Alita: Battle Angel Review
Welcome to my movie review of Alita: Battle Angel. Based on the popular Manga of the same name.
Fair warning to all. There will be some spoilers in this review. So be aware of that and here we go.
Also all pictures used in this are valid under the terms of the fair use agreement of 1976.
At the time I wrote this I had gotten back from watching the movie. I'm fortunate in that there's a movie theater in walking distance of my home. I hope I can make this review as entertaining as possible for readers.
But I digress on with the review.
I had already heard good things about this movie. But I wanted to see for myself what all the hub bub was about. Alita: Battle Angel got based on the manga Battle Angel Alita.
Created by Yukito Kashiro.
The movie got produced by the team of Laeta Kalogridis and James Cameron. The director was Hollywood heavyweight Robert Rodriguez.
This film also utilized the talents of the VFX of the company Weta Digital. This film utilized advanced motion capture technology.
The story takes place in the year 2583. 300 years after the end of the war between the Earth and United Republic of Mars. Dr. Dyson Ido played by Christopher Waltz rummages through a junkyard of spare parts.
Those parts fall from the last floating city on Earth Zalem. He discovers a humanoid cyborg. Or at least the head and shoulders of one.
He immediately proceeds to put her together again. Rose Salazar who voices Alita shows she’s got true acting chops. She shows that while she is a cyborg she can think and feel for herself.
Alita begins to learn about the world of Iron City that she’s living in. It becomes clear that all is not well in this place. The day seems busy and civil enough.
But at night the city becomes a death trap for so many. And the only ones protecting it are the Bounty Hunters. Considering the number of deaths in the city it’s clear they’re not exactly the police.
And law enforcement is nonexistent in Iron city.
One of those cyborg Bounty Hunters is Zapan. Played in a sadistic fashion by British actor Ed Skrein. He was Francis Freeman Ajax from Deadpool.
He carries a particularly nasty weapon called a Damascus sword. A weapon which can go through molecules like a knife through butter. Yikes!
Alita gets help from a young man named Hugo. He's played by Keann Johnson. He becomes her love interest in the film.
What I found refreshing is that Hugo is of good heart. But he has a dirty little secret. In fact, what makes this movie so good is this.
Even the good guys in this film have stains on their conscience. That’s something that makes for great characters.
The big bad guy in this movie is a force called Nova played by Edward Norton. But the immediate enemies of Alita are Grewishka played by Jackie Earl Haley. A nasty assassin in the service of Nova.
And Vector played by Muhershala Ali. A man who controls and rigs games of Motorball the popular pass time of Iron City.
As the story progresses Alita learns more about herself and adapts. In the process there are times where her body gets destroyed. That is one of the beauties of this film.
While she does triumph it’s not without cost. Forcing her and the characters around her to change and grow. The absolute essence of good storytelling.
Alita finally gets herself a better body. She learns it's meant for a U.R.M. Berserker class battle cyborg. As the story progresses, she learns that she was part of the final assault on Earth by the U.R.M. at the end of the war with Earth.
The thing I enjoyed the most about this movie is this. While this has a lot of special effects in it, they don’t take away from the movie. And the performances given by the actors in this are very well done.
Rose Salazar’s performance in this was exceptional. I see good things for this actress’ future. Yes, she is a machine.
But this is a character who people can relate to. She expresses pain, joy, and sorrow like anyone else. And the romantic involvement with Hugo is very organic and believable.
Another thing I enjoyed was this. It introduced us to the world of Alita: Battle Angel. But it left room for sequels to learn more about this world’s history.
I liked that because it didn’t bog us down with too much backstory. All while giving enough for the viewer to say, “More, I want more!”
And I can say I was no exception to the rule.
My only real complaint is this. There is a little too much special effects. It’s not enough to take away from the story which is very strong and very well written.
Also, James Cameron, Laeta Kalogridis, and Robert Rodriguez should know this. You earned some real credit with the anime/manga community.
Alita: Battle Angel is an excellent movie. It has plenty of good special effects and a superb heartfelt storyline. The kind that draws the movie goer in to an incredible and dark world of the distant future.
This is science fiction at its best. And best of all no ham-fisted political agendas. Only pure good old-fashioned entertainment.
I recommend Alita: Battle Angel for any sci-fi enthusiast. I give this movie a solid B grade. I recommend going to see this movie in theaters.
Or buying it on DVD/Blu-Ray or getting it on a streaming service.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this review. Thank you for your attention.
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