Alita: Battle Angel (minor spoilers)

Alita is a film that is noticeably authentic in its approach. It stems from the fact that it was made by a director and a team of creative minds who wanted to make this movie and had fun in doing so; resulting in one of the most entertaining blockbusters in recent years.

The craftsmanship and care this film was made with is fully realized in its attention to detail and the CGI is without a doubt some of the best that the industry has ever produced to this day. It is seamless and might be considered amongst some as flawless and the most quintessential use of CGI ever. While other films in the past have failed to encapsulate photorealistic facial expressions with their use of motion capture Alita: Battle Angel excels in this area.

To truly sell a motion captured performance to the audience they must believe that a non-performance captured character and a performance captured character are sharing the screen as opposed to adding the mo-cap character in post and having the other actor talk to a green ball. In doing this it allows both actors to act off of eachother’s performances and create meaningful interactions that the audience can resonate with. Not once is the viewer taken out of the experience of watching this film due to either noticeable, lacking CGI or performance capture. It is not enough to say that the believablility and craft put into Alita’s design is beyond stunning.

Alita is played by Rose Salazar and she delivers such a memorable and wonderful performance. The audience is immediately introduced to Alita and are captivated by her magnificent presence on screen; start to finish. Rose does something remarkable throughout the entirety of this film—she manages to maintain a sense of innocence and naivety while also illustrating what a total badass Alita is. In many films characters are often forced on the viewers and are told to like them through eye-rolling attempts of being cool, tough, or attractive in rather mediocre scenes or moments of supposed character development rather than being shown why a character should be liked and cared for through well constructed interactions between the characters and their dialogue. Rose’s performance is genuine and adorable. When Alita smiles and laughs the audience smiles and laughs. When Alita stands her ground and takes shit from no one the audience responds with “that’s right!”. This is an iconic female heroine in the making.

One thing that is important to note is the exclusion of forced themes. One of the strengths of Alita as a character is her ability to be a badass female without the need of subjugating the viewer to unnecessary dialog pertaining to female power or feminism; something that has grown tiresome to view as many films released in recent years have tried to develop authentic female characters but fail.

Recently in the world of cinema there has been a push for a greater presence of women (and greater diversity in general) in film; rightfully so and long overdue. However, in doing so the narrative regarding equality and feminism has been dismantled and restructured into something less than what women truly deserve on the big screen.

The strongest and most effective form of feminism that you can present to the viewer is visually capturing her strength, virtue, charisma, and flaws through her actions. Lines like, “You’re pretty good for a girl.” or “Not too bad for a girl.” are absent from this film and it is all apparent in the supporting characters care and respect for Alita as an individual and as one of their own. Show don’t tell.

Alita doesn’t bash or make quips about how better she is than everyone else to justify her actions as a “strong woman”. Gender politics, identity politics and hidden SJW agendas are non-existent in this film. This strengthens Alita as a role model for young girls and women all around the world; it is the core foundation of what makes her so appealing to everyone—her heart, her innocence, and her level of badassery.

The character development of Alita is so impressing and fun to experience. Everytime she is onscreen the viewer can’t help but smile and anticipate what’s to come next.

Alita is introduced as a fragment of the past that has no recollection of her role in the world she awakes in. As the story progresses, Alita, as well as the viewer, happen upon the idea of a greater and grander universe to explore as well as further character development. She remembers who she is and knows now what she stands for.

“I will not stand by in the presence of evil.” - Alita

Just one of many powerful and inspiring lines that is so wonderfully and masterfully delivered by Rose. There are many moments that are handled with such a delicate attention to detail in Alita’s body language that is absent from a majority of characters in cinema, today. From her hand movements, to her facial expressions, and in how she fights. She moves with fluidity; in the way she presents herself and in how she speaks.

The romance between Hugo and Alita is fine. Their friendship and relationship feels organic even if it isn’t fully fleshed out. Alita’s naivety shines here as she openly accepts her love for Hugo almost too quickly. Their brewing romance could’ve been structured better but unlike most romance stories injected into other films theirs doesn’t break the film.

Ed Skrein plays the hunter warrior Zapan. Everything excluding the surrounding area of his face is CGI. He owns this role and makes it a memorable one. The CGI used for his character would’ve been appreciated if applied to Cyborg from Justice League; it’s that good.

Christoph Waltz works wonders as Ido. In many ways he’s the heart and driving force behind Alita’s determination in becoming who she’s meant to be. He holds her back a bit but his backstory details why. Waltz could’ve been underused in this performance but he totally makes the role his. He’s a likeable father figure to Alita.

The story of Alita: Battle Angel is not perfect. It has room for growth and improvement in its potential sequels. It teases big ideas and a universe worth exploring. It drops bits of lore worth expanding upon. The world Alita takes place in is one worth revisiting.