I don't often turn up at the cinema with no idea what I am going to watch but when it do I usually end up watching a film that I have no prior knowledge of or had any real inclination to watch. This was the case with Alita: Battle Angel (2019). All I knew about this film was from the posters, which pretty much meant I knew nothing and as a result I had very little expectations. And these expectations were mostly met. The film is your average, fun action sci-fi film but it never makes a step up into becoming a really great action film. The film is based on a Manga series, and follows the story of the titular Alita (Rosa Salazar), a cyborg who is found in a scrap yard and reconstructed by Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz). She has no memory of her past or where she has come from. But as more of her past and her abilities are revealed she becomes of interest to some nefarious characters. The film then shows her juggling attempting to live her life as an average teenage girl, whilst also becoming more aware of her unique abilities and history which may very well shape the future.
It was really refreshing to go into a film knowing nothing about it and in this case it lead to quite a few pleasant surprises, mainly in the form of Jennifer Connelly, as Chiren, and Mahershala Ali, as Vector. Neither put in stellar performances as they have shown they can do, especially with Mahershala Ali just coming off winning his second Oscar. But they both put in decent performances and definitely look the part as two of the major villains of the film. And this is my opinion of all the performances, that they are good but never great. Christoph Waltz is spot on casting for Dr. Ido who is both loving and compassionate, but also has secrets that he is hiding from Alita as he is able to play both sides of his character and be believable when doing so. Keean Johnson is also good as Hugo in a kind of teen heartthrob kind of way, but that is exactly what he is meant to be so he does a good job. One of the more memorable performances in the film comes from Ed Skrein as Zapan, a cyborg Bounty Hunter. He come across as a cocky, douche bag pretty boy but also is able to be more menacing as the film progresses while still keeping the slimy nature of his character intact. Although his character is 95% CGI his facial expressions and delivery are strong enough that he can fight past that and is very entertaining throughout. And if he is 95% CGI then massive props have to go out to Rosa Salazar as Alita as she is able to put out a really gripping and emotionally driven performance despite being 100% CGI. Alita comes across as a real character and I felt a connection with this character despite the whole uncanny valley aspect that was coming across, and Rosa Salazar has to be given real credit for managing to do that. But I have mentioned the uncanny valley that is rife in this film and I couldn't do this review without diving into it as it can be quite distracting.
On the whole the film looks really good. The production design, costumes and sets are all really cool visually and remain interesting to look at throughout the whole film. It was the most surprising part of this film actually. I felt like the film was going to be an obscene CGI fest with little to nothing being real apart from the human actors, but the film really surprised me by using quite a few physical sets, at least towards the start of the film. The area where Alita resides for the majority of the film is a really cool looking location and was definitely the most imaginative location in the film, with the rest being nothing more than what we have scene before in other sci-fi films. But despite the CGI being pretty excellent throughout the film the uncanny valley still lingers with Alita, mainly because the CGI is so good. She is so close to being life like but is just slightly off and this creates a weird creepiness to her. It does become better as the film continues and you get used to the character, but it never really gets to a point where you aren't a little creeped out. Again, this is not to say that the CGI is not great because it is very good, but it is so life like that it creates the uncanny valley. The main problem with the film though is the plot. It isn't really that interesting and also seems rushed in several parts. The world the film is based in is cool but the narrative is something we have seen a thousand times in other films and so the story beats are predictable and I never found myself being excited or curious about where the plot was going. To this point, even in the moments where there is a bit of mystery involved they are solved with Alita discovering some small thing about her past, confronting Dr. Ido about it who then proceeds to spout exposition on her. This happens two or three times and it just felt like the film was on narrative repeat at times. However, all the action scenes were great and really fun so congrats to the writers for including a lot of these throughout the story.
Alita: Battle Angel was a slightly pleasant surprise. It never went above or below my expectations in terms of narrative or its heavy reliance on CGI, but it did surprise me in that I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The narrative is nothing exciting with all the beats and tropes that you have seen in so many films that have come before this, and this does mean that it can drag a little at times while you wait to hit that next story beat. But the plot is outdone by the fun performances, cool and visually stimulating production design and exciting action sequences. The whole uncanny valley aspect of the film is a little distracting, but not so much so that it ruins the film or the character in any major way. Overall I would give the film a slight recommend. You won't miss anything by not rushing out to see it, but it is a fun time and if you do choose to see it in cinemas or on VOD, when it eventually makes it there, you will be entertained.