REVIEW | Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Trust me — your eyes would be just as big if you saw this movie.

They should add “Waaay better than it deserves to be” on the poster.

Several hundred years into the future, a great war splits humanity into two divided societies. The floating paradise called Zalem, and the underprivileged commoners beneath known as The Iron City — where cybersurgeon, Dr. Ido, discovers a scrapped humanoid-cyborg called Alita. After restoring and deciding to raise her as a daughter, Alita’s life begins to unfold aggressively with those around her — as she slowly begins to discover who she really is.

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*Minor spoilers for Alita ahead*

It’s probably safe to say that most people looking for reviews of Alita is trying to figure out what-in-the-world it’s all about, before remotely wondering if it’s even worth watching or not.

So just for context — Alita: Battle Angel is based on a manga series that’s almost 30-years-old. And no, I have no idea how (or what) the manga series is like on its own.

Now, moving on to your justified doubts about Alita because… how can a movie with the words ‘Battle Angel’ in the title be any good, right? Well, I can tell you that despite it sounding like it was conceived by a 12-year-old, Alita is nothing short of exceptionally spectacular — and exactly what the sci-fi doctor ordered.

From the rich plot to the excellent pacing — this movie is an incredible adventure that triggers your curiosity from the start, thoroughly engages you halfway, and has you hungry for more towards the end. With so much to take in, there’s really no way of describing this movie with only 5–10 words, or 10–15 seconds of anyone’s time.

And rightfully so, because Alita has the makings of so much more than you can expect from it.

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Though you may draw similarities with the recently adapted Ghost in the Shell (2017), which was regarded as blasphemous to the Japanese source material and a horrendous mistake. Alita adopts more of the critically-acclaimed chromosomes from the [also] manga-inspired cult-classic — Akira (1988). Which, if you‘re unware, has become a monumental achievement for the genre. While also ageing like a fine dystopian wine.

And for the record: Ghost in the Shell was criminally rated poorly, if not underrated.

Plus — if there’s anything that Alita can drown the competition out of , it’d be the phenomenal, precise, and picture-perfect action. Y’know… apart from the multi-talented cast and crew of that has plunged themselves into a franchise that’s geared for limitless potential.

Just imagine every brawl, every duel, every battle — heck, every punch — being enough to send your favourite blockbusters back to college. And I’m talking about action with razor-sharp scenes, breathtaking choreography, and sequences that both grips and gut-punches your core. I mean you couldn’t really contain action of this calibre within a single movie before — until now.

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And with all of that outrageous action, it’s also worth mentioning the tastefully rich and refreshing decision of having such a compelling female-lead to drive the story.

For a character that most would regard as different, unreal, and even ‘fake’, Alita actually triumphs from those impressions by contrasting it with lots of heart, a lot of personality, and a whole lotta humanity. Which ultimately has you making a strange, yet stronger connection to her character — without a backstory, an identity, or even a ‘real’ performance to connect with.

And against the other characters, Alita behaves as an amazing enabler for anyone she shares a scene with. Almost as though she charges every interaction, engagement, and encounter with an electrifying air that brings out captivating moments — while drawing you deeper into every setting.

Like the zest of lemon bringing out the best out of any dish.

Which makes for a terrific tour guide when exploring the dynamic and diverse depth that make up the world of Alita — especially when the opportunity to beat-up some no-good cyborgs presents itself.

And speaking of the world—

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Even if I put aside my favouritism for dystopian-future-fantasy settings, Alita presents an awe-inspiring environment that blends sci-fi, scripture, and cyberpunk into a magnificent backdrop.

You’ve got impressively elaborate concepts, supported by phenomenal visual effects, all while creating some of the most exclusively detailed characters that fill this cleverly complex world. Instead of just a regular, reskinned neighbourhood.

Everything that has gone into bringing the world of Alita to life is displayed magnificently on-screen, within the frames, and across the film.

Properly transporting you to an amazing and authentic earth-away-from-earth, to have it feeling like there’s a brand-new world to discover — a world that could only reach your imagination if you saw it for yourself.

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So if I only had a little over 15-seconds to tell you about this movie, I’d say Alita: Battle Angel is a story with enough heart to charm your emotional investment, a rich science-fantasy with surprises at every corner, and several colourfully-written characters that brings the film together with a fantastic range of performances.

And when push comes to shove — can you actually think of a better way to discover such an exclusive and esoteric franchise that’s almost a quarter-of-a-century old (other than through the lens and caring-hands of experienced filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron)?

That’s right — you can’t.

And if that’s not enough for you, then you’ll have to piece this movie together yourself bud.