Alita: Battle Angel

A tarted-up lot of nothing that’s nice to look at. The visuals are unsurprisingly superb, Rodríguez’s direction is surprisingly solid and focused, and the robotic/computer generated main character is very likeable. I wouldn’t have a problem with it overall, if, somewhere in the middle, I hadn’t realised that the film not only wasn’t moving towards the central clash, but that it would also elegantly avoid it. To be continued, basically. (08/02/2019)

I wasn't expecting much, but I was hoping it would turn out to be a fun and nice looking piece of crap. And in the end, it did. Alita probably won't appear on my list of the best films of the year, but the two hours in the cinema went by faster and more pleasantly than I would have guessed a few weeks ago. The visual effects and production design are top-notch and it's a really good watch, but this sci-fi epic gets the most points for its heroine. Rosa Salazar is great as Alita, she's both endearingly freaky and spectacularly deadly at the right moments. Robert Rodriguez keeps a surprisingly low profile and his action scenes are lucid and milk Hollywood's current technological capabilities to the max. The whole thing may be a little cheesy and 90s in both the good and bad sense of the word, but they are clearly aware of that. A lot of the themes aren't fleshed out enough (and shouldn't have been) and at times Alita turns into a sci-fi romance for teenage girls, but it still works. Personally, I had no problem tuning in on the same wavelength as Rodriguez and Cameron and enjoying the fact that it's big, beautiful, action-packed and fun. And basically, that was enough to satisfy me. (13/02/2019)

This fast-paced action sci-fi fairy-tale with heart is held together by Alita, who is surprisingly the most vivid of the characters. Super cute! The nice daddy Waltz was also fine. Other character would benefit from more screen time, as that would give the movie more complexity, which it slightly lacks. And I’m not talking only about deepening the character of super MILF Connelly and similarly important characters, but also about some space for funny supporting types like the cowboy Fahey. He definitely had more space in the screenplay. Anyhow, the movie is a roller-coaster ride alternating emotions with spectacular action, and the fights leading to the transition of a fragile girl into the ultimate fighter will take your breath away. I was completely satisfied and am willing to watch it again in Atmos or IMAX. The Japanese are going to love this. (08/02/2019)

Sci-fi for girls, in a good way. At least for girls who want to be like Ripley. Rodriguez populates Cameron’s fantasy world with living, breathing characters with the soul of a cyborg. The action is coherent and easy to follow; the fight in the bar is just genius. The romantic storyline is pretty weird, but it works well. Rosa Salazar grabs you with her big eyes and doesn’t let go. This is evidently just the first episode, as it is obviously a prelude, and I want to see more, so I hope Alita is a hit. (19/02/2019)

Alita is a pretty good movie. Nice effects, nicely shot, great action. Alita isn't a whiny girl and to some extent the heroes are appealing. The Dolby Atmos worked well for it. It was just a little too shallow for my taste; it basically didn't give you the space to like anyone. Those who know the source material might like it. If they can get over the inevitable loss of information. A better 3 stars. (09/02/2019)