Whilst comic book movies have become a staple in the blockbuster landscape, Manga/Anime adaptations have had a problem getting off the ground. Dragonball: Evolution (2009, James Wong) was hated by anime fans and recently, Ghost In The Shell (2017, Rupert Sanders) failed to click with audiences. But now director Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Sin City) and Producer James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) are hoping to change that with their adaptation of the Manga series Alita: Battle Angel.
First Thoughts
This is a good movie. It's fun, exciting and action-packed. The acting in it is quite good and the VFX are incredible. Although, it's not without its problems. Tonally, the film isn't quite sure what it wants to be and the story is quite muddled.
Rosa Salazar/Alita
Rosa Salazar (The Maze Runner, Insurgent) does a really good job as the lead. She's able to do cute-as-a-button and then switches to complete badass on a dime. Alita is a very compelling character, being the most human character in the entire film, and a very good example of a female heroine done well. She's not over-powered but she's not a hopeless either. She's the perfect balance to keep her both out of this world but also quite relatable. One problem with her is that it's unclear what her motives are. Her goals change a fair bit throughout the movie. But this more to do with the movie's story problems than her character. Overall, Alita was a very likeable and interesting character.
Other Characters
Whilst the overall cast of this movie does a pretty good job, the other characters in this film don't really get to shine as much as Alita. Some of them are fairly interesting, such as Dr Ido (Christoph Waltz) and Chiren (Jennifer Connelly), but really aren't given enough time to properly dive into their characters, which is a bit annoying.
Story & Sequel-bating
Another issue with this movie is the story. Whilst it does a good job of world-building, it's not entirely sure what it wants to be. For example, With the aspect of Motorball, following in the footsteps of arena-based dystopia movies such as Hunger Games (2012, Gary Ross), The Running Man (1987, Paul Michael Glaser) and Death Race (2008, Paul Anderson). But it also has a plotline with the Bounty Hunters, which was like cyberpunk John Wick (2014, Chad Staleski). Although both of these plotlines were good, I really think the movie should have gone with one and really worked on it. Instead, the two of them together aren't fully utilised and so come off as half-assed. It also doesn’t help how sequel-dependent the movie is. Towards the end of the movie, it becomes quite clear that this movie is a set-up for a bigger sequel, which is a trap that most up-and-coming franchises fall into. So that element ruined the ending for me.
Action
In terms of action, this movie is incredible! The movie does a really good job of creating out of this world action that's highly engaging. The fight scenes Alita and other cyborgs are incredible to watch, particularly in the movie's final act in the motorball arena which is thrilling, to say the least. My only problem with the action scenes is that they were few and far between. If it had more of it then I think it might have solved some of the movie's pacing problems.
VFX
One of the things that made this movie so engaging was the incredible VFX. The work done to create Alita's look is incredible. She genuinely looks like a real person at times, it's that good! It also helps to create a fully realised world that’s very organic and immersive. The attention to detail on the CGI is astounding. I believe that it could be an early candidate for next year’s Academy Awards.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this is a fun, action-packed enjoyable experience of a movie. However, the plot does let it down due to being a bit muddled and sequel-dependant. If this movie does get a sequel then I believe that these issues could be easily solved.
So that’s my review of Alita: Battle Angel. What did you think of the movie? Do you agree or disagree with anything that I’ve said? Please leave a comment down below. And, if you liked this review then you can follow this blog for more content. Thank you for reading!
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