FilmSnobReviews

Title: Alita: Battle Angel
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly
Runtime: 2 hr 2 mins

What It Is: In the near future following the destruction of everything there exist only Iron City. Here man and machine are one as implants take over for limbs you’ve lost and that no longer function. One doctor, by the name of Dyson Ido (Waltz) specializes in these types of mechanizations. When he finds the reminsence of a cyborg he connects it to a body and names her Alita (Salazar). With no memory of her past to speak of Alita is trying to figure out just who she is.

What We Think: This is a film that looks amazing. I mean literally, I haven’t seen anything done like this. With James Cameron on board as a producer that comes as no surprise. I liked some of the performances even when the CGI didn’t hold up. Rosa Salazar is pretty good at her role, given it’s all performance capture. Christoph Waltz feels a bit misused and I don’t know what the normally brilliant Mahershala Ali is doing here. Perhaps my biggest complaint with this is the ending. It’s just a complete disappointment, and when a film is just over 2 hours and the ending stinks it’s a long and arduous journey at that point.

Our Grade: C+, This is an opportunity wasted. All style and ruined substance Robert Rodriguez continues to be pomp of no circumstance. Rosa Salazar and everyone else in this film is far better than this material here. I can say if you wanna turn off your brain this is the movie for you! If you want something with coherence then turn elsewhere. I don’t recommend this very strongly…but there’s for sure a merit to it for some, I suppose. Like I said…it is pretty.