Now Watching: Alita: Battle Angel

I’m not familiar with the manga series Alita: Battle Angel is based upon, so I can’t say how good or bad of an adaptation it is compared to the original source material. What I can say is, despite its flaws, I enjoyed Alita. It’s one of those few films that, like the recent Blade Runner 2049, I feel would have benefited by a longer cut.

There’s simply too much story crammed into the two hour run time, resulting in characters and plot points that are unfortunately glossed over, rushed or not as developed as they should be. It doesn’t seriously harm the film, but it’s a shame more time wasn’t taken to properly flesh out many aspects of the world, characters and story.

Alita: Battle Angel is the story of Alita, a young cyborg who awakes in a new body in Iron City in the year 2563. It’s yet another heroine with amnesia, but despite her lack of memories, Alita doesn’t lack personality. The story revolves around Alita finding her way in Iron City, figuring out who she was and who she now wants to be. She’s an engaging protagonist who elevates the film beyond its somewhat messy plot.

Yes, there’s a little sense of uncanny valley at times when Alita or other cyborg characters are on screen. As impressive as the CGI is, there are odd moments when it does take you out of the film. I can forgive it more in Alita, however, because it’s clear they did as much as they could using practical effects, but due to the nature of the world and its cyborg inhabitants, a hefty and likely expensive amount of CGI was required. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s an impressive attempt.

Another flaw would be the occasional line of bad dialogue. There’s some lines that had me laughing because of how bad they are. In one scene the actor even seemed embarrassed to be saying it. I’ve seen some people say the dialogue is reflective of the manga, and maybe that’s true, but what might work in a manga, a comic or a book doesn’t always necessarily translate well into film.

The only other problem that’s worth mentioning is how there’s still a lot left unresolved at the end of Alita. Once again, it’s not a serious issue – Alita does a decent job of telling a ‘complete’ story within this film – but we’re still left with a lot of unanswered questions about Alita and her past. This film certainly feels like the first in a trilogy, but there’s been no confirmation that we’ll be getting any sequels at the time of writing.

I hope we do, because despite the flaws, Alita is a really good film. It’s got an interesting setting, a great central character and some very enjoyable action that doesn’t shy away from the brutality of the world. It’s not going to be a film for everyone to enjoy, but it’s certainly worth checking out if you’re a fan of sci-fi action.

7/10