Alita: Battle Angel
3/4
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Action, and for Some Language
Finally, there's something I can say about a big budget action movie (other than there isn't a single dude or girl dressed in spandex making meta humor or get the audience to point out references to Joe Somebody from episode #624 before his friends see it). It takes risks. That doesn't mean to say that "Alita: Battle Angel" is original, because it isn't. It's just that it doesn't feel like a carbon copy of every other movie like it. There is a lot of plot, and I mean a lot. I'm actually surprised that director Robert Rodriguez managed to fit it all into slightly more than two hours. In fact, I would argue that with this much story, another ten or fifteen minutes of screen time would have helped the film breathe and allow the audience to absorb its many plot threads.
Earth has fallen. After a devastating war with Mars years ago, Earth has become a wasteland except for the sole surviving sky city of Zalem, which is rumored to be a paradise for those stuck on the surface in the cutthroat world of Iron City. Dr. Dyson Ido (Waltz) is a doctor specializing in building and repairing robotics, is combing the rubble from Zalem when he comes across the remains of a female robot. Ido takes her and gives her a body, naming her Alita (Salazar). But there's something different about Alita, and that draws the attention of nefarious types like Chiren (Connelly), Ido's ex-wife and her boss Vector (Ali), who is a ruthless gangster.
The biggest successes of "Alita: Battle Angel" aren't immediately obvious. World building and setting up plot threads are key for a sci-fi film, especially one that has an oh-so-obvious goal of starting a franchise. This is where the mega-bomb "Jupiter Ascending" failed, but Rodriguez has avoided that trap. Perhaps it is because he is working with James Cameron, who is as good a sci-fi filmmaker as anyone in the business not named George Lucas. Rodriguez takes care to make sure every plot thread gets its due, which, considering how much there is going on, its quite the accomplishment. He gets it mostly right, but there are times when the film feels simultaneously a bit sluggish and overstuffed. But for the most part this is a very absorbing narrative.
It's a tall order to have a $170 million blockbuster be put on the shoulders of an untested actress, but Rosa Salazar is easily the best thing in this movie. She's smart, tough and vulnerable, and yet with almost none of the awkwardness that comes from discomfort in front of the camera. Christoph Waltz and an underused Jennifer Connelly (my guess is that she will appear in the sequels) provide solid support while Mahershala Ali provides some true venom as the villain, as do veteran baddies Ed Skrein and Jackie Earle Haley.
Visually, "Alita: Battle Angel" is stunning. From frame one, I felt like I was taken into a new world, one that I wanted to explore. It's not as absorbing in that respect as "Spirited Away" (how many films are?), but it's definitely impressive.
Ultimately, whatever flaws there are with "Alita: Battle Angel" there are, they don't diminish my enthusiasm for it very much. I enjoyed it, and it deserves to be seen on the big screen (the 3D is done well and worth the surcharge). Criticisms with the cliffhanger ending are generally unfair and probably more a reaction to the fact that every big budget movie these days has the arrogance to expect that a sequel will be made (as James Berardinelli suggested). The film tells a complete story but it sets up another installment. I felt satisfied and am hoping that the sequel will be made. "Alita: Battle Angel" isn't "Star Wars" or even "Avatar," but it's still a lot of fun.
Note: "Alita: Battle Angel" is not for kids. This isn't an all-out action movie like "Mad Max: Fury Road," but the violence in this movie is hard enough to be a little disconcerting. There isn't a lot of blood, but bodies are sliced and diced and some are killed in gruesome ways. And there's a fair bit of emotional intensity to the film. This movie should really have been rated R.
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Action, and for Some Language
Finally, there's something I can say about a big budget action movie (other than there isn't a single dude or girl dressed in spandex making meta humor or get the audience to point out references to Joe Somebody from episode #624 before his friends see it). It takes risks. That doesn't mean to say that "Alita: Battle Angel" is original, because it isn't. It's just that it doesn't feel like a carbon copy of every other movie like it. There is a lot of plot, and I mean a lot. I'm actually surprised that director Robert Rodriguez managed to fit it all into slightly more than two hours. In fact, I would argue that with this much story, another ten or fifteen minutes of screen time would have helped the film breathe and allow the audience to absorb its many plot threads.
Earth has fallen. After a devastating war with Mars years ago, Earth has become a wasteland except for the sole surviving sky city of Zalem, which is rumored to be a paradise for those stuck on the surface in the cutthroat world of Iron City. Dr. Dyson Ido (Waltz) is a doctor specializing in building and repairing robotics, is combing the rubble from Zalem when he comes across the remains of a female robot. Ido takes her and gives her a body, naming her Alita (Salazar). But there's something different about Alita, and that draws the attention of nefarious types like Chiren (Connelly), Ido's ex-wife and her boss Vector (Ali), who is a ruthless gangster.
The biggest successes of "Alita: Battle Angel" aren't immediately obvious. World building and setting up plot threads are key for a sci-fi film, especially one that has an oh-so-obvious goal of starting a franchise. This is where the mega-bomb "Jupiter Ascending" failed, but Rodriguez has avoided that trap. Perhaps it is because he is working with James Cameron, who is as good a sci-fi filmmaker as anyone in the business not named George Lucas. Rodriguez takes care to make sure every plot thread gets its due, which, considering how much there is going on, its quite the accomplishment. He gets it mostly right, but there are times when the film feels simultaneously a bit sluggish and overstuffed. But for the most part this is a very absorbing narrative.
It's a tall order to have a $170 million blockbuster be put on the shoulders of an untested actress, but Rosa Salazar is easily the best thing in this movie. She's smart, tough and vulnerable, and yet with almost none of the awkwardness that comes from discomfort in front of the camera. Christoph Waltz and an underused Jennifer Connelly (my guess is that she will appear in the sequels) provide solid support while Mahershala Ali provides some true venom as the villain, as do veteran baddies Ed Skrein and Jackie Earle Haley.
Visually, "Alita: Battle Angel" is stunning. From frame one, I felt like I was taken into a new world, one that I wanted to explore. It's not as absorbing in that respect as "Spirited Away" (how many films are?), but it's definitely impressive.
Ultimately, whatever flaws there are with "Alita: Battle Angel" there are, they don't diminish my enthusiasm for it very much. I enjoyed it, and it deserves to be seen on the big screen (the 3D is done well and worth the surcharge). Criticisms with the cliffhanger ending are generally unfair and probably more a reaction to the fact that every big budget movie these days has the arrogance to expect that a sequel will be made (as James Berardinelli suggested). The film tells a complete story but it sets up another installment. I felt satisfied and am hoping that the sequel will be made. "Alita: Battle Angel" isn't "Star Wars" or even "Avatar," but it's still a lot of fun.
Note: "Alita: Battle Angel" is not for kids. This isn't an all-out action movie like "Mad Max: Fury Road," but the violence in this movie is hard enough to be a little disconcerting. There isn't a lot of blood, but bodies are sliced and diced and some are killed in gruesome ways. And there's a fair bit of emotional intensity to the film. This movie should really have been rated R.
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