'Alita: Battle Angel' Review

Synopsis: Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido, a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.

Runtime: 122 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language)

Who should see it? Teens and up, as the action can be quite gruesome for PG-13.

Based on Yukito Kishiro's manga series Gunnm, Alita: Battle Angel is directed by Robert Rodriguez and features a screenplay by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis. Originally Cameron was slated to direct, but his fixation on the future of the Avatar franchise kept him preoccupied. After impressing the visionary with a condensed version of Cameron's script, Rodriguez was enlisted to helm the film adaptation by Cameron himself. Cameron still produced the feature though, and his influence is quite evident in Alita's digital aesthetic since it employs the same CG-technology utilized on Avatar. If there's one thing to be said about Alita: Battle Angel, it's that the visual effects are extraordinary.

You're undoubtedly paying first-and-foremost for sensational cybernetic spectacle, as the combat sequences and motor-ball matches are particularly eye-catching. The world itself is also quite fascinating, with a unique appearance compared to other cinematic dystopian societies. I will say though that the universe's internal logic could have been better explained, as a friend of mine familiar with the source material had to clarify a few things for me afterward. 

While I don't disagree with the consensus that Alita prioritizes style over substance, the filmmakers clearly made an effort to imbue the character and over-arching narrative with a touch of sentiment. The heart of this film is derived from the lead character, and it wouldn't function without her. Thankfully, Roza Salazar provided an excellent motion-capture performance and modern technology's progressed far enough for Alita to be well-realized on the big screen. The large eyes may look a bit peculiar at first glance, but you'll adjust to them as the story progresses. On that note, that's where I deemed Alita underwhelming. You can give me two and a half hours of thrilling action, but it ultimately doesn't matter if I'm not invested in the characters and story. Unfortunately, I just didn't care about much aside from Alita. 

With virtually no chemistry between the two leads, the romantic subplot is a bore. Otherwise, the plotting drags, and the narrative's crammed with so many other threads that it's difficult to latch onto any while dialogue teeters between being exposition-heavy and inherently cheesy. The characterization for the supporting cast is notably light as well. However, I'd say Alita's most significant drawback is that too much source material was stuffed into two hours along with sequel set-up. It'd be better served as a series with more time available to flesh out the world and characters.

As I mentioned earlier, there weren't any sparks flying between Roza Salazar's Alita and Keean Johnson's Hugo. Since Salazar's nuanced expressions and mannerism were expertly translated through motion-capture, I think this was mostly due to Johnson's wooden dialogue delivery. However, writing and direction are equally at fault. Elsewhere, Christoph Waltz, Ed Skrein, and Mahershala Ali made the most of their respective roles while Jennifer Connelly felt a bit underutilized in the grand scheme of things. I do wish these characters had been more substantial though.

In spite of its shortcomings, Alita: Battle Angel's quite endearing and awe-inspiring when all is said-and-done! It's well worth the price of admission for striking visuals and thrilling action, but be prepared for artificial, automated storytelling.

Film Assessment: B-