Alita: Battle Angel Review
PG-13: Sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language
20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, Troublemaker Studios, TSG Entertainment
2 Hrs and 2 Minutes
Dir: Robert Rodriguez | Writers: James Cameron, Laeta Kalogridis
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson
When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyberphysician who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg core is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city, headed by Vector (Mahershala Ali), come after Ido and Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities ingrained in her that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
Manga novel adaptations haven’t always been handled well by Hollywood. Just a few years back we had Ghost in the Shell, starring everyone’s favorite Asian actress Scarlett Johansson, and it was meh. Alita: Battle Angel, on the other hand, is truly a ton of fun thanks to the direction of Robert Rodriguez. With Alita, Rodriguez put all of his flavor and effort on screen. Since this is his first major big-budgeted feature since Predators, he incorporates the fun energy and consistent palette of Spy Kids (specifically Game Over) mixed with the brutal badass violence and stylishness of Sin City.
The film is the definition of a visual spectacle. Though Iron City may be completely CGI, not only does it look real and immersive, but the city is always moving with liveliness. It kind of compensates for all the release date delays. It may be early in the year, but this already seems like a major contender when it comes to the best visual effects of 2019. The CGI is so heavily detailed from head to toe, from the cybernetic characters, the environments, and especially the lead character, that you’re immersed right in the middle of the adventure. That said, go see this in 3D, IMAX, or any premium format you can find because this a visual spectacle to be witnessed in that form. 3D has been really dead, or lacking, for a lil while so I hope this creates some type of resurgence for it.
Alita herself is an amazing character. Rosa Salazar is great and gives an Andy Serkis-caliber motion capture performance. I definitely have to mention the fact that those baby eyes are adorable. Those big anime eyes are only given to her and no other cyborgs. The other cyborgs have great body designs but their faces are just their faces, except for Salazar. I can just imagine Rodriguez in the visual effects department room saying:
Alita’s curiosity and innocence in the new world she’s throw into powers the story as you’re witnessing everything through her perspective. A decade after that Astro Boy animated film, which might’ve been the best manga film adaptation to date, Alita arrives and acquires some of the narrative elements from that film and enhances them, if not furthers them deeper. The relationship Alita shares with her creator/father bears the same narrative beats as Astro and Tenma, but here it feels more developed.
On the surface, I think Alita: Battle Angel is the first manga adaptation that doesn’t suck. There are stupid moments within scenes as opposed to scenes being monumentally stupid, but that all lies in the script. Honestly, I was in love with this movie up to the midpoint when Alita’s memory arc concludes. After Alita’s arc is fully completed, the film focuses more on the romance between her and Hugo, which is cute and all, but it joins the familiar lines of YA novels. I’m all for the cyborg/human romance subplot, but it overtakes the main story of her character by the second half and the emotions get muddled and/or too rushed.
Mahershala Ali is really miscast here. He has a onenote voice throughout and only serves smug looks. He’s supposed to be this intimidating pawn of a bigger villain named Nova (who, believe me, is a weaker-looking dude when revealed that it makes you go: WHAT?!) He has a look but doesn’t deliver much of a performance. He doesn’t even try to scowl either and he never comes across as any real threat.
Now, my major problem with Alita: Battle Angel is its target audience. I have absolutely no idea who this film was made for. I mentioned how this film is Spy Kids and Sin City meshed together and that really applies to the script, which was written by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis. The action is brutal and violent but the dialogue is very inconsistent. This is a movie that consists of Mortal Kombat-type fatalities. While the film is fun, it heavily lacks any major opposing threats to Alita, for none of her enemies seem intimidating. They look like a threat but their dialogue is bad. The major baddie is played by Jackie Earle Haley who keeps referring to Alita as a little flea, even after stating how “the world is not so innocent.” He just keeps saying crap. As a matter of fact, the most-used curse word IS “CRAP”! During that same sequence, Alita is the one who drops the F-bomb and then, as the film progresses, still goes back to saying “crap”. Back in the 80s this would be a PG movie. It makes use of a PG-13 rating, but at least be consistent with it rather than try to skew to a younger audience when your appeal should be teenagers and older.
Memo to future action blockbusters that want to franchise: STOP SETTING UP FOR SEQUELS DURING YOUR CONCLUSION! Why?! Just be self-contained. Is that so hard? Have a servicable conclusion instead of a rushed one and deliver an actual ending. Leave it open-ended. It’s not that hard. Spider-Verse was able to do it and I advise other films to follow suit before you try to set yourself up for a sequel. Just look at Azula in Airbender or that skynet girl in Terminator: Genisys.
While riddled with flaws, Alita: Battle Angel is an effortful and fun action-packed visual spectacle that needs to be seen especially on a big screen. It’s not only the first Manga film adaptation that doesn’t suck, but it’s just a fun time at the movies overall.
Rating: 3.5/5 | 72%
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