The movie's title and early marketing were inspired by a real historical event from .
: A group of Marines, led by Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), must rescue civilians and destroy an alien command center in a war-torn Los Angeles . subtitle Battle Los Angeles
: Just months after Pearl Harbor, jitters over a Japanese attack led U.S. forces to fire over 1,400 anti-aircraft shells at unidentified objects in the sky over Los Angeles . The movie's title and early marketing were inspired
The phrase "" most likely refers to the international release of the 2011 military sci-fi film, which was subtitled " World Invasion " in many regions . The 2011 Movie: Battle: Los Angeles forces to fire over 1,400 anti-aircraft shells at
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, the film is a "documentary-style" war movie that depicts an alien invasion through the eyes of a U.S. Marine platoon .
: No enemy aircraft were ever found. The military later attributed the event to a "false alarm" caused by a lost weather balloon and "war nerves" .
: The filmmakers focused on tactical realism, putting actors through a three-week Marine boot camp and using handheld "shaky cam" techniques to mimic real combat footage .