Movie Review: Alita: Battle Angel
Visually jaw-dropping. Narratively frustrating.
While watching this film, many times I found myself smiling in delight at how gorgeous and well-realized the visual effects are, as well as how brilliantly orchestrated its action sequences are. And don’t get me started on those eyes.
But then, shortly after yet another stunning battle scene, I would find myself cringing at a line of dialogue or at a missed opportunity the script hadn’t hesitated to Motorball (you’ll get it when you see it) over without the slightest bit of hesitation or remorse.
Constantly, the battle on screen would mirror the one I was having internally: Am I really enjoying this film? Or am I simply staying all the way through to the credits because of how awesome it looks?
As sleek, exciting and consistent as Alita: Battle Angel is with its presentation, the script and its storytelling walk a thin line between being unapologetically unobtrusive and frustratingly cautious/lazy. It’s a tricky balance to maintain, but James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez somehow manage to pull it off. Sort off.
Okay, not really. I would constantly roll my eyes (fondly, and with a hint of amusement to be fair) at an emotional beat that could’ve had more oomph or heft. Alita has its share of strong, effective moments for sure. Sadly, these are few and far in-between. Instead of building upon them to make a theme or idea hit home with a bang, Cameron and Kalogridis (the screenwriters of the film, in case you’re wondering) decide to hint at them with a chisel tap instead. An easter egg-like, blink-it-and-miss-it handful of moments that barely manage to make an impression, due to how dazzling and overwhelming the spectacle is.
Still, if you’re the least bit interested in Battle Angel, making the trip to the multiplex won’t be a total waste of time: Uneven or not, you’re guaranteed to have a fun time. The ride may not have a lot of depth or interest in doing the world-building (it comes across as world-telling instead) the source material is seemingly rich with, but MAN DOES IT LOOK GOOD! As long as your expectations for the story the film its trying to tell aren’t as high as the floating city of Zalem, you should be fine.
In other words: turn off your brain, put on your 3D glasses (it IS worth the extra buck!) and enjoy the ride. Messy as it is, it’s worth experiencing.
But yeah, turn your cellphone and brain off beforehand.
The premise is as ambitious as it is generic. You got your amnesiac protagonist who turns out to be quite the badass, a mysterious antagonist who has a bunch of forgettable, glorified cameo-like henchmen, a strong paternal figure with a bunch of secrets… you get the idea. And yeah, you have a love interest, because we open in Valentine’s Day damnit!
Thing is, I don’t resent Alita for this. I can get behind the one-dimensional backstories and paper thin characterization. It’s a guilty pleasure we’ve all fallen for from time to time. Transformers became the beast it was (the recently released Bumblebee is a reboot for the series thankfully) because we all went and saw (and enjoyed to a certain degree) the first one. Then, we gave the second one the benefit of the doubt when it turned out to be… okay, to put it lightly. It sucked basically.
Dark of the Moon came around and we said: F*ck it. This time, I’m done.
And THEN Age of Extinction dropped and some of us (myself included) thought: Come on, it can’t be THAT bad!.
As it turns out it was. 2 Hours and 40-ish minutes of my life I, to this day, regret having witnessed on the big screen. 2 years later, I dragged myself to see Suicide Squad. Because Bohemian Rhapsody played during the trailer y’all. That looks like fun!
And we all know how that one turned out. Again, we all went to see it. Or at least those of us who were innocent enough to dismiss what the critics were saying about it.
Based on this little history lesson, you could say I’m a sucker for punishment.
Or a huge dumb-ass. Take your pick.
Now, before you start losing your sh*t and cancelling your plans to go see it, let me be clear: I’m not pitting Alita on the same level as the many sequels in the Transformers series. There’s a decent amount of parallels to be drawn between the two of course, but regardless, Alita manages to come out on top, with outstanding ease.
One of the many (valid) complaints about the former, is that the action sequences were as loud as they were hard to follow. The egregious product placement, eye-rolling-inducing objectification of women, racist jokes, raunchy “humor” and cringe-worthy dialogue certainly didn’t do the films any favors.
(In case you didn’t notice, I’m not a huge fan of Michael Bay and the Transformers movies).
In the latter, the action was clearly the selling point James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez were hoping to sell. You only need to take a single look at the opening shot to know that the filmmakers behind it decided to go with the style-over-substance formula. Which is a double-edged sword, but like I said, the filmmakers understand what they were going for. That attention to detail and care shows. Alita: Battle Angel is laser focused on delivering a memorable movie-going experience when it comes to presentation, and man does it deliver!
So to sum up, what I’m trying to say is that if your expectations/chances of going to see it depend on the narrative then… yes. By all means spare yourself the pain, and wait until it’s available on streaming. BUT, if you are willing to go with a bunch of friends and have a good time, paying attention to the action sequences and not much else, you WILL be entertained and you WILL enjoy it. Spectacle, visual flair and style is the name of the game, and Alita: Battle Angel delivers in spades on that front. Not only is the action easy to follow and creative in its framing and choreography, but clearly, the team behind the film know what their focus is. Alita’s goal is to make your jaw drop, your ears to buzz and your eyes to have a feast. It succeeds over and over and over. While it proved a challenge for me to sit through this one at times, I can certainly appreciate the love, polish and craft that was clearly put into its presentation.
If you’re looking for an awesome looking experience that’s as sleek as it is adrenaline-inducing, Battle Angel won’t let you down. That Motorball sequence was THE definition of AMAZING, and the temptation to witness it again on the big screen is hard to resist.
Another highlight that’s worth mentioning is Alita herself. Say what you want about Rosa Salazar’s acting talent (which is not bad at all, based on the performance she delivers here) and how odd her eyes look (which are oh, so beautiful!), but the visual effects team really nailed the design of the character.
The rest of the cast, despite the talent of most of the members in it, is another source of frustration and disappointment. Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Connelly and Christoph Waltz have all proven their worth in the past when it comes to acting. Here, they barely get the chance. It’s always a shame to see an actor’s potential being squandered. Here, Rodriguez, Cameron and Kalogridis don’t seem to know what to do with them, or how to manage the runtime of the film to do something meaningful or worthwhile with their characters. Alita is a whole different beast. Her lover interest, Hugo (played by Keean Johnson) is… there. He isn’t as paper thin as the rest of the cast, but to say that his character arc is good is giving Cameron and Kalogridis a lot more credit than they deserve.
You see, more often than not, Alita: Battle Angel touches on a fascinating concept. A deliciously dark idea. A powerful message. A compelling reason to pay more attention to the world being adapted. These pass by in the blink of an eye and get lost in the admittedly spectacular action sequences and gorgeous scenery. The world of Battle Angel only appears to be fascinating and worth exploring. Once you take a closer look (or rather the filmmakers), the charm and mystery evaporates. Not only that, but a handful of scenes come across as particularly lazy and unnecessary. As an example, a scene that could have been a charming interaction between Alita and Hugo instead comes across as creepy. It’s clearly attempting to show the tenderness and love between the pair, but the unhealthy, harmful attitude being depicted isn’t addressed or called out upon. A different scene late in the film with Jennifer Connely’s character, Chirren, is by far her best scene. Sadly, this pivotal moment for the character arrives to little to late, and happens to be powerful because of the idea behind it, rather than the scene feeling genuine or earned.
Just trust me on this one. This film is a mess when it comes to storytelling. I was willing to play along with it because of its visuals, but I can’t deny the fact that my enjoyment of the overall experience was harmed because of the issues I mentioned previously. As a disclaimer, this feeling of disappointment may not apply to all, but for me it was definitely an issue I feel I have the responsibility to address. I sincerely hope that, if you give this movie a chance, you don’t come out as disappointed as I did. I had a fun time because I consider myself open minded enough to enjoy Alita for what it is, and for what it does right. That does NOT mean that Alita was thoroughly committed to deliver an entirely enjoyable experience.
So… on a scale of “¡Instant Classic!”, “Unmissable”, “Pretty Darn Good!”, “It’s All Relativa/A Matter of Taste”, “You Could do Worse…”, “Are You STILL Watching?”, “I Can’t Handle This Sober. Or Conscious.”, and “Not Even the Eagles Can Save You”…
I’d say that Alita: Battle Angel is a “You Could do Worse…”:
- A visual spectacle that’s clear as day, sleek and very well put together. Action is as easy to follow as it is exciting. Cinematography has it’s decent amount of gorgeous vistas and evocative imagery. A lot to like in this area.
- Sound design overall is on the same level as the visuals. The score in particularly good. It manages to elevate some otherwise mundane or forgettable moments to a modestly enjoyable standard. Kudos to Tom Honkelborg for crafting a score that doesn’t overshadow or limp behind such bombastic spectacle, for the most part.
- Rosa Salazar’s character Alita, along with the visual effects team, managed to create a protagonist that’s a delight to witness on screen. While her character arc is less satisfactory, Alita certainly makes an impression thanks to her design.
- Other than her, the rest of the cast can’t seem to keep up. This appears to be an issue that the script has the sole and whole responsibility for. The cast has proven how talented it is in the past. Here, Cameron and Kalogridis adapted a story filled with loads of possibilities for world-building and meaningful character arcs/interactions. All of these potential is squandered in favor of the visuals.
- Romance feels like an afterthought and an unnecessary addition to the overall narrative. It comes across as forced and poorly conceived. A tick in a check-list that they seem to believe was good enough. FYI: It wasn’t.
- Sequel-baiting at its best. The last 15 minutes or so from the film feel desperate to sell you on a bigger, sleeker, wilder sequel. Instead of getting creative with the source material and creating a self-contained story with genuinely interesting ideas to further explore in sequels, the final act of the film feels rushed. Frustratingly so. Make sure your film can stand on its own BEFORE trying to sell tickets for the next one. It’s embarrassing this is still a trend at this point in the game.
My Consensus:
“While delightfully striking in the execution of its action sequences and overall visuals, Robert Rodriguez’s latest is a style over substance situation that’ll test your patience and attention span. It’s bonkers battles and brawls roll and dazzle gracefully, but its storytelling limps behind in a sloppy, frustrating and at times cringe-worthy manner that holds an otherwise fun ride back.”
I’ll be reviewing Captain Marvel and Dumbo during the month of March. If you’re interested to hear my thoughts on both, be sure to follow me here on Medium so you get to read my review, as soon as it goes live.
You can also check my Twitter or my Instagram, in case you want some updates on what series, films and games I’m currently playing (and quite possibly considering on talking about in-depth).
Thanks again to everyone who gave this review a chance. I hope it was a useful, fun tool to make up your mind about seeing this film in theaters.
References:
- Heroic Hollywood, C. G. (2019, February 16). Hasbro Officially Confirms ‘Bumblebee’ As ‘Transformers’ Reboot. Retrieved February 21, 2019, from https://heroichollywood.com/bumblebee-officially-transformers-reboot/
- YouTube, L. E. (2017, April 29). Transformers and Film Studies | The Whole Plate — Episode 1. Retrieved February 23, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRXI__Wixas&list=PLJGOq3JclTH8J73o2Z4VMaSYZDNG3xeZ7