Half-baked subplot dooms 'Battle: Los Angeles'

They just won't leave us alone.

Aliens attack a major U.S. city (again) in "Battle: Los Angeles," a relentless sci-fi noise machine that crosses "Independence Day" with "Black Hawk Down."

The movie is non-stop action, pausing only for the occasional rah-rah, let's get 'er done inspirational speech. If only the filmmakers had managed to squeeze a substantive story into the mix.

Aaron Eckhart plays Sgt. Michael Nantz, a decorated hero who, after a traumatic wartime incident, has decided to retire from the Marines.

Sadly, some alien-piloted meteors pummel into Earth's atmosphere and begin to invade the world's most populated cities. Can't this guy catch a break?

The film briefly introduces a slew of other soldiers, all of whom become virtually unrecognizable once the mayhem begins. Though their names are titled onscreen at their introduction, you'll soon be identifying them as "mustache guy," "glasses guy" or "Michelle Rodriguez."

Director Jonathan Liebesman fills "Battle: Los Angeles" with countless skirmishes between the Marines and the aliens, seen only faintly through smoke and swift editing from the School of Michael Bay. A few sequences are well-executed and deliver a healthy dose of excitement.

Most, however, are mashed together with irritating, documentary-style cinematography (aka shaky-cam) that sacrifices basic coherence for a false sense of hyper-realism.

And don't attempt to overanalyze the alien plot or the military's basic strategy against the foreign threat. On the human side, the only chance of victory lies in the hands of Michelle Rodriguez - and she's not exactly playing a super-genius here.

Most irritating about "Battle: Los Angeles" is the half-baked subplot involving Sgt. Nantz's past, and how his fellow soldiers essentially don't trust him to "get their backs." Apparently, whenever an enemy kills a Marine, it's Nantz's fault. I say, 'Grow up, whiners.' The world is being colonized by millions of hard-to-kill robot monsters.

It's not going to be all sunshine and lollipops.

Action junkies might get a mild adrenaline rush from "Battle: Los Angeles." Those with enough experience watching better war movies and alien-invasion yarns will be bored with the gunfighting after 30 minutes. At least there are a few truly awful lines of dialogue to raise the spirits. Just wait for Bridget Moynahan's character to proudly announce herself as a veterinarian and how that couldn't have anything less to do with alien invasion.

Grade: C

Ticket Stubs is sponsored by the Hayden Cinema Six Theater. For showtimes, visit www.HaydenCinema6.com. Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.