Alita: Battle Angel boasts some pretty impressive visuals, but lacks in the story development department. For fans of the manga series that shouldn't be an issue, but for those of us trying to grasps the nuances of the characters will be disappointed in not getting the information needed to fully appreciate the world we've been exposed to.
“In this epic adventure of hope and empowerment, a cyborg, Alita (Rosa Salazar), searches for clues from her past when she awakens in a future world she does not recognize.”
Alita: Battle Angel opens with Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) searching through a giant garbage pile, remnants from a floating city above called Zalem. Buried under discarded debris, Dr. Ido finds the body of a destroyed cyborg with the torso and human brain intact. After taking it back to his lab, he repairs her, creating a new body. When she awakens, she doesn’t remember anything about her past, or even her name, taking the name Alita from Dr. Ido’s deceased daughter. Alita is eager to explore this new world she’s in, taking in all the sights and tastes of everything the town has to offer. While running errands with Dr. Ido, Alita meets Hugo (Keean Johnson). The two have an instant connection, with Hugo sharing his dream, which I’m sure is entirely unique just to him, to one day live in Zalem. With Alita wanting to spend more and more time with Hugo, Dr. Ido tells her to not stay out after dark, because there is some kind of serial killer going around murdering people. Alita hears Dr. Ido sneaking out one night and decides to follow him. To her surprise he’s trying to fight several evil cyborgs who are responsible for the killings. She intervenes just in time to save him, instinctively utilizing an impressive array of the lost martial art known as Panzer Kunst, which triggers a memory from her past. Now that her skills are out in the open, where she came from and who she is has captured the attention of several people who will stop at nothing from getting their hands on her.
Alita: Battle Angel, based on the Japanese cyberpunk manga series Battle Angel Alita, is a stellar accomplishment in visual style and action. With Robert Rodriguez directing this film with the backing of James Cameron who has wanted this project brought to the screen for years, it definitely had a leg up in terms of the state of the art filmmaking these men are known for. If nothing else, this film is a testament to Cameron’s obsession with technology and pushing the boundaries of filmmaking with new techniques and styles. Visually, Alita: Battle Angel is one of the best looking films I’ve seen in a long time, with seamless blending of special effects and human components. It isn’t perfect, per se, as there are still moments that don’t look 100% natural, mainly things like hair flow, but looking at the film as a whole in a world where there are some crazy looking cyborgs that defy imagination, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. While some people criticized the oversized manga eyes, I didn’t have an issue with it, as it respects the source material visually and is done in an interesting and unique way.
Rosa Salazar did a great job basically carrying the entire film on her shoulders, bringing to life some meaningful themes of empowerment. Christoph Waltz provides great support as well, proving what a versatile actor he truly is. Seeing what these cyborgs are capable of on screen, it’s certainly a testament to the dedication of all the actors involved doing their best to bring that to life. Jackie Earle Haley is unrecognizable as Grewishka, whose presence on screen is captivating thanks to his enormous size.
This is where my admiration for the film ends, unfortunately.
Now, I’ll admit that I haven’t read the source material, nor am I really a fan of manga in general. That being said, my issues aren’t with these facts in the slightest, but the lack of story and exposition we get from what is a nine volume series that is presented in a two hour film. There are pretty important facts that are simply glossed over, that simply lose any kind of connection I felt like I should have for these characters and the story. From the beginning, the story just doesn’t flow organically. Characters aren’t given the time they need to develop; the relationship between Dr. Ido and Dr. Chiren (Jennifer Connelly), who used to be married, but because their daughter dies she now works for a guy who basically goes around murdering people so he wins at Motorball? There’s no explanation. No substance. To me, a total meaningless character that made about zero sense in the story.
If this was the only instance of this in the film I may have been able to look past it, but it wasn’t. Far from it. Just about every scene for me seemed hollow because of the lack of any type of substance or connection. We aren’t given the information, nor the time necessary to feel like we’re on this journey with Alita at all. She goes from learning she can perform these incredible acts to instantly rallying bounty hunters together to try and take down this guy Grewishka. But really for what reason? We hear about the main antagonist of the film, Nova, only a handful of times, seeing him for only a few seconds in the entire film! How is that possible?! Reading about Robert Rodriguez cutting the script down to two hours in order to get it made, it’s obvious that he must have had to gut a lot.
The bottom line is, if you have zero connection to the manga series, you may feel like me that the entire film was way too rushed. James Cameron is doing four more Avatar films. Why not push to break this up into multiple films in order to build some kind of world that makes sense and entertains? I liked everything about the world it took place in, but just simply felt no connection with it, despite wanting to like it. It should have been broken up into multiple films from the get-go, build the universe, build the characters, have an antagonist. But, for those invested in the character and excited to see it come to the big screen then you can’t ask for a better way than to have James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez bring this visually stunning story to life.
Video
Alita: Battle Angel is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen featuring Dolby Vision. This transfer looks absolutely stunning. The dynamic meta data of the Dolby Vision ensures each scene is calibrated to look it’s best, with brilliant brights, rich colors, and deep darks.
Not only does this 4k set come with the best possible picture, it also includes a 3D Blu-ray version of the film. James Cameron helped put 3D in the mainstream with Avatar, and it’s obvious he still stands by the technology when it seems that public opinion of it has dwindled some. It’s rare to have all of this packed in one set, and visually, it’s a great treat.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos. The track sounds fantastic, utilizing every moment possible to demonstrate how impressive the quality can be. It’s a very action-oriented film, with the surrounds and atmos speakers used very well, especially in those action-heavy scenes such as the Motorball games. The score is good as well, adding a nice melancholic atmosphere, as well as tension building action sequences.
Special Features
There is a wealth of extras on this disc, enough material for any fan to enjoy long after the credits roll. These are located on the Blu-Ray disc and include:
- Alita’s World
- The Fall
- Iron City
- What It Means to be a Cyborg
- Rules of the Game
- From Manga to Screen
- Evolution of Alita
- Motorball
- London Screening Q&A
- 10 Minute Cooking School: Chocolate
- 2005 Art Compilation (2019)
- Scene Deconstruction
Although the film may fall flat for those who don’t know the history of the character and rely solely on the film to paint the picture, it still succeeds at providing a visually stunning technical achievement that James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez both brought with them. Fans of the series may be able to look past all the film’s inconsistencies, but for those who can’t, the film is still worth taking a look at to appreciate the world building that could have been.
