I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into “Alita: Battle Angel.”
The sci-fi movie was originally supposed to drop in theaters last Christmas, but was moved to 2019 due to a glut of releases on the original opening date (including “Aquaman”).
The film is based on a Japanese manga series by Yukito Kishiro.
The biggest selling point of the movie is the fact that the screenplay was written by James Cameron (he also produced the movie).
As is the case with anything Cameron has his fingerprints on, the movie took years to get made. Robert Rodriguez (“Desperado”) was brought in to direct.
The plot, in its most “non-spoilery” form, is about a cyborg named Alita. It is the 26th century (pay particular attention to the “26th Century Fox” logo at the beginning of the movie). A brutal war known as “The Fall” left Earth ravaged in 2563.
The main narrative of “Alita: Battle Angel” takes place in Iron City (an Earth-bound metropolis). Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) is a top-notch scientist in the city — sort of a techno surgeon who builds/repairs cyborgs, and those with mechanical appendages.
During a trip to the junkyard to scavenge parts, Ido finds the remnants of a female cyborg with an intact human brain. He rebuilds the girl and names her “Alita” (after his deceased daughter).
She can’t remember who she is, and part of the structure of “Alita: Battle Angel” is her journey to find a sense of self.
Alita has penetrating, almond-shaped eyes. Her face is basically a permanent Snapchat filter.
A lot of the movie is spent doing sci-fi “world building” and doling out extraneous “info dumps” to get the audience up to speed. It’s an entertaining film, but sometimes feels uneven.
Alita befriends a teenage human named Hugo, who has dreams of moving to a city floating above Iron City called Zalem — home to a god-like figure known as Nova.
Hugo introduces Alita to a sport called “Motorball” (basically a high-tech — and deadly — form of roller derby).
Alita eventually discovers that her “father figure” Ido is a “Hunter-Warrior” — a bounty hunter who assassinates evil cyborgs. It is during a particularly harried sequence (when Alita is secretly following Ido) where she learns she has savage skills and has been trained in the ancient fighting style known as “Panzer Kunst.”
Before long, Alita is being hunted by evil-doers (led by an entrepreneur played by Mahershala Ali), evil cyborgs, and all manner of miscreants. She is also dealing with feelings of love for Hugo.
There is a lot to process in “Alita: Battle Angel.” The movie “almost” achieves greatness, but falls a tad bit short.
The visual effects are interesting and appealing. That is something you’d expect from a film produced by James Cameron. The craftsmanship of the film is top notch.
I give the filmmakers credit for a creating a motion-capture CG character who was compelling. That is easier said than done, and I really liked the Alita character in the movie.
I’m not sure the “fusion” of Cameron and Rodriguez quite works. I’ve enjoyed a number of Robert Rodriguez’s films over the years (like the “Desperado” and “Spy Kids” franchises), but sometimes there is a “too weird” aspect to what he does.
What would have been a “bloated masterpiece” under Cameron’s direction sort of fell flat with Rodriguez at the helm (in my opinion).
Part of that is due to the fact that the “world building” aspects in the first act took time to set up (and were among the most interesting aspects of the movie). The third act (in particular) felt rushed and the various elements seemed a bit disconnected.
The ending of “Alita: Battle Angel” also left something to be desired.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of entertaining sequences in “Alita: Battle Angel.” It kept my attention throughout, never got boring, and the visuals are really beautiful.
It just could have been stronger.
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