Movie Breakdown: Alita: Battle Angel

Pre-Screening Stance:

The only thing I know about the manga series Battle Angel Alita is that James Cameron has been trying to get it adapted for the better part of 20 years.  So, even though he’s just producing here (with the usually solid Robert Rodriguez directing), I’m interested to see what’s he been enamored with all this time.  Also, while many have panned the film’s trailers, I think they hint at what could be an entertaining film.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Alita: Battle Angel feels like a movie that’s been in development for a really long time.  Even though there are good performances (the highlight being Rose Salazar’s Alita) and an interesting story to be had, it’s a largely hollow affair that’s loosely held together by quality FX and entertaining action sequences.  It’s almost as if someone decided that it was just time to get this thing made, so they went in, cut out all the exposition, expanded the fun parts and then put the film into production.  This means Alita: Battle Angel is pretty to look at and there are some genuine moments that will get your blood pumping, but there’s not a lot of character development and the plot is littered with holes.  Furthermore, this movie has one of the most abbreviated and abrupt endings ever, and it’s such an obvious setup for a sequel that it’s guaranteed to frustrate most viewers.

My experience with Alita: Battle Angel went like this this – I watched it, I had some fun, and then by time I got in my car I had pulled it all apart and exposed its weak core.  In other words, this is a movie that provides quality eye candy and not much else.  Your mileage may vary.

One Last Thought:

This may be a spoiler if you’ve read the manga, so proceed with caution.  Late in the movie a certain character (I won’t say who) gets taken out and their brain – with their eyes still attached – is harvested and put into a display case of sorts that’s also meant to keep them alive.  It’s somehow all at once gross, scary and comical looking.