Alita Battle Angel (2019) Review

Hugo: We go back we'll be on the run forever

Alita: But we'll be on the run together

 I’ve been a huge fan of Battle Angel Alita for over twenty years. I read the manga, watched the OVA, played the PlayStation game, and listened to the soundtracks multiple times. So naturally I was stoked when it was announced that 20th Century Fox purchased the rights and that James Cameron was involved with it... this was nearly twenty years ago. I waited patiently for it and waited some more. Then the trailer was released and I was super excited for it. Then the release date kept getting pushed back. So I waited some more. Was Alita Battle Angel worth my many years waiting? Why yes, yes it was.

  Alita Battle Angel isn’t a perfect film, but then again what film is other than Blade Runner 2049? I only have one minor complaint about the film and that’s all. Usually when I watch films nowadays I can’t help, but to find many faults in the film. I didn’t really do that with Alita. 

     The film is about disembodied female cyborg that still has a fully intact brain and heart who is found by an idealistic scientist who repairs her. She awakens, but cannot remember who she is and goes on a quest to discover who she is. She finds her humanity, willingly opens her heart to those she loves, and in the process takes out narcissistic robotic guys who underestimate her power due to her innocent demeanor. The love story is believable and I don’t understand that critics said it wasn’t believable since she has a cyborg body, but they loved 'HER' where the protagonist falls in love with an operating system.

   Usually when a film has a big budget, like Alita did, that usually means the company wants to franchise it. Milk it for all it’s worth. That’s why I don’t really like the films they think will be blockbusters because they really push the 3D on it. It’s not 3D because it’s not even shot in 3D. It’s shot in 2D and converted into 3D, an example being Clash of the Titans. The 3D with those types of films are just bad and nauseating in my opinion. The 3D films that James Cameron are involved in are truly phenomenal from Avatar to Life of Pi and now Alita. The 3D offers more visual delight to the whole film experience.

   Alita could very well be a franchise for one reason… and that’s actually Alita. Franchises are based on the protagonist. This is why films that were made to be franchises like Mortal Instruments fail because people just don’t like them. Then others succeed like Lord of the Rings or Indiana Jones. I hope that Alita will be just as iconic or more so than Katniss (Hunger Games) or any of the X-Men. The film definitely needs to make Fast & Furious type of money. She’s a character that is made for a franchise.

 

    Rosa Salazar shines as Alita. She’s everything you want a protagonist to be. You just can’t help, but to root for her. She’s more than a strong badass female character. She loves, she kills, and she’s driven by a strong moral code. “I do not stand by in the presence of evil,” she tells her opponent. It’s certainly clear she means it as well. Alita is a marvel of what CGI can do. So with Salazar’s terrific performance and adding that CGI really steps up those anime aspects. Then there’s Christoph Waltz as Dr. Ido. Of course he gave a good performance as he plays her father figure in a way. Keenan Johnson played Hugo perfectly as well. I was happy with all the performances. All the actors did justice to their characters.

    My only complaint about the film is that it has some awkward dialogue due to its narrative. The film has so much going on and it definitely doesn’t have the 2049 level of storytelling. It’s understandable since for the most part it follows the manga and James Cameron is involved so it means not much dialogue.

   I don’t understand what’s going on with critics nowadays. It has a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes by the critics, while the general every day audience gave it a 94%. It kind of reminds me of the Last Jedi, but in reverse. The critics gave it a 91% while the audience gave it a 45% (which deserves to be lower in my opinion).

   If you love anime/ manga you’ll love Alita Battle Angel. There’s big eyes, humungous swords, slow motion, eye popping color, and enough action to fuel a city. The Motorball scene is a beautiful ballet of cyborg bloodshed. It’s as if Robocop and Blade Runner had a baby and named her Alita.

   I found it to be a great adaption, especially Alita herself. She was perfect in every way. It was easy to forget that she’s CGI. Forget Captain Marvel Alita is the superhero film you need to see. I really hope it does well overseas so they greenlight the two planned sequels. It’s one of the best action films I’ve witnessed since MAD MAX Fury Road and John Wick. It’s arguably the best live-action film based on a manga and in the top science fiction films. It’s safe to say Alita Battle Angel is one of the greatest cinema experiences of my life. If it doesn’t get a sequel, much like Blade Runner 2049, I’ll just be happy that the film exists and I was able to see it as many times as I could.

5 out of 5

See it on the biggest screen possible and definitely in 3D.