Invasion Earth
My Top Three Earth invasion movies:
- Pacific Rim
- Battle: Los Angeles
- Independence Day
My first completed novel was the first book in a planned trilogy about the invasion of Earth by vicious aliens with telekinetic powers. It was a massive, thousand-character monstrosity that spanned the globe. Complete with a teenaged Russian sniper of questionable morals, a time-traveling Air Force Captain, and lemons. It's in the trunk where stories that don't have a future go and will remain there forever. But it was fun and it taught me a lot of things about writing and story structure and finishing things.
I love alien invasion films, even though the premises are mostly ridiculous. All three of the above are predicated on the idea that the invasion force is here for our resources, which come on. You live in this vast universe with trillions of planets and you come to our piddley-dink planet for its water?
But, I am always willing to suspend my enormous amount of disbelief for that particular plot point when the movie itself does such an amazing job making you care enough about the characters that the rest of it doesn't really matter in the end. Which is why these three movies reign supreme in the genre.
The cast of Pacific Rim is amazing (even with Charlie Hunnam not being able to decide which accent he's doing at any given second). Rinko Kuchki carries that film. The Drift is inspired; a perfect way to describe how people who click can fight together so seamlessly. All the side characters hold their distinct weight - Ron Perlman and Idris Elba of course bringing such a depth to the film I don't think anyone else could have achieved from their mere presence. And giant monsters! Giant Robots punching Giant Monsters!
Best of all, not ruined by a kissing scene at the very end, but by the perfectly platonic love of a forehead touch. I will be forever grateful to Guillermo del Toro for doing that.
Battle: Los Angeles got roundly panned when it came out, though the things the critics hated about it are exactly what I loved. The focus on the story is the people, not the conflict (again aliens attack the world for resources, yawn, seen it). Aaron Ekhart is brilliant as a on the way out Marine staff sergeant with a shit-ton of ghosts trailing behind him. Ramon Rodriguez as the bright eyed Marine lieutenant who is not fucking prepared for war. And Michelle Rodriguez as the super smart Air Force tech sergeant who I adore in anything but her "I didn't get this far on my good looks" rebuttal is pure gold.
I love the chaotic action of this film, the panic of war, the utter devastation of seeing war come to your front door. The human capacity for kindness (that scene of the kid grabbing a gloved hand of one of the Marines gets me every time). Our fucking ingenuity when up against an unknown enemy. And the absolutely deep cut of trying to lead people through a battle knowing you're going to lose some or all, even though you don't want to and your goal is to get them home safe. Ekhart's a rock on that front, his performance is stunning. I watch this movie at least three times a year.
And, do I really need to go over why Independence Day is amazing? Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Mary McDonnell. Utter ridiculousness on many levels but it's a film that doesn't take itself too seriously which is why I think it did so well. Some perfect comedic timing: "I could've been at a barbeque!" and the touch of some people being super excited to see the aliens was chef's kiss.
There's of course the very unbelievable "of course our electronics are compatible" moment, which I had a nod to in Ghosts of Trappist because I couldn't resist. (even though it wasn't technically alien) Now while Independence Day does end up focusing more on the alien invasion plot bit, the interesting parts are always the characters and their interactions with each other as the event unfolds around them.
And at the end of the day that's why stories resonate with us, because we get attached to the characters. We care what happens to them. We want them to make it out alive - we cry when they don't. I care so much less about the science and the plot of things when I have characters who make it all worthwhile. That's what telling stories is really about for me.
Love,
K
Currently Reading:
This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets, edited by Kwame Alexander
The Bone Raiders, by Jackson Ford
The Ganymedan, by R.T. Ester
Currently Listening:
The sounds of Olympic hockey
Where you can find me these days:
Bluesky: @kbwagers.com
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