Alita: Battle Angel is a revolutionary advancement in film making, and modern technology. To quickly summarize, this film takes place thousands of years in the future, most of the world has fallen, but has adapted this cyber-punk aesthetic. In a scrapyard full of old technology, a doctor affiliated with cyber enhancements finds an unconscious cyborg, and wakes her up, he gives her the name Alita. Without any any memories Alita struggles to adapt in this world while searching to find out who she was hundreds of years ago.
Firstly, before the movie came out the topic surrounding this film was Alita's eyes. James Cameron, and Robert Rodriguez wanted to root Alita's design with the Japanese art style that so many manga and anime are associated with. It doesn't look stupid as some might think, especially compared to the other 90% CGI characters. The detail and amount of quality put into animating her makes her appearance acceptable and pleasant to look at.
Aside from Alita's big eyes, the imagery used is astounding, ranging from the stylized look of utopias, to captivating battles against, cyborgs and robots. Believe it or not, the fight scenes are actually cool. The fight choreography is very grounded, making it able for the combat to flow, and not be drowned out by flurries of kicks and punches, and not over encumbered by too much CGI. They're are also countless settings that all look stunning ranging from fallen cities, to crashed space ships, to battles on the moon.
The fights and where they happen are fun too look at, and are somewhat believable even under all that CGI, but sadly as pretty as the movie looks, the rest of the entire film is melodramatic, sub-par, and disastrous. Dialogue seems forced, whenever Alita is on screen with her love interest Hugo, it feels like someone has a gun to their heads, forcing them to flirt. Other than having awkward conversations, the movie has Alita perform these absurd speeches at random moments that are just laughable. Hearing them speak is like hearing nails on a chalkboard, only until Alita starts punching people to death, am I entertained.
The plot is actually horrible, whenever something interesting happens, like Alita having a flashback to her past, or anything that builds upon the lore of this movie, instead the movie forces it's annoying teen romance onto you, and the segments with the fake sport "Motorball" which brings back haunting memories of "Podracing" from the Phantom Menace. It's baffling how all the money for Alita: Battle Angel went into the animation and looks and not the writing, and frankly it's a new low for James Cameron.
Firstly, before the movie came out the topic surrounding this film was Alita's eyes. James Cameron, and Robert Rodriguez wanted to root Alita's design with the Japanese art style that so many manga and anime are associated with. It doesn't look stupid as some might think, especially compared to the other 90% CGI characters. The detail and amount of quality put into animating her makes her appearance acceptable and pleasant to look at.
Aside from Alita's big eyes, the imagery used is astounding, ranging from the stylized look of utopias, to captivating battles against, cyborgs and robots. Believe it or not, the fight scenes are actually cool. The fight choreography is very grounded, making it able for the combat to flow, and not be drowned out by flurries of kicks and punches, and not over encumbered by too much CGI. They're are also countless settings that all look stunning ranging from fallen cities, to crashed space ships, to battles on the moon.
The fights and where they happen are fun too look at, and are somewhat believable even under all that CGI, but sadly as pretty as the movie looks, the rest of the entire film is melodramatic, sub-par, and disastrous. Dialogue seems forced, whenever Alita is on screen with her love interest Hugo, it feels like someone has a gun to their heads, forcing them to flirt. Other than having awkward conversations, the movie has Alita perform these absurd speeches at random moments that are just laughable. Hearing them speak is like hearing nails on a chalkboard, only until Alita starts punching people to death, am I entertained.
The plot is actually horrible, whenever something interesting happens, like Alita having a flashback to her past, or anything that builds upon the lore of this movie, instead the movie forces it's annoying teen romance onto you, and the segments with the fake sport "Motorball" which brings back haunting memories of "Podracing" from the Phantom Menace. It's baffling how all the money for Alita: Battle Angel went into the animation and looks and not the writing, and frankly it's a new low for James Cameron.
Going into this movie, I had never read the original manga, or seen the anime, so after seeing the movie I did my homework and realized after watching the original anime, the new film directly pulls some exact scenes from the original anime. The whole opening, that's from the anime, the alley fight, that's from the anime too. There's a lot more the movie takes from the original source material, on paper it respects the original, but with the horrible writing and plot, it's more unfaithful than faithful.
Alita is the best character, and frankly the best thing about this movie in general, she is one of the only three dimensional characters you will see throughout the whole film, but most attempts at building upon her character fall through the floor. It is so stupid, and so cheesy when you have a guy looking at a cyborg girl, with a set of eyes bigger than his forehead saying to her "you are the most human person I have every met." Alita is a grounded character that has the potential to be intriguing, everyone else is often one dimensional such as the villains, and side characters that surround Alita. None of them are built upon to make them seem memorable, or some what likable.
I tried to like this movie, not because I'm a fan of James Cameron or anything, but because I have been waiting for years to see a faithful, American made film on a Japanese anime that genuinely feels like an anime, and I think this movie is what closely embodies what I'm looking for, more than any other film to come before it. The action certainly feels like an anime, and I actually do get vibes from the film that are similar to existing anime like Cowboy Bebop, and Ghost in the Shell. Unfortunately the resemblance to Japanese anime stops at the action and environments.
The main plot could have been so much more if it was focused on plot points that involved the lore of the film, or Alita's past, but instead it's made underwhelming thanks to an annoying love story, and stereotypical one dimensional characters that only serve one purpose in the entire plot. I wanted to give this movie a BAD/GOOD rating because of it's semi-successful attempt to recreate a piece of Japanese media that made me some what enjoy the product, but I'm afraid this movie is getting a BAD/BAD rating for it's sub-par writing and dialogue that has managed to take what should be an incredible film, and turn it into something that's all looks and no quality.
In a way I'm thankful for this film because it has introduced me to another great anime that I'm glad to have seen and now gladly recommend people go see. I hold the original in higher regards than this failed attempt at an interpretation.
Alita is the best character, and frankly the best thing about this movie in general, she is one of the only three dimensional characters you will see throughout the whole film, but most attempts at building upon her character fall through the floor. It is so stupid, and so cheesy when you have a guy looking at a cyborg girl, with a set of eyes bigger than his forehead saying to her "you are the most human person I have every met." Alita is a grounded character that has the potential to be intriguing, everyone else is often one dimensional such as the villains, and side characters that surround Alita. None of them are built upon to make them seem memorable, or some what likable.
I tried to like this movie, not because I'm a fan of James Cameron or anything, but because I have been waiting for years to see a faithful, American made film on a Japanese anime that genuinely feels like an anime, and I think this movie is what closely embodies what I'm looking for, more than any other film to come before it. The action certainly feels like an anime, and I actually do get vibes from the film that are similar to existing anime like Cowboy Bebop, and Ghost in the Shell. Unfortunately the resemblance to Japanese anime stops at the action and environments.
The main plot could have been so much more if it was focused on plot points that involved the lore of the film, or Alita's past, but instead it's made underwhelming thanks to an annoying love story, and stereotypical one dimensional characters that only serve one purpose in the entire plot. I wanted to give this movie a BAD/GOOD rating because of it's semi-successful attempt to recreate a piece of Japanese media that made me some what enjoy the product, but I'm afraid this movie is getting a BAD/BAD rating for it's sub-par writing and dialogue that has managed to take what should be an incredible film, and turn it into something that's all looks and no quality.
In a way I'm thankful for this film because it has introduced me to another great anime that I'm glad to have seen and now gladly recommend people go see. I hold the original in higher regards than this failed attempt at an interpretation.
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