusters. Things explode. A lot. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_56da86fe | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_56da86fe | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_56da86fe | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_588d6b3e | type |
Vasquez Always Dies | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_588d6b3e | comment |
Vasquez Always Dies: Surprisingly, Michelle Rodriguez lives through this one. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_588d6b3e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_588d6b3e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_588d6b3e | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5979acea | type |
Fragile Speedster | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5979acea | comment |
Fragile Speedster: The Drones are easily taken out, but the tie-in website states they can go Mach 7, far faster than human jets. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5979acea | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5979acea | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5979acea | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a4aa505 | type |
Government Conspiracy | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a4aa505 | comment |
Government Conspiracy: Hinted at. The tie-in website and trailers indicate that the government has some prior knowledge dating all the way back from World War II (though far too little) about the aliens. Tech Sergeant Santos' original mission to find an enemy C&C asset and knowledge of the alien drones is another indicator. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a4aa505 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a4aa505 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a4aa505 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a8f3057 | type |
Hand Signals | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a8f3057 | comment |
Notably, the alien soldiers also act like, well, soldiers, and use tactics as well, such as Hand Signals. The aliens also appear to take out all human anti-aircraft weapons, since none of the ones firing at the beginning of the invasion are firing on the drones. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a8f3057 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a8f3057 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5a8f3057 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5bdffefe | type |
Jitter Cam | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5bdffefe | comment |
Jitter Cam: Present, but nowhere as jittery as most modern examples. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5bdffefe | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5bdffefe | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5bdffefe | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5d753b19 | type |
The Smurfette Principle | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5d753b19 | comment |
The Smurfette Principle: Santos is the sole woman among the Marines. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5d753b19 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5d753b19 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5d753b19 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5dd0b462 | type |
Weather of War | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5dd0b462 | comment |
Weather of War: The movie begins in a crowded urban area choked by smoke and fog, the worst possible condition for fighting short of everything being on fire. It works both ways for both sides. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5dd0b462 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5dd0b462 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_5dd0b462 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_619985d7 | type |
Sacrificial Lion | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_619985d7 | comment |
Sacrificial Lion: Lenihan, Simmons, and Guerrero, all of whom are prominent in the first act, are killed when the evac helicopter is shot down to establish that A) the aliens do have air support, taking away one of humanity's biggest advantages, and B), Anyone Can Die. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_619985d7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_619985d7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_619985d7 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6293c185 | type |
Sequel Hook | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6293c185 | comment |
Sequel Hook: The humans may have won the battle in Los Angeles, but not the war. There are still at least 11 other cities getting attacked. The international release title was "World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles", one city down... | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6293c185 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6293c185 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6293c185 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_62f9d08e | type |
Freeze-Frame Bonus | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_62f9d08e | comment |
Freeze-Frame Bonus: If one looks closely during the scene where Lenihan is shooting the alien emerging from the pool, one of his shots hits the alien's Arm Cannon, causing it to spark and malfunction. When the alien emerges from the pool again, it appears to actually fire its gun right at Nantz, but the weapon misfires, throwing up a cloud of blink-and-you'll-miss-it sparks. During a CNN broadcast, we see that even in the midst of an alien invasion the network still bothers to include the Dow Jones Industrial Average in their graphics. Not surprisingly, it's taken a bit of a hit. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_62f9d08e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_62f9d08e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_62f9d08e | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_638b65bc | type |
Armor Is Useless | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_638b65bc | comment |
Armor Is Useless: The aliens' weapons consistently go through Marine body armor like it's not even there, being advanced alien technology. However, there are occasions where a marine's armor/helmet protects them from a glancing blow that might otherwise have been lethal. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_638b65bc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_638b65bc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_638b65bc | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6400a34 | type |
Arm Cannon | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6400a34 | comment |
If one looks closely during the scene where Lenihan is shooting the alien emerging from the pool, one of his shots hits the alien's Arm Cannon, causing it to spark and malfunction. When the alien emerges from the pool again, it appears to actually fire its gun right at Nantz, but the weapon misfires, throwing up a cloud of blink-and-you'll-miss-it sparks. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6400a34 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6400a34 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6400a34 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6439de78 | type |
Heroic Sacrifice | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6439de78 | comment |
Heroic Sacrifice: After being wounded during the shootout on the freeway, Lieutenant Martinez crawls into a bus and detonates a bag of C4, taking out a group of aliens and their Walking Tank in the process. Hector's father takes a bullet to the gut after picking up Motorola's M16 to kill an alien trying to surprise the Marines rappelling down a child to safety. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6439de78 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6439de78 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6439de78 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_64e975cf | type |
Manly Tears | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_64e975cf | comment |
Manly Tears: When Nantz recites the names of the men who died under his command and ends with Lockett's brother, Lockett starts weeping. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_64e975cf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_64e975cf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_64e975cf | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6b510ace | type |
Hopeless War | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6b510ace | comment |
Hopeless War: The war against the aliens appears to be this way when they quickly gain air superiority and make massive headway in tearing Los Angeles apart. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6b510ace | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6b510ace | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6b510ace | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6d7026fa | type |
Punny Name | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6d7026fa | comment |
Punny Name: The platoon's radioman is LCPL Steven Mottola, who is nicknamed "Motorola". | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6d7026fa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6d7026fa | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6d7026fa | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6eb4e408 | type |
Artistic License – Military | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6eb4e408 | comment |
Artistic License – Military: For a movie that is often held up as an example of a realistic portrait of the Marine Corps, it gets several things wrong. Everyone pronounces the acronym for forward operating base (FOB) as "eff-oh-bee," rather than "fob," a mistake that would get them relentlessly mocked in real life. The film portrays laser target designators as emitting a visible beam of light, which is not accurate, as they use coded infrared beams to specifically avoid being spotted with the naked eye, only letting the observer know that the laser is on by displaying an icon in the viewfinder. This would have prevented SSgt Nantz from aiming it as he does, simply holding the device at hip level and hip firing it. The film portrays the Copperhead rounds as slow-moving cruise missiles, when in reality they were Cannon Lauched Guided Projectile Artillery Rounds that would fly over the target at incredible speed, engage thrusters, and come around the opposite side of the target to avoid cluing in the enemy as to where the round came from. Even in the round's "Glide Mode" it was still much faster than the way the film portrays. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6eb4e408 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6eb4e408 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6eb4e408 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6ee10e0 | type |
My Greatest Failure | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6ee10e0 | comment |
My Greatest Failure: Nantz is still haunted by the loss of his entire squad during a botched mission in Iraq. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6ee10e0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6ee10e0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6ee10e0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6fb7cf97 | type |
Bigger Stick | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6fb7cf97 | comment |
Bigger Stick: The aliens' main advantage. Their UCAV can go mach 7, which completely destroys any air superiority the Americans had, and can serve as extremely deadly bombing platforms that, when linked up, can take a lot of damage. It takes a barrage of fire to kill alien infantry (though, much like human infantry, they do have a weak spot — and even that is guarded), while they have guns that easily shred through body armor and cause a great deal of internal damage, as well as mobile turets and hover tanks. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6fb7cf97 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6fb7cf97 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_6fb7cf97 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_704a3bbb | type |
Real Men Cook | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_704a3bbb | comment |
Real Men Cook: LCPL Stavrou, the hulking machine gunner from Newark, New Jersey (not known for being the friendliest neighborhood in America) is quite knowledgeable about floral arrangements. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_704a3bbb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_704a3bbb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_704a3bbb | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72856b70 | type |
Godzilla Threshold | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72856b70 | comment |
Godzilla Threshold: Once the aliens invade, it's decided pretty much right off the bat to evacuate the civilians then bomb the coastal cities being invaded. The aliens thwart this by establishing air superiority. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72856b70 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72856b70 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72856b70 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72e63a8b | type |
Radio Silence | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72e63a8b | comment |
Radio Silence: The Marines have to turn off their radios once they realize that even making a short transmission allows enemy drones to home in on their position. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72e63a8b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72e63a8b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_72e63a8b | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7969f21e | type |
No One Gets Left Behind | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7969f21e | comment |
No One Gets Left Behind: Nantz invokes this in refusing to abandon the mortally wounded Lieutenant Martinez, even though the aliens are about to overwhelm their position. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7969f21e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7969f21e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7969f21e | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7a143509 | type |
Shell-Shocked Veteran | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7a143509 | comment |
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Lieutenant Corporal Kerns. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7a143509 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7a143509 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7a143509 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b0fddcd | type |
Battle Cry | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b0fddcd | comment |
Battle Cry: "Retreat, Hell!" Which is the real life motto of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. Nantz even explains to Michele the origins of the motto, in which Major Lloyd W. Williams was ordered to retreat, only to respond, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!" | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b0fddcd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b0fddcd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b0fddcd | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b23aecb | type |
Bayonet Ya | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b23aecb | comment |
Bayonet Ya: At one point, the protagonists fight the aliens hand-to-hand with bayonets mounted on their rifles. Which is to say they stab multiple bayonets into one alien, then fire full auto. Then kick it. Then shoot it some more. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b23aecb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b23aecb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7b23aecb | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7eebe99c | type |
The Alcoholic | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7eebe99c | comment |
The Alcoholic: Lenihan drinks five beers in a row during the party. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7eebe99c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7eebe99c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7eebe99c | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7f390ebc | type |
Developing Doomed Characters | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7f390ebc | comment |
Developing Doomed Characters: A less typical example, where a couple of Marines are shown partying, getting way too drunk and otherwise playing the trope straight, others are picking out flowers for their wedding, trying to retire with some dignity, or having a quiet goodbye with a loved one at their grave. Even the undeveloped ones have nicknames and background banter that keep them from being too flat. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7f390ebc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7f390ebc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7f390ebc | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7fbe9a30 | type |
Freak Out | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7fbe9a30 | comment |
Freak Out: Simmons after the first firefight with the aliens. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7fbe9a30 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7fbe9a30 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_7fbe9a30 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_82108e3d | type |
Attack Its Weak Point | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_82108e3d | comment |
Attack Its Weak Point: The aliens' only obviously-vital organ is some sort of water sac to the left of where the heart would be on a human. Nothing else, headshots included, is instantly fatal, and they will often shrug off bullet wounds, though they obviously feel pain. Grenades do the trick in a pinch. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_82108e3d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_82108e3d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_82108e3d | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_83442cc3 | type |
EMP | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_83442cc3 | comment |
EMP: The alien command center uses such a massive amount of radio communication that it blacks out a huge area around it, and almost takes out the evac chopper Nantz and his remaining crew are using to escape. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_83442cc3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_83442cc3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_83442cc3 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b1a664 | type |
Kill All Humans | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b1a664 | comment |
Kill All Humans: The aliens take no prisoners and leave no survivors, although killing all humans isn't an end unto itself — they are slaughtering us because we are keeping them from grabbing some resources. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b1a664 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b1a664 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b1a664 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b6e8d7 | type |
Anachronic Order | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b6e8d7 | comment |
Anachronic Order: Just a little bit, with the initial jittery helicopter flying into combat scene backtracking to the morning before the day of the alien invasion. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b6e8d7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b6e8d7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b6e8d7 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b93a168 | type |
Macross Missile Massacre | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b93a168 | comment |
Macross Missile Massacre: Walking Guns fire missile-like plasma projectiles in clustered swarms that occasionally home in, to devastating effect. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b93a168 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b93a168 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_8b93a168 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_905438eb | type |
Recycled IN SPACE! | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_905438eb | comment |
Recycled In Space: It's Black Hawk Down... with ALIENS! | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_905438eb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_905438eb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_905438eb | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9323741 | type |
Planet Looters | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9323741 | comment |
Planet Looters: Seems like the aliens are out of water. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9323741 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9323741 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9323741 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93311f8e | type |
The Squadette | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93311f8e | comment |
The Squadette: Santos is a tough female NCO who fits in perfectly with her male comrades. There are no other female armed services personnel seen serving in direct combat roles. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93311f8e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93311f8e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93311f8e | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93387c2e | type |
Monster Delay | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93387c2e | comment |
Monster Delay: It's a while before we ever get a clear look at any of the alien beings, and even when we do, the camera does everything it can to avoid lingering on them. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93387c2e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93387c2e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_93387c2e | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9633f14b | type |
Badass Bystander | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9633f14b | comment |
Badass Bystander: Mr. Rincon, who grabs a rifle and kills an ambushing alien without hesitation and gets mortally wounded in the process. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9633f14b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9633f14b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9633f14b | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_96475bb6 | type |
Awesome Personnel Carrier | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_96475bb6 | comment |
Awesome Personnel Carrier: The Marines use an LAV-25 to get from the Santa Monica Airport to the extraction point. Though the .50 cal is used, we sadly don't get to see its Bushmaster chain gun in action. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_96475bb6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_96475bb6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_96475bb6 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_967edd3a | type |
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_967edd3a | comment |
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: Several, but the most notable after they finally arrive at the FOB. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_967edd3a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_967edd3a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_967edd3a | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_984ef9ef | type |
"Not So Different" Remark | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_984ef9ef | comment |
"Not So Different" Remark: When some Marines spot an alien commander spotting for two alien snipers on top of a roof. One surmises they may be just like them — grunts with families and a home, told to fight with no real idea why they're fighting. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_984ef9ef | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_984ef9ef | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_984ef9ef | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9c1f758a | type |
Kill It with Fire | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9c1f758a | comment |
Kill It with Fire: The aliens favor incendiary rounds in their weapons, and one can see blackened burns on every Marine who gets wounded. Their flying saucers also like to take massive incendiary grenade/rocket launchers and sweep them over neighborhoods, and their walking tank fires what's essentially a big exploding ball of flame. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9c1f758a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9c1f758a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_9c1f758a | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a2b38d3b | type |
Eye Scream | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a2b38d3b | comment |
Eye Scream: Guerrero is blinded after being blasted in the face by one of the aliens' guns. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a2b38d3b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a2b38d3b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a2b38d3b | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a4916876 | type |
Blown Across the Room | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a4916876 | comment |
Blown Across the Room: More understated than most examples, but the aliens' weapons consistently hit with enough force to knock humans over. Glancing hits consistently knock Marines off their feet unless the shot goes completely through their bodies. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a4916876 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a4916876 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a4916876 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a6b14ee1 | type |
Hollywood Tactics | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a6b14ee1 | comment |
Hollywood Tactics: Averted. The Marines use real tactics. It's also subverted and invoked in the beginning — the aliens initially have no air support and the US military attempts to exploit this by arranging for a carpet bombing of the coastal neighborhoods of LA. This plan changes once the aliens get their drones in the air. Notably, the alien soldiers also act like, well, soldiers, and use tactics as well, such as Hand Signals. The aliens also appear to take out all human anti-aircraft weapons, since none of the ones firing at the beginning of the invasion are firing on the drones. The CH-46 Sea Knights fly down along the beach toward the FOB because artillery is being fired into the urban areas in Santa Monica. Helicopters in general are routed around areas where artillery is being fired to avoid being hit by airborne shells. This also conveniently justifies a Scenery Gorn scene as the Marines are flown in. Zigzagged with the plan to bomb Santa Monica: while it's based on real-life emergency plans in case of a West Coast invasion of LA, modern air theory and experiences have led to the conclusion that carpet bombing is inefficient and not cost-effective for the amount of effort and munitions expended. On the other hand, the movie is ambiguous on what they're going to use; it could be a carpet-bombing or it could be simply very free use of regular munitions or even tactical nuclear strikes. All that's said is that the Air Force is going to bomb everything within Santa Monica to oblivion. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a6b14ee1 | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a6b14ee1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a6b14ee1 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a7f4710f | type |
Mood Dissonance | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a7f4710f | comment |
Mood Dissonance: Leading up to the character squad's first encounter. There's smoke from weapons fire, abandoned cars, charred corpses, the sounds of distant explosions, not a living being in sight. The squad hears something, gets to cover with weapons trained on the direction the sound comes from, waiting for an alien to pop out of the smoke... and up runs someone's pet dog. Cue about half a minute of relieved comments, relaxing, joking about the dog's name (Glenn), soundtrack's calmed down, viewers think it'll be another five or ten minutes of walking to the fight, maybe with an animal sidekick... And then the silence is broken by a screeching alien battle cry and enemy troops opening fire. Explosions, shots raining down from multiple rooftops as well as the direction the dog ran in from, dramatic music and screaming both start up, and one of the Marines gets dragged off into the scenery. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a7f4710f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a7f4710f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a7f4710f | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a8a4b41e | type |
Not So Stoic | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a8a4b41e | comment |
Not So Stoic: Nantz's controlled demeanor cracks three times. The first is when he blows up the drone in the gas station, where his fingers tremble uncontrollably afterward.note Although that could be simple adrenaline shock. The second is when Martinez is about to blow himself up, where he flips out and starts screaming at him that he won't let more people die again like he did back in Iraq. The third time is when he confronts Lockett — who believes him to be uncaring about his men and unfit for duty — and explains to him that the faces, names, and serial numbers of every man who died under his command haunt him every day. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a8a4b41e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a8a4b41e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a8a4b41e | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a950584d | type |
Combining Mecha | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a950584d | comment |
Combining Mecha: The aliens have wedge-shaped hovering gunships which can link up to form roughly saucer-shaped aerial battle platforms. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a950584d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a950584d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_a950584d | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aaece264 | type |
Rousing Speech | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aaece264 | comment |
Rousing Speech: Nantz gives one to his remaining soldiers at the FOB before their last attempt to escape the city. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aaece264 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aaece264 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aaece264 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac2094ca | type |
Red Shirt | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac2094ca | comment |
Red Shirt: Pretty much any unnamed Marine. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac2094ca | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac2094ca | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac2094ca | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac7471b0 | type |
The Dead Have Names | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac7471b0 | comment |
The Dead Have Names: Nantz was responsible for the deaths of four Marines in Iraq, one of whom was the brother of one of the men under his command. At one of the most quiet and dramatic moments in the movie, he lists off the names, ranks, and serial numbers of each of those men, showing that their deaths still haunt him. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac7471b0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac7471b0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ac7471b0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aeef473a | type |
ShakyCam | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aeef473a | comment |
Shaky Cam: The camera is constantly moving and audiences were reportedly getting nauseous because of it. The filmmakers were fully aware that this might happen and refused to do a 3D conversion because the additional effect would have probably caused people to vomit. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aeef473a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aeef473a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_aeef473a | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b2cdd776 | type |
Bottomless Magazines | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b2cdd776 | comment |
Bottomless Magazines: Averted — the chaingun is explicitly stated to only have 250 rounds before they even use it, and one of the Marines mentions being low on ammo. The humans also frequently have to throw magazines to each other. Unlike the aliens, the humans avoid More Dakka. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b2cdd776 | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b2cdd776 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b2cdd776 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b5ba2c2b | type |
It's Raining Men | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b5ba2c2b | comment |
It's Raining Men: The aliens and their equipment land just offshore after an atmospheric insertion in giant asteroid-like ships. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b5ba2c2b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b5ba2c2b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b5ba2c2b | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b6c94487 | type |
Invaded States of America | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b6c94487 | comment |
Invaded States of America: American is one of 20 countries under attack by the aliens. At the start of the movie New York City has fallen, Boston and Los Angeles are under siege, and San Francisco and San Diego are presumed lost as well. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b6c94487 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b6c94487 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b6c94487 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b7c53a22 | type |
Blood Knight | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b7c53a22 | comment |
Blood Knight: Kerns is eager to get back into combat, though it's clear that he has PTSD. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b7c53a22 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b7c53a22 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b7c53a22 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b89ab683 | type |
Hyper-Competent Sidekick | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b89ab683 | comment |
Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Lance Corporal Lee Imlay. Lt. Martinez even singles him out as the squad's best marksman when briefing Nantz before their deployment. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b89ab683 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b89ab683 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_b89ab683 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_bc00493f | type |
Precision F-Strike | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_bc00493f | comment |
Precision F-Strike: Nantz: "Let's show these bastards who they're fuckin' with." | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_bc00493f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_bc00493f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_bc00493f | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2d978fe | type |
Car Fu | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2d978fe | comment |
Car Fu: Aliens, meet a Marine LAV armed with a Bushmaster and a hell of a lot of momentum. The aliens do it effectively during a battle on a freeway, sending rockets to make cars smash some unfortunate Marines and National Guard soldiers. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2d978fe | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2d978fe | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2d978fe | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2f7db18 | type |
Alien Blood | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2f7db18 | comment |
Alien Blood: The aliens have translucent yellow blood. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2f7db18 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2f7db18 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c2f7db18 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c3c18143 | type |
Hope Spot | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c3c18143 | comment |
Hope Spot: In the middle of the highway battle, Lockett takes control of a .50 caliber machine gun in an abandoned Humvee and uses that to blow up the alien troops on the upper highway that have been shooting up the rest of the platoon. Enemy fire drops off, and the Marines start cheering. Then the Walking Tank shows up. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c3c18143 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c3c18143 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c3c18143 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c5249b29 | type |
Nice Guy | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c5249b29 | comment |
Nice Guy: Doc. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c5249b29 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c5249b29 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c5249b29 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c8a8c595 | type |
Retirony | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c8a8c595 | comment |
Retirony: Nantz is two days from retiring from the Marines when the movie starts. Subverted, in that he survives the events of the movie and goes right back into the war without hesitation at the end. In fact, it's precisely because he's about to retire that he is able to cope with the deaths of others and adapt quickly, whereas the younger troops aren't ready for so gruesome a battle. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c8a8c595 | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c8a8c595 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_c8a8c595 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_caf8c66c | type |
The Chains of Commanding | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_caf8c66c | comment |
The Chains of Commanding: Nantz has to deal with the guilt and memory of several Marines he led to their deaths in Iraq before the alien invasion. Martinez has to deal with the stress of this being his first combat deployment, particularly when the casevac helicopter carrying four of his wounded Marines is shot down. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_caf8c66c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_caf8c66c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_caf8c66c | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_cc28f3bf | type |
Not That Kind of Doctor | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_cc28f3bf | comment |
Not That Kind of Doctor: By a veterinarian who helped them find the right spot to shoot the aliens, and in the process averting Open Heart Dentistry. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_cc28f3bf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_cc28f3bf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_cc28f3bf | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d2f577a1 | type |
Lead the Target | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d2f577a1 | comment |
Lead the Target: Blink and you'll miss it, but in one scene, Santos does this against one of the drones with an unguided single-shot rocket launcher. You can see her targeting the drone, but then she aims in front of it and intercepts it midflight. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d2f577a1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d2f577a1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d2f577a1 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d525f857 | type |
Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d525f857 | comment |
Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale: Thoroughly averted. According to the tie-in website, the aliens are bringing a massive invasion force numbering well in excess of thirty million soldiers. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d525f857 | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d525f857 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d525f857 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d861e4f8 | type |
War Crime Subverts Heroism | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d861e4f8 | comment |
War Crime Subverts Heroism: The sequence where Nantz stabs, cuts, and tears at a still-living alien to figure out where to hit it to kill it, all while it weakly writhes in obvious agony. Unlike most such scenes, there's no accompanying moral commentary on the action; the viewer is left to decide themselves between whether or not Nantz's are cruel or justified. It's an interesting case, given that Nantz actually is not trying to torture it, but rather trying to learn how to kill the alien efficiently; it just takes him a while to figure exactly out how to do that, as the aliens' anatomy is unlike anything ever seen on Earth. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d861e4f8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d861e4f8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_d861e4f8 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dae5c997 | type |
Action Girl | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dae5c997 | comment |
Action Girl: Tech Sergeant Santos. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dae5c997 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dae5c997 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dae5c997 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db165dcf | type |
Doomed Hurt Guy | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db165dcf | comment |
Doomed Hurt Guy: All of the squad members injured in the first act are loaded onto an evac helicopter which is promptly shot down by an enemy ship. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db165dcf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db165dcf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db165dcf | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db4b76d1 | type |
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db4b76d1 | comment |
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: The above mentioned Precision F-Strike is delivered just before the final assault on the drone control center. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db4b76d1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db4b76d1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_db4b76d1 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dcd29760 | type |
They Would Cut You Up | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dcd29760 | comment |
They Would Cut You Up: A pragmatic variant. Staff Sergeant Nantz, Navy Hospital Corpsman Adukwu, and Michele (a veterinarian) cut open a wounded alien, not to save its life, but to figure out how to kill it efficiently so the Marines don't waste their ammo. They discover that the aliens' heads are purely sensory organs, and their brains are behind their "hearts". | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dcd29760 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dcd29760 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dcd29760 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dda12cb3 | type |
Cat Scare | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dda12cb3 | comment |
Cat Scare: The first firefight begins with a dog walking by. Shortly afterward, the dryer going off right behind Lenihan. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dda12cb3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dda12cb3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_dda12cb3 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e061d153 | type |
Sergeant Rock | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e061d153 | comment |
Sergeant Rock: Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz. A veteran NCO with twenty years in the Corps and multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt, he is firm, decisive, and courageous in combat, and knows when to yell at someone and when to build them back up. When LT Martinez slips into a Heroic BSoD, Nantz not only snaps him out of it, but is careful to do so away from the men to avoid undermining Martinez. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e061d153 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e061d153 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e061d153 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e431c24c | type |
Not Quite Dead | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e431c24c | comment |
Not Quite Dead: Played with, then aggressively defied. Lenihan puts half a magazine into an alien, causing it to fall into a pool and out of sight. He doesn't drop his guard, and fires at a slight movement in the water. The rest of the team arrives and the alien springs back up, taking a barrage of bullets for its efforts. Without missing a beat, Nantz orders a grenade dropped in the pool. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e431c24c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e431c24c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e431c24c | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e4d39e54 | type |
Mars Needs Water | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e4d39e54 | comment |
Mars Needs Water: The alien invaders are sucking up the oceans. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e4d39e54 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e4d39e54 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e4d39e54 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e50987a9 | type |
Reconstruction | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e50987a9 | comment |
Reconstruction: The movie takes many of the old cliches of war movies: the old Sergeant Rock who is just about to retire, the New Meat lieutenant, the scared private, The Lad-ette, and so on, and makes them work. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e50987a9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e50987a9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e50987a9 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e5421161 | type |
Expy | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e5421161 | comment |
Expy: Simmons has more than a few similar qualities to Hudson, both of whom are overconfident marines who, after their squad is attacked by a hostile alien race, freaks out and goes into hysterics. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e5421161 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e5421161 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e5421161 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e68b72 | type |
The Load | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e68b72 | comment |
The Load: The civilians that the Marines are sent in to evacuate. Unlike most examples, they generally avoid getting in the way, and the two adults try to help as best they can. One of them is a veterinarian and helps dissect the wounded alien in the police station, and the other helps in combat by dragging the wounded to safety, at one point picking up a dropped assault rifle and shooting one of the aliens. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e68b72 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e68b72 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_e68b72 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_eb8ec7c8 | type |
Jerkass | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_eb8ec7c8 | comment |
Jerkass: Pretty much every Marine that insults Nantz for his Once Done, Never Forgotten moment in Iraq. They seem to assume that he willingly got his whole squad killed. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_eb8ec7c8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_eb8ec7c8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Battle: Los Angeles | hasFeature |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_eb8ec7c8 | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ed2bbf8a | type |
You Are in Command Now | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ed2bbf8a | comment |
You Are in Command Now: The mortally wounded Lieutenant Martinez invokes this to Nantz just before his Heroic Sacrifice. telling Nantz to get the rest of the squad out before the aliens overwhelm them. | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ed2bbf8a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Fantastic Caste System | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_edcc813f | comment |
Fantastic Caste System: The aliens have a minor example of this, with several different biological variations on their soldiers depending on roles. You've got your basic soldiers, very tall, floating, and gangly leaders, and smaller troops dedicated to operating support weapons and scouting. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_f03efcdb | type |
Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f03efcdb | comment |
Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong: While not a reproductive example, T/SGT Elena Santos gets a faceful of alien guts — even in her mouth—from shooting one point-blank, causing the Marine riding shotgun to joke, "You let him do you on a first date." | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_f12c6fb1 | type |
Surprisingly Sudden Death | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f12c6fb1 | comment |
Surprisingly Sudden Death: The aliens' tendency towards water allows them to launch deadly surprise attacks from unexpected directions. One tries it early on in the film, only to get shot up... twice. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_f1d6144a | type |
War Is Hell | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f1d6144a | comment |
War Is Hell: Definitely played this way. Combat is chaotic, noisy, and hellish. Soldiers have breakdowns, there's a scene that would be torture for any other reason but the way they're doing it (they're trying to figure out how to kill the thing as quickly as possible, not trying to cause it a lot of pain), pretty much every other scene where Nantz's unit is walking down a street there's at least one dead civilian, plus the panorama of the wrecked beach with smoking craters, hundreds of bodies, and wrecked vehicles everywhere. | |
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Hover Tank | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f37bf401 | comment |
Hover Tank: One makes a brief appearance in the end before getting blown up. Since it appears to mount only antipersonnel weapons, it's probably more of a Hover Infantry Fighting Vehicle. | |
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Deadline News | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f4d00fb0 | comment |
Deadline News: A journalist and cameraman covering the aliens' landing are the unfortunate victims of the first rocket barrage. | |
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All Your Base Are Belong to Us | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f4fd424c | comment |
All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The aliens are there to colonize Earth. They need liquid water for their technology, and it will take a long time to gather it all. | |
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Product Placement | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f511ea9b | comment |
Product Placement: Being funded by Sony, the film features a number of Sony products, such as Marines using Sony laptops, and a billboard advertising Resistance 3. The squad passes by a RE/MAX real estate office before they get to the police station. There's a pristine Pepsi Max sign that can be seen in the background around that time as well. The drop-off point where the street-by-street deployments are laid out is in a Domino's Pizza shop. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_f56aeb67 | type |
Alien Invasion | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f56aeb67 | comment |
Alien Invasion: Of the "All-Out Attack" variety. All major cities near a coast are being attacked. A scientist seen on TV during the movie surmises that the aliens are there to colonize Earth, which explains them shooting anything that moves instead of just concentrating on military targets like they would if they had any other plans. | |
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Darkest Hour | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_f91d1d4f | comment |
Darkest Hour: The FOB has been wiped off of the map, and a helicopter pilot picks up Nantz's squad and tells him that the military is abandoning the city. | |
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Attack Drone | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_fb9afaab | comment |
Attack Drone: The aliens make use of unmanned "Wedge Ships" that, according to the tie-in website, can go Mach 7 (which explains why aliens get air superiority easily) and can combine to form Flying Saucers, which are essentially bombers/gunships that pack more firepower to pound the ground. | |
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The Mothership | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_fd87290b | comment |
The Mothership: Each city being attacked has one massive Command and Control center that commands all the drones. | |
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Battle: Los Angeles / int_fda454ec | type |
Every Bullet is a Tracer | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_fda454ec | comment |
Every Bullet is a Tracer: For the aliens, anyway, since their guns either fire incendiary rounds, or are energy bolts. | |
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Innocently Insensitive | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ff17ccf1 | comment |
Innocently Insensitive: Back at base, Lenihan questions why the rest of the squad are unhappy about Nantz being assigned to them given his stellar combat record, prompting Lockett to react angrily and storm off, forcing Imlay to explain one of the men killed under Nantz's command in Iraq was Lockett's brother. Cue an Oh, Crap! reaction for Lenihan. | |
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Shown Their Work | |
Battle: Los Angeles / int_ffad4e9f | comment |
Shown Their Work: The tactics used by both the Marines and the alien invaders are actually quite competent, and this shows. The invaders use realistic tactics like area-denial barrages with artillery, and set up a highly-effective ambush by herding the Marines into a boxed-in position between houses where they fire on the human troops from the rooftops, using hand-signals and suppressive fire. When the aliens emerge from the water, they do so in a loose, staggered formation, with what looks to be a five-meter spread. This is pretty much the best way move from deep water to land on foot while potentially coming under fire, as being that spread out limits the effectiveness of grenades and artillery. Tech Sergeant Santos is from an Air Force Wing near Los Angeles, the soldiers are from a National Guard infantry division with many units in California. | |
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