![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/85f/38c79958-e98e-4e91-8d04-b9b67783785f.jpg?m=1522360014)
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
Feb 20, 2019
Unfortunately...that is all that there is to this film, for the rest of the movie does not live up to the fantastical elements laid forth visually.
Adapted to the screen from filmmakers James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL is a combination of the first 4 of Yukito Kishiro's series of 9 manga books, and (hopefully) the first in a trilogy of films that follows a robot, Alita, who is put back together by the mysterious Dr. Ido. When she awakens, she does not know what her past was, but as events transpire, it soon becomes apparent that Alita is much more than the sweet, young girl robot that her outward appearance would suggest.
Rosa Salazar is winning enough as the completely CGI creation of Alita, but no so charismatic that she can carry the film on her own, she will need help - and that's where this film falls down. Christoph Waltz is mediocre in the underwritten part of Dr. Ido. Instead of being interesting and mysterious, he is bland and boring. I'm beginning to think that Waltz needs the words of Quentin Tarantino to shine (because he does shine in Tarantino films) but is just so-so when speaking someone else's lines. Jennifer Connelly is wasted as Ido's ex-wife, somehow connected to the power elite of the Universe and Marashala Ali (who will soon win his 2nd Oscar) is completely shutdown and "one-note" as the big bad guy. Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley (completely unrecognizable in voice or character as the CGI bad guy Grewishka) and Keean Johnson are all very forgettable as others in this world. Only Jeff Fahey (as a robot-Cowboy bounty hunter) is able to jump off the screen with what is the beginnings of an interesting character.
The battles, races, action and plot twists and turns are all "standard issue", pretty predictable and unsurprising. It is clear that Cameron and Rodriguez were so focused on the CGI and world building that they did not spend enough time on the plot, dialogue or pacing. And that's too bad, for besides the impressive visuals and graphics (and they are impressive), there is not much else to recommend from this film.
Letter Grade: B- (for the visuals)
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/3e0/01d6a8ff-2a39-4b7c-8878-6233d29843e0.jpg?m=1522334891)
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick (Perry & Gobi, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/c74/d8277c53-81ff-4d2c-8007-2bac329f4c74.jpg?m=1553205006)
David McK (3251 KP) rated A Princess of Mars (Barsoom, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Commonly regarded as classics of the Pulp Sci-Fi genre of books, and with the new Disney movie <i>John Carter of Mars</i> recently released (even if it is getting a panning from the critics), and finally with <i>The John Carter collection</i> (consisting of <i>A Princess of Mars</i>, <i>The Gods of Mars</i>, <i>The Warlord of Mars</i>, <i>Thuvia, Maid of Mars</i> and <i>The Chessmen of Mars</i>) available on Apple's ibooks stores for 99p, how could I resist picking them up?
Having now read the first book, it's easy to see the influence these particular novels had on later writings and popular culture. James Cameron is on record as stating this particular work as an influence on his movie <i>Avatar</i>, while it is also possible to trace elements of <i>Star Wars</i> (inspired by <i>Flash Gordon</i>, itself inspired by this) back to this work.
In short: this is pretty much a prime example of early pulp SF!
![Intra-Industry Trade: Cooperation and Conflict in the Global Political Economy](/uploads/profile_image/f17/ae802722-c235-438d-a4e3-9d040975af17.jpg?m=1522340446)
Intra-Industry Trade: Cooperation and Conflict in the Global Political Economy
Cameron G. Thies and Timothy M. Peterson
Book
Intra-Industry Trade calls for us to rethink what trade most often looks like and how it shapes...
![Wilderness Survival For Dummies](/uploads/profile_image/63b/041b2b91-e571-469b-921c-be281642a63b.jpg?m=1522336768)
Wilderness Survival For Dummies
Cameron M. Smith and John F. Haslett
Book
The essential companion for a rugged outdoor excursion Whether planning an adventure vacation or...
![Computational Psychiatry: New Perspectives on Mental Illness](/uploads/profile_image/d1f/6c2a83c5-be98-4ef7-aeb6-55b395a3dd1f.jpg?m=1522329763)
Computational Psychiatry: New Perspectives on Mental Illness
A.David Redish and Joshua A. Gordon
Book
Modern psychiatry is at a crossroads, as it attempts to balance neurological analysis with...
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/257/a4142f27-a4ab-4020-a596-2ef5d8979257.jpg?m=1614684939)
Kathryn Bigelow recommended The Terminator (1984) in Movies (curated)
![Home Alone 4 (2002)](/uploads/profile_image/e6c/e10ac1d2-cfc2-4232-abd8-488fcf3d6e6c.jpg?m=1640368975)
Home Alone 4 (2002)
Movie
Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House is a 2002 American made-for-television Christmas family comedy...
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/f7f/d15697b9-5ccf-45a6-8874-f05104f9bf7f.jpg?m=1602780240)
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
Jan 22, 2021
Alita: Battle Angel is a similar deal. This time Yukito Kishiro’s early 90s manga creation is the inspiration. With James Cameron as producer, and the considerable talents of Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali onboard, it would have been pretty hard for even Rodriguez to mess this up entirely. Although at times he does seem to try, mostly by doing too much and making certain sections too busy and too confusingly cross-genre, like he is frantically trying to colour within the lines whilst using every felt-tip in the pack. A habit that means every now and again something great happens, but you may have missed it in all the background noise.
Compare this film, that just falls short of qualifying for my Bad Movie Triple Bill list, to Spielberg’s superior yet similarly busy Ready Player One. Both involve high concept future realities that are very tech and AI driven. Both make extensive use of CGI and vivid colour palettes. Both are frenetic and demand an audience pays attention in order to fully appreciate the storyline. The difference is that one zig-zags back and forth in tone and momentum, and one is razor sharp in moving us from one idea to the next on a perfect learning curve towards a satisfying climax and conclusion. Guess which one is which? This is why Spielberg is Spielberg and Rodriguez is… a hack.
That said, Alita as a character and concept is charming, and you do therefore find yourself at least wanting to discover her story. The action scenes are also quite electric, and the visuals are often breath-taking. But the whole is less than the sum of the parts here, and we are left with something that can only really exist in the same box as dozens of admirable sci-fi B-movies aimed at teenagers, such as The Maze Runner, Mortal Engines and The City of Ember. It also continues to prove the point alongside Ghost in the Shell and Speed Racer that Anime / Manga into live action is a very tricky business.
There is definitely an audience out there for this movie, and I dare say at some point I will be tempted to give it another watch. What is definitely worth watching however, is how James Cameron uses this as a stepping stone to perfecting virtual humans on the big screen. I am sure everyone involved learned a lot in that respect, so all is far from lost.
![Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge](/uploads/profile_image/7a5/61bcd228-37a3-4c18-848d-2f3381b677a5.jpg?m=1522329587)
Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge
TV Show Watch
Directed by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney (HBO’s Taxi to the Dark Side and Going Clear: Scientology and...