Alita: Battle Angel: Film Review

Synopsis

Because of the lack of a central storyline, I cannot figure out what the main plot is. So, there will be no synopsis for Alita: Battle Angel. I'll just say to the best of my ability, "Recently reactivated cyborg tries to figure out who she is."

Review

First, we need to address the lackluster script. This film is unfortunately hampered by weak writing and a lack of a story. To prove that the script is so weakly written, here's a quote from the film (paraphrased): "Here comes ALITA with the body of an ANGEL built for BATTLE." The fact that they had to call ALITA a BATTLE ANGEL in Alita: Battle Angel means that they were grasping at straws. There are so many different subplots that it's just a hodgepodge of storylines that don't merge well at all. Alita: Battle Angel feels like the middle of a movie. There is no background on any of the characters, leading to fairly shoddy character work. There are several unnecessary characters that serve the story little no purpose, i.e. Chiren (Jennifer Connelly) and Vector (Mahershala Ali). The film does not have a concrete ending. By the supposed end, there are so many glaring plot holes, its practically Swiss cheese. It is apparent that the creators are hoping for a sequel, but after seeing this, I don't think they'll get one. On the bright side, the film looks great. The use of CGI in this film is effective and the action scenes are entertaining. Nevertheless, the action scenes are the only parts of this movie worthy of praise (that's what the 1.5 is for).