Alita : Battle Angel

All the best movie franchises started off with a self contained story. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Alien, Star Trek et cetera. They all began with a story that had a proper ending. None of them had the neck to assume they'd survive past the first film so wrapped up their plots with endings that would satisfy fans in case that was it. Lately we've seen a rash of films that finish up with the assumption there'll be loads more to come,The godawful Robin Hood of 2018 was one such film. The latest is Alita : Battle Angel. It's based on a series of manga comic books so there's loads of story to work with but any first film that has the cheek to leave an open ending will always annoy me. And what annoyed me even more was the fact that I was really enjoying it up until the end.

It's the 26th century. Earth is a wreck but is slowly starting to recover after the great war of 300 years before that destroyed the planet. Humanity has come together in gigantic cities that serve as massive melting pots of colour and culture blended with danger and death. In one city a doctor called Ido discovers a cyborg in a scrap heap. Using his knowledge and skill he rebuilds her and names her Alita. Alita has no recollection of who she is or what she did before Ido found her. She falls in love with the world around her and her new friends. Life is good until one day she realises she has quite the talent for combat. Quite the talent indeed.

This should have been a disaster. It's been in development hell for the bones of 20 years now while producer James Cameron worked on various other projects. No one assumed it would ever been released let alone be any good. Then there was the accusations of white washing which made no sense because the characters in the original manga weren't Asian. It's a film people have had the hatchet out for since the trailers started appearing. I, myself wasn't one bit one confident about it and it really surprised me. It's a very enjoyable movie and a few caveats aside I'd happily recommend it. It's likability comes down to two main things, Rosa Salazar as Alita and Christoph Waltz as Dr Ido.

One accusation you often see thrown at big blockbusters like this is that they're soulless. That doesn't apply here imo. Alita and Ido are a well of warmth and heart at the centre of the madness. Yes it's chockablock with action and CGI spectacle but it has a warm gooey centre that's very much appreciated. Alita's wide eyed (literally) wonder at the world, wandering around like a toddler enjoying everything the world has to offer. Ido's paternal love for her carried off without any ickiness. They're a solid pairing which anchors the film when it really gets silly. Man alive does it get silly. Cyberpunk mega madness. More slow motion martial arts scraps than you can shake a stick at. Robotic woofs. A hilariously nonchalant death scene. A cyborg Jeff Fahey. It's gloriously stupid. But they hold it together because you actually give a shit about them.

Are you looking at my neck?

It's far from perfect though. That frustrating ending still grates. Chances are there will be a sequel but the idea of waiting years to see what's next rots me. The sheer amount of plot packed into two hours was an issue too. There's a lot going on here and a couple of plotlines and one or two characters could easily have gotten the snip. Jennifer Connelly's character Chiren (who seems to have wandered in from a far more serious movie) adds nothing to proceedings and could have easily got the boot. The first third of the film is quite muddled as a result of this overload and you'll find yourself constantly playing catchup. It's a nuisance but after a while things do settle down and you can start having fun.

This really took me by surprise. I'm glad Robert Rodriguez directed this instead of producer James Cameron. He's managed to pack it full of the humanity that was missing from Cameron's Avatar. In a megabucks CGI-fest that's no mean feat. Go see it on a huge screen. You'll enjoy it and probably leave with a new cinematic heroine to add to your faves list. 

Just try to not let the ending annoy you.