Alita: Battle Angel - Movie Review

The trailers for Alita had a fresh look. I am a fan of science fiction, as well as stories with a dystopian setting. Alita appeared to offer both, while creating a context that did not appear to be rehashed tripe. I wanted to attend the fan event for this film on Tuesday night, but I was traveling. But I was able to attend a matinee in IMax 3-D. I was not disappointed.

Alita (Rosa Salazar) is little more than a functioning brain when she is discovered in a trash heap some six centuries into the future. She is found by a cyborg mechanic, Dr. Ido (Christoph Waltz), who pairs her vital parts with a cyborg body he had created for his own daughter. Alita can't remember her former life, but it quickly becomes apparent that she is a warrior. She is wrought with a distinct sense of justice that manifests itself fearlessly. Alita befriends a human, Hugo (Keean Johnson). Alita is enamored by him. Her love is her only weakness and could become her downfall. As this dystopian world reveals itself, we see the manipulation of the strong over the weak. The elite live on a city that floats above the commoners confined to terra firma. As Alita ventures on her journey of self-discovery, she begins to change the paradigm.

Alita is unique. It is based on a graphic novel by Yukito Kishiro. It is transformed into a screenplay by James Cameron, Laeta Kalogridis and Director Robert Rodriguez. This is a fairly impressive line-up of talent. Rodriguez has been involved with projects like the Spy Kids franchise, El Mariachi and Sin City. James Cameron is a name that hardly needs explanation. His Avatar blockbuster is already set for sequels over the next few years. The talent of this team is evident in Alita. The attention to detail was refreshing. They create a dystopian world that is functional and layered. The characters were engaging and felt true. While there are themes of good and evil, the writers avoid the pitfalls of characters with singular traits. The pacing was great, with a narrative arc that feels complete while setting up an obvious sequel. This film deserves one. And I hope to be there on opening night.

Alita managed a PG-13 rating. The film does not have any nudity. The language wasn't too bad, either. The rating stems primarily from the violence, which may have drifted into R territory had it not been primarily focused on the cyborgs. There were a couple of fairly graphic scenes. Graphic enough that I am a bit surprised this didn't get the R rating. They lacked gore, which may have been the key. This film is dark in thematic material. I would suggest the PG-13 rating is as solid "13" as I have seen. I would limit this film to tweens, teens or older. Run time is two hours, two minutes.

I loved the graphic novel feel of Alita. It had an amazing look that tests the boundaries of CGI. A lot of talent went into making this film. It felt seamless in it's incorporation of animation and live action. I expect nothing less from anything with Cameron's name on it. But I was still impressed. Beyond the eye candy, this film had strong characters, good dialogue (although a bit sappy at times), an interesting story line and great pacing. I can't wait for the sequel. If you can see this film in IMax 3-D, go for it. Sometimes, with film, bigger is better. This is one of those films. Loved it. 8/10.

Trailer and images subject to copyright.

Endnote: With Alita a close derivative of the Hebrew Aliya and Zalem a derivative of Salem or Jerusalem, I wonder if there was some sort of intended parallel drawn here. If anyone has an answer to that, feel free to chime in.