(M) ***

Director: Jonathan Liebesman.

Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Peña, Ne-Yo, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan.

WAR films haven't been the same since Steven Spielberg grabbed the handicam and created the opening battle sequences of Saving Private Ryan, throwing the general public into the middle of the firefight to great effect.

That in-the-thick-of-it soldier's perspective is the driving force in this shakily shot war movie, which is only set aside from the likes of Black Hawk Down by its suitably Spielbergian central twist - the enemy is an invading force of aliens.

Leading the charge in this war/sci-fi mash-up is the always great Aaron Eckhart as Staff Sergeant Nantz, a "too-old-for-this-$#@!" veteran who is roped back into the Marine Corps for "one last job" when the aliens land.

If you think that's cliched, there's more - he's also haunted by his last tour of duty, of which he was the only survivor. Now, he's helping to lead a ragtag bunch of marines into an alien-controlled section of LA in search of civilians hiding out in a police station behind enemy lines.

For all its unsubtleties and obviousness, Battle: Los Angeles is still enjoyable because it does a good job at living up to its title. The start is even shakier than the camerawork though - we get an unneccesary glimpse at the battle ahead, followed by a perfunctory "24 hours earlier" introduction to the soldiers that is raced through so as to get to the shooting as soon as possible.

And then it's into the home-turf war against an unknown enemy, which is where the film works best. While it feels like a cross between a first-person shooter (video game) such as Call Of Duty and an ad for the military, there's a sense of tension and a well-executed approach to the chaotic shoot-outs and endless explosions that makes it worth watching. The Jaws-esque trick (another Spielberg debt) of not showing off its aliens until later on is also something of a masterstroke.

Battle: Los Angeles nevers wants to be anything more than a war movie with aliens and there is no pretense otherwise. Smartly, it takes a breather from the guns-and-ammo about three-quarters of the way through to inject some much needed emotion (and a reprieve from the kabooms and ratatats), which is where Eckhart comes into his own. Michelle Rodriguez, who seems to have cornered the market on no-nonsense arse-kicking military women, is also effective. And then its back into the shooting.

Don't expect too much more than a gritty tour of duty against ET's angry cousins and you'll be totally satisfied.