Alita: Battle Angel

100 Movies in 100 Days
Movie 25 Day 25
Alita: Battle Angel

As some of my readers know, I enjoy taking my 14 year old nephew to the movies. Alita: Battle Angel was a film we both really we wanted to see. My only fear was the rating of the film. I saw it was directed by Robert Rodriguez and I assumed it was going to be rated R. Now I know this is the same director who directed Spy Kids but I still wasn't sure on where the where Alita would fall. Finally found out that Alita was rated PG-13 and I knew I could take my nephew to it. And what an action-packed adventure it was!

Alita: Battle Angel takes place in the far future after the fall of civilization. Only one city in the world remain standing. The city is separated into two parts, the Iron City where the poor live and the powerful sky city of Zalem. The ultimate goal of most people is to leave Iron City and ascend to Zalem. Most people gamble, steal and fight their way to the top. One way to gain access to Zalem is to become a champion of Motorball, a violent race game played by cyborgs.

Alita: Battle Angel has an amazing all-star cast, the most notable of them is Christoph Waltz who plays Dr. Ido. Dr. Ido is a doctor who specializes in humans and cyborgs. One day he is in the junk yard, looking for parts when he comes across Alita. She only has her chest and head in tact but her human brain is still fully functioning. Dr. Ido takes Alita home and is able to rebuild her body and awaken her mind. He begins to raise her like a daughter and he starts to quickly realize there is so much more to Alita than just another part human part robot girl. She's an amazing fighter and has technology way beyond her years. Alita must then decide what type of a life she's going to lead. Will she be the doctor's daughter, the well-behaved young girl or was she built for something more? Is she secretly a military weapon that can be used to help others?

Two other notable performances are by Jennifer Connelly as Dr. Ido's wife, Chiren. The whole movie you can't tell if Chiren is good or bad. I feel like only Jennifer Connelly can pull off that type of role, you know there's more going on under the surface but you don't quite know what her motives are. Jennifer Connelly does a brilliant job of portraying that fine line between corrupt and motivated. Mahershala Ali plays Vector, an underworld Kingpin and ruler of Motorball. He is determined to keep people in their place and it's clear he is working with sinister motives.  He plays the perfect bad guy,  you are terrified by the creepy look in his eye.

Overall I really enjoyed the message that Alita: Battle Angel was trying to project. Director Robert Rodriguez seems like he was making a statement about the poverty disparage between people. How can people at the bottom of the food chain ever climb up to the top? Even in today's society, so many people are struggling to get out of poverty and the opportunity does not arise. Alita: Battle Angel challenges the idea of who controls your fate. What matters is what is right.

If you are someone who enjoys futuristic movies I think you will appreciate Alita. The special effects in this movie are stellar and absolutely amazing! I had a hard time telling difference between what was a special effect and what was practical. I'm always impressed when that happens. It's wonderful to see how far technology has come in such a short amount of time. The special effects are something to marvel at.

I really hope this movie gets a sequel. The ending was left wide open with so many possibilities for a future series. I imagine Alita was a very expensive film to make and that means it's going to have to make a ton of money at the box office to get a sequel. My nephew and I both agree, we would love to see more installments in the series.  If you're looking for something fun and entertaining to see I highly suggest you check out Alita: Battle Angel.