Thursday, February 21, 2019

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL


The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 
on ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL (2019, 122 minutes, PG-13)


The Quick of It -
Director Robert Rodriguez gives us a glimpse into a future that will probably never come to be… but it seems a dystopian blast!!!  Okay, maybe not in the best way.

With James Cameron, you know the AVATAR and TITANIC guy, is behind the screenplay, the project is going to have a strong worldbuilding aspect.  And again, bringing up Rodriguez, of the DUSK TILL DAWN and the “Matador” ethos, action is promised at a high level.  Yes, a lot of name-dropping to help paint this unfortunate tragedy befalling this picture to understand the struggle…


ALITA is set into the far future, where the use of tech has come to dominate the world.  This is the last industrial complex of humanity.  Only the ruthless survive… until Alita comes along.  Falling as scrap from the floating city, Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) finds her and uses his renowned skills in cybernetics to bring her ‘back’.  Alita (Rosa Salazar, a MAZERUNNER alum) begins to piece together her lost memories.  As the story unfolds, which in some ways the weakest facet of the movie, we discover many things… but are still left wondering on others.

Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Jackie Earle Haley, and Ed Skrein round out the cast.  As you can see, all the pieces are there for a great movie.  The characterizations are just as vibrant as they are dark and menacing, fitting the setting at the extremist levels.  The tone is there but the continuous action keeps you from really empathizing with the truly dismal life that exists below the floating city, a place held in high reverence as no one ever goes up. 

The imagery is on par with other super-CGI settings, all details included to give the scenes grit and glamour, even if not enough attention is given to making the setting a central piece.  You are rushed about, as with the character storylines, with the action sequences being the frontrunner of the pacing.  This is not a bad thing as the action is amazing in choreography, but you feel like you missed out on so much. 


So, the problem is that this movie brings nothing to the table.  Yeah, blasphemy from all the hype surrounding the actors and people behind the lens.  We have a crap-ton of superhero movies, so plenty of action to go around.  We have ample futuristic settings filled with death and ruin, like the disastrous MORTAL ENGINES.  We have award worthy interpersonal movies that dive deep into the human psyche, to include objects.  ALITA has just enough of each but doesn’t embrace a true theme to call their own.  Being based on a manga, they have had pages to do all the story-building they want.  A movie… not so much. 

In the end, the $200 million budget will sink any idea that this film was a success.  I suggest you sit back with some popcorn in a comfy chair and just enjoy the battlebot show.

Grade: B-

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