Rating of
3.5/4
2019's most underrated film may become a cult hit.
Indyfreak - wrote on 10/01/19
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL delivers slam bang action, cutting edge visual effect,s and remarkable world-building skill on the part of director Robert Rodriguez. And also a little help from Hollywood legend James Cameron as producer as well. Up-and-coming actress Rosa Salazar shines as the all digital heroine Alita, a petite yet powerful cyborg unearthed by a kindly scientist (Waltz) and raised in the futuristic dystopia of Iron City.
Salazar displays a wide range of emotions as the immediately endearing Alita and the visual effects work on her expressions is impeccable. Christoph Waltz plays a rare heroic role as her father figure and mentor who sometimes gets on the action himself. Supporting work is provided by a solid cast that includes Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Edward Norton, and Jackie Earle Haley in a scene stealing role as a monstrous deranged robot.
The storytelling combines elements from different genres from cyberpunk to detective fiction to teen romance to even sports tropes. This results in an undeniably strange, silly, dark, and weird plot that has the time to address class division and the transhuman experience when it's not engaging in robot duels and deadly blood sports.
Robert Rodriguez's direction and the surprisingly tight plotting does get a lot done under two hours. But the last ten minutes do try to wrap everything up too quickly and some characters get undeservedly short-changed. Still, that Rodriguez and Cameron succeeded at translating so much of a manga to live action this well at all is commendable.
