In Retrospect: Alita Battle Angel

I love this movie!

I have great respect for Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron for doing this story properly. They took it seriously, and wanted to make a good movie based off of something most americans wouldn't go for. It's a risk but I think it payed off to bring an adaptation of a influential and beloved manga to western audiences. I took a step back as the movie played and I asked a simple question, could anybody enjoy this film? And as the film progressed and I really looked at how they handled everything, I really do feel that anybody could. The world has evolved since Blade Runner, that movie was a hard sell for audiences and wasn't very successful but it grew to be one of the best science fiction movies in history and even it had fans when it came out. The movie knows how to connect us to our main character, they make her so charming and lovable you are with her every step of the way, and the way they handle her story makes you interested and invested. They got Alita so right, not just from a character point of view but as the driving force for the audience. They explain the world but still leave intrigue to where anyone can come to terms with it and wants to know more. The romance works, the characters are still believable and have their charms, the world is interesting and cool, everything works just right. But they don't play all their cards at once, and I very much hope they make the rest of the series because they handled this first chapter incredibly well. This could be a great film series, hell in a weird sort of way I kind of associate it very much with films like Ladyhawke or The Last Starfighter or Big Trouble In Little China, this could be a kid's favorite movie growing up. It could make a kid's imagination run wild and they would love every second of it, they could put it on anytime and have a ball. It's understandable to a kid, kind of relatable, has a fascinating story, good characters, and action that gets them fired up and makes 'em want to play some motorball. I would have loved this movie when I was 8 years old! It really does harken back to the more underground films of the 80s, and I know it's right up some kid's alley. I mean it has a straight up F-word like any true PG-13 movie from the 80s, it just fits that mold perfectly. I would totally rent this movie on VHS if I could from a video store. The setting is dystopian but is still pretty and visually striking, all the effects are done expertly and Alita looks damn near real. I mean you don't even notice it's an effect early on because the movie grabs you and you roll with it. And I'll level with you, Alita Battle Angel was the first manga I actually read, and it's a great story! Sure it has some tropes in it that a lot of anime take note from but it works, it throws you for twists and curves and you want to see what the end goal is and how it ends. I know that series can make damn good movies and I really hope people give it a chance. It's worth the rental and you may want to see what happens next, but for me this is a definite buy. I mean let's face it the western culture isn't screaming for adaptations of japanese media, and they screw up sometimes. I mean poor Dragonball man and we won't even mention the atrocities of Netflix, but they did Ghost In The Shell very well and I still stand by my views on that being a good movie, they did Alita well and have a fantastic opportunity for more, friggin' Detective Pikachu was pretty much set for success due to my generation being Pokemon maniacs and the time was right, movies based on anime or manga is something different but when they get it right they get it very right. And I don't know about you but I'm in the mood for some more kickass lesser known and valued movies. I think I know just the one to see too.