Much in the same vein as video games, manga/anime adaptations have gotten a bad rap in recent years, and for good reason since they can be especially difficult to adapt into a live-action format, especially in Hollywood. Just a couple years ago Scarlett Johansson ran into panning and controversy for Ghost in the Shell whilst Netflix stumbled with their attempt at an Americanized Death Note remake. But while video games still have a ways to go, director Robert Rodriguez has finally given anime/manga fans a worthwhile adaptation in Alita: Battle Angel, endowed with breathtaking visuals, a vastly imaginative landscape, and a strong lead performance by Rosa Salazar.
Based on Yukito Kishiro’s beloved manga Gunnm, the story is set in the year 2563, 300 years after a cataclysmic conflict referred to as “The Fall” left the planet in shambles. Much of humanity has ended up residing in the impoverished junk town of Iron City, which surround a massive junkyard. Above the city lies Zalem, a suspended metropolis where only the elite reign supreme. Whilst searching the junkyard for parts, Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) comes upon an abandoned cyborg (Rosa Salazar). After reconstructing her, she awakens with no memory of who she was, leading to Dr. Ido to naming her Alita. As she traverses the city to find out more about her past, she soon realizes that there are those who want to see her dead, unaware that a warrior spirit from long ago lies within her.
I was lucky enough to go into this movie with a clear head, since I’ve never flipped a single page of the original source material. Which is why as I sat there watching the story unfold, I was left astonished at the vast potential this world had to offer, and much of it left me wanting more. The premise is primarily set within a cyberpunk dystopian environment filled to the brim with bounty hunters, advanced technology, titanic feats of engineering, a robotics sports event referred to as Motorball, and so much more.
Director Robert Rodriguez was presented with quite the challenge in bringing this expansive, mechanical world into fruition. But with James Cameron’s technological expertise, Rodriguez brings inventiveness, imagination, and innovation to this realm of cybernetics with the use of beautifully stunning visuals between the city as a whole as well as its citizens, specifically with the motion capture that was done on Alita and some of the side characters and villains. In one scene, Alita is introduced to a bar that contains a wide array of various bounty hunters, each of them boasting their own unique aesthetic and capabilities. One hunter will possess a sword that can cut through almost anything while another will have a bunch of cybernetic dogs that follow his commands.
But much of Rodriguez’s direction should also be given credit for how he handles his action sequences. Much of it ranges from close-quarter hand-to-hand combat to Alita becoming a one-woman army. All of them are polished, epic, and always focused on the primary combatants. They are incredibly easy to follow and you never lose yourself in the conflict and are always at the edge of your seat as Rodriguez continues to invent new action set pieces that always leave you wanting more.
The visual aesthetic of Alita herself was a concern I had, since she’s smack-dab in the middle of the uncanny valley. But somehow, as the story progresses, you get used to the oddity and even get past it completely, most of that stemming from Rosa Salazar’s beautiful performance as the titular Alita. The minute you are introduced to her, you almost immediately gravitate towards her empathy, warmth, tenderness, and heart. She begins her adventure as a naïve teenage girl who doesn’t know anything about her world, but later ends up becoming a badass female warrior no one can touch. That balance between her warrior spirit and sympathetic heart make her a formidably dynamic character. Her character is made even better with the chemistry she shares with Christoph Waltz, who as you’d expect does an impeccable job. He’s basically the overprotective father who doesn’t want her straying too far from the house and such, but his love for her is apparent and their dynamic with one another is always pleasant.
Sadly, not much can be said for the rest of the cast, who either don’t get enough screen-time, don’t get enough development, or both. Alita is eventually introduced to her primary love interest in Hugo (Keean Johnson), and while the actor himself is perfectly fine in the role, the story barely gives him room to stretch his character into something other than a love interest. In fact, the love story itself doesn’t have any sort of spark. It’s not that it was jarring or cringe-worthy (unlike some of the dialogue between them). It just felt bland and uninteresting. But if Keean Johnson got the short straw, then Mahershala Ali and Jennifer Connelly got the microscopic one. Both are introduced as the primary antagonists (Ali more than Connelly) and unfortunately their talents are completely wasted. The story leaves them completely in the background for them to provide nothing but speech after speech and exposition after exposition.
But despite these character issues, the real dent to the film is the story itself. It’s odd because so much of what the story is presenting to the audience is enticing, interesting, and engrossing. However, none of it ever comes together into a complete package, instead trying to place its focus on setting up sequels rather than just one standalone story. Each respective act could easily become its own feature length production. You have Alita finding her place in the city, Alita becoming a bounty hunter, Alita joining the Motorball tournament, Alita facing off against people who are after her, and Alita discovering who she is. Each act on their own are really worthwhile and incredibly enthralling. But the lack of connective tissue between them makes the story feel disjointed and unfocused. There is a clear beginning, but the middle isn’t noticeable and the ending less so.
Alita: Battle Angel boasts a visually-stunning and vibrantly rich world that I would love to revisit in the future again and again. The story sadly prevents the film from realizing its full potential as a modern cyberpunk dystopia, but the diverse world-building potential as well as Rosa Salazar’s commanding performance are enough to keep you locked in from beginning to end. It is a shame that the film tries to focus on the future rather than the present, but it’s nonetheless an exciting adventure that’ll leave you wanting more.