Robert Rodriguez Month - Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and although we're in the middle of Robert Rodriguez Month, I want to talk about filmmaker James Cameron. In the early 2000's, Cameron was pointed out to a popular '90s anime called Battle Angel Alita, and sought to turn it into a feature length movie. Heck, his popular television series Dark Angel with Jessica Alba took some tonal cues from Battle Angel Alita. Unfortunately, focus on the Avatar franchise took precedent for Cameron, forcing him to step back as director, and promptly looking for another director to step in. The director who would eventually take James Cameron's vision for Battle Angel Alita was none other than Robert Rodriguez, who loved the work Cameron and his team at Lightstorm had already done, and sought to bring Cameron's vision to life. And, in 2019, we would see that vision on screen with the movie Alita: Battle Angel. 

         The movie is set in the year 2563, 300 years after the Earth was devastated by The Fall, which was a war between the Earth and an enemy nation called the United Republic of Mars (URM), and all that remains are a floating city called Zalem, where the wealthy live in luxury, and Iron City, a city on the surface where the poor fight for scraps. It's here where we meet Dr. Dyson Ido, who finds the head of a cybernetic woman, and he puts her back together using a body intended for his daughter, who sadly died in a tragic accident. The woman awakens, adjusts to her new body, but has no memory of her past or her name. So, in honor of his deceased daughter, Dr. Ido gives the woman the name Alita. 

        The rest of the movie has Alita learn the ins and outs of the world around her, with help from Dr. Ido and a boy named Hugo. Learning about the cybernetic enhancements that people have, the concept of the Hunter-Warriors, which are bounty hunters who take down cybernetic criminals, and the high speed game of Motorball, which is heavily inspired by the titular sport of the movie Rollerball. And, after a confrontation with a criminal named Grewishka, who is working for a man named Vector, we learn that Alita is naturally adept at a cybernetic combat style called "Panzer-Kunst." Alita also finds a spaceship left behind from The Fall, and inside of it is a cybernetic body known as a Berserker, and Alita is the last of the URM forces who attacked during The Fall. 

       Unfortunately, Dr. Ido refuses to merge Alita with the Berserker body, so she gets herself registered as a Hunter-Warrior, and goes to recruit others to take down Grewishka. Unfortunately, she finds herself in conflict with a Hunter-Warrior named Zapan, and the two come to blows. Dr. Ido breaks up the brawl, and Grewishka shows up, leading to an underground fight between Grewishka and Alita, where Alita winds up getting shredded. And, after Grewishka is chased off, Dr. Ido rescues Alita, and finally places her in the Berserker body. 

        Throughout the movie are flashbacks to Alita's past, where Alita is training with the URM forces, and we see that the Berserkers were invading Earth to take down a powerful leader in Zalem called Nova, who of course is the man behind Vector and his followers. Unfortunately, the URM forces were easily thwarted by the defense system of Zalem, and we see Alita's mentor Gelda be destroyed by a razor ring. 

         Using her new Berserk body, Alita begins to compete in professional games of Motorball, rising up through the ranks and becoming a fan favorite. Unfortunately, she is forced to save Hugo from Zapan, who is attempting to collect a bounty on Hugo for a false charge. Alita, with help from Dr. Ido's ex-wife Dr. Chiren, is able to fake Hugo's death, and is able to collect the bounty on him, and kills Zapan for attempting to take the bounty from Alita. Alita then goes after Vector, destroys Grewishka, and kills Vector. However, she learns that Hugo is attempting to make the climb to Zalem, and despite Alita's best efforts to talk him down, Hugo is killed by the razor ring. 

        Some time passes, and Alita gets back into playing Motorball, all in an effort to win her way to Zalem and take down Nova for good. 

        So, here's the question: is Alita: Battle Angel a Robert Rodriguez film or a James Cameron film? In a way, it's both. Now, here's the thing. The visual style, scale, and world building is very much James Cameron. However, the plot, writing, and characterization, despite having been written by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis, is very much in the style of Robert Rodriguez. And, I think that is what makes this movie so brilliant, as the two cinematic styles genuinely compliment each other in ways that something like Terminator: Dark Fate, which was released in the later months of 2019, felt more like Cameron's style was clashing with that of Tim Miller. 

       What also really sold well about Alita was the performances, especially from the likes of Christoph Waltz as Dr. Ido, Jennifer Connelly as Dr. Chiren, and Mahershala Ali as Vector. I also enjoyed Keean Johnson as Hugo, Jackie Earle Haley as Grewishka, Jeff Fahey as a Hunter-Warrior named McTeigue, and Michelle Rodriguez as Gelda. But, this biggest standout is Rosa Salazar as Alita. Even with the visual effects, which are amazing, Rosa plays Alita with a genuine passion, and it shows when she starts off with wide-eyed curiosity and evolves over time into a badass fighter. Now, something worth noting is that for most of the appearances of the character Nova, he appeared wearing an eyepiece, which when combined with his hairstyle made him look like James Cameron. So, I will say that I was shocked in the final shot of Nova, and he was played by Edward Norton.

        Honestly, I think that this movie gets a lot more love than it has. Simply put, if there's a part of the movie that comes off as head-scratching or haphazard, then chances are it's something relates to the original anime. So, I'm giving Alita: Battle Angel a rating of 4.75/5. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and when we continue Robert Rodriguez Month next time, we're going to be diving in to his foray into family cinema with Spy Kids.