This is out in Australia today. I'm gonna finally see it in about 4 hours. Looking forward to it!
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Alita: Battle Angel |OT| Mobile Suit Gunnm.
- Thread starter Old Man Spike
- Start date
Holy shit! I still got chill.
This is the best manga adaptation ever!
Aside from the eyes, (why the hell did they keep that???), it's a 10/10 for me. Moods and action scenes, top notch. It has the spirit of the original too.
Rotten tomato score is way too low, sorry.
This is the best manga adaptation ever!
Aside from the eyes, (why the hell did they keep that???), it's a 10/10 for me. Moods and action scenes, top notch. It has the spirit of the original too.
Rotten tomato score is way too low, sorry.
Saw it in IMAX 3D last night with my brother. Rollerball scenes were fantastic in IMAX. Loud as hell, bass pounding. I could've watched about 2 more hours of that stuff. Overall, the action scenes were (mostly) really great. This movie was definitely anime as fuck with it's name and such. The worst thing I can say about the movie is that I didn't expect Alita to be the most human part of it, and have the best acting. Most of the folks in the movie I would rank from bad to indifferent. And I might be splitting hairs, but I thought the romance was good, but the boyfriend himself was a god awful, generic ass actor.
Watched it tonight. Enjoyed the action and the world, but none of the emotional stuff landed for me. It starts off great but about halfway through it goes into overdrive and doesn't give adequate build for the boyfriend or Jennifer Connelly's character. All that falls really flat.
It was okay.
It was okay.
The solar system's a pretty complicated place in this universe. The content this film covers really does just about scratch the surface, which is why it raises an eyebrow when people complain about this film setting up for a sequel. I mean I get it, it's such a common thing for films to have their eye on a trilogy or a cinematic universe these days, but if you want to do Alita's world any kind of justice you have to at least hint at some of the bigger picture, because it's a BIG fucking picture.
A fair few of us have read it all (well, what's available so far anyway) and yeah, that story could be it's own film with nothing to do with the rest of the series.
Just got out. I kept waiting, bracing myself, for the complaints about the "bad" elements of the movie to manifest and they never did for me.
The biggest gripes feel more like what I'd consider nitpicks at best and totally blown out of proportion. What I'd consider a nitpick even was more because of inconsistencies than straight up being bad. Like most of the acting was fine to pretty good and same with the dialogue. At worse, parts felt a little clunky and I can see how maybe it bothered others more, but it mostly all worked pretty well for me. Even the love story, which I saw get the most criticism, wasn't as in-your-face as I expected, as unbelievable, or even really poorly acted. I think it worked about as much as it did in Titanic because it was young teen love with some real stakes that ground the melodramatics of it all. I only thought if something didn't work for people or didn't reasonate enough, there were some crucial scenes that felt like they left out a beat or two that would lead into a characters' actions. Like there would be a little set up and things flowed together but then it felt like a beat missing like there was just a line of dialogue cut or part of a scene missing that could have tied scenes together smoother but they didn't include it for whatever reason. In that sense, the movie doesn't completely hide the seams in how it was pieced together, but for the most part, it does a good job.
The action was great, the visuals were great, the world building was cool. I felt it was a solid 8.5 out of 10. It does feel like the beginning of a series rather than self contained, but knowing that going in, it didn't bother me and I'm not sure how they could have made it more self contained without sacrificing where they might go with the series in the future. I guess my biggest complaint is that a couple characters could have gotten a little more development in this film and maybe there could have been more thematic arcs that got some resolution other than just Alita having her journey of self discovery by the end, but I really liked it.
The biggest gripes feel more like what I'd consider nitpicks at best and totally blown out of proportion. What I'd consider a nitpick even was more because of inconsistencies than straight up being bad. Like most of the acting was fine to pretty good and same with the dialogue. At worse, parts felt a little clunky and I can see how maybe it bothered others more, but it mostly all worked pretty well for me. Even the love story, which I saw get the most criticism, wasn't as in-your-face as I expected, as unbelievable, or even really poorly acted. I think it worked about as much as it did in Titanic because it was young teen love with some real stakes that ground the melodramatics of it all. I only thought if something didn't work for people or didn't reasonate enough, there were some crucial scenes that felt like they left out a beat or two that would lead into a characters' actions. Like there would be a little set up and things flowed together but then it felt like a beat missing like there was just a line of dialogue cut or part of a scene missing that could have tied scenes together smoother but they didn't include it for whatever reason. In that sense, the movie doesn't completely hide the seams in how it was pieced together, but for the most part, it does a good job.
The action was great, the visuals were great, the world building was cool. I felt it was a solid 8.5 out of 10. It does feel like the beginning of a series rather than self contained, but knowing that going in, it didn't bother me and I'm not sure how they could have made it more self contained without sacrificing where they might go with the series in the future. I guess my biggest complaint is that a couple characters could have gotten a little more development in this film and maybe there could have been more thematic arcs that got some resolution other than just Alita having her journey of self discovery by the end, but I really liked it.
Just got back.
- The first 30 minutes or so I thought were good. Like extremely good! The world building and Alita exploring Iron City was fantastic. I was fully immersed in the atmosphere and intrigued by the story/world! I was bracing myself for something really special.
- Ido and Alita were wonderful.
- Alita in terms of visual effects kinda underwhelmed me. She looked fine most of the time, but at certain points she looked really off with her expressions.
- I was expecting the worst when it came to the romance after reading all the comments about it, but it was fine? Nothing great or anything, but nothing overly terrible. I thought the actor playing Hugo did a good job considering the material he had to work with too.
- Here's the main negative. The story started off well with really good pacing and a great sense of intrigue, but about halfway through till the end it just kept on adding too much and it became unfocused. Towards the end I didn't even know what the central conflict was about. I didn't know what the movie was leading up to. I thought it was going to end like twice, but nope, it just kept going. Sadly the movie ends up feeling like it has little to no direction and that it didn't know what the hell it wanted to do.
- The Motorball scene leading into the chase scene with Hugo at the end was very well done. The movie kicked into high gear. It was exciting!
Overall, it definitely has problems, but you know what? I was still highly entertained throughout all of it. It's very anime/manga, but that's not necessarily a bad thing at all. It goes all in on its nerdy roots, and that's a-ok.
8.0/10
- The first 30 minutes or so I thought were good. Like extremely good! The world building and Alita exploring Iron City was fantastic. I was fully immersed in the atmosphere and intrigued by the story/world! I was bracing myself for something really special.
- Ido and Alita were wonderful.
- Alita in terms of visual effects kinda underwhelmed me. She looked fine most of the time, but at certain points she looked really off with her expressions.
- I was expecting the worst when it came to the romance after reading all the comments about it, but it was fine? Nothing great or anything, but nothing overly terrible. I thought the actor playing Hugo did a good job considering the material he had to work with too.
- Here's the main negative. The story started off well with really good pacing and a great sense of intrigue, but about halfway through till the end it just kept on adding too much and it became unfocused. Towards the end I didn't even know what the central conflict was about. I didn't know what the movie was leading up to. I thought it was going to end like twice, but nope, it just kept going. Sadly the movie ends up feeling like it has little to no direction and that it didn't know what the hell it wanted to do.
- I was shocked at the f bomb from Alita and the way Hugo's friend was sliced in two.
- The Motorball scene leading into the chase scene with Hugo at the end was very well done. The movie kicked into high gear. It was exciting!
Overall, it definitely has problems, but you know what? I was still highly entertained throughout all of it. It's very anime/manga, but that's not necessarily a bad thing at all. It goes all in on its nerdy roots, and that's a-ok.
8.0/10
What a great movie. Probably the best adaption of a manga or comic. I feel like they downplayed lots of the anime shonen content in favor of the drama/romance.
I was not expecting the F bomb at all, I almost loudly cheered when it happened, it was out of left field but suited the scene well.
Yep. Someone in the cinema yelled out a long "WHOOOO!" when she said it. I was like what's this rated again?! LOL.
I loved this movie. I think it was a mostly terrible directed, poorly acted, badly scripted movie that somehow managed to form a cohesive whole where everything somehow was narratively and thematically justified while also managing to operate as a good YA film. I was genuinely shocked by how much the film respected Alita and allowed her agency, and I loved her character even as I disliked her actress.
I'm really baffled by this movie and I feel like I understand people who love Venom and Jupiter Ascending now. I want two more, please. I need them to exist just to see it through.
I'm really baffled by this movie and I feel like I understand people who love Venom and Jupiter Ascending now. I want two more, please. I need them to exist just to see it through.
Bill Pope does amazing work here as does Rosa Salazar. Movie moves at a brisk pace (too brisk even) but it's an enjoyable ride and wears its heart on its sleeve. Action is great and was worth the 3D up charge.
My biggest criticisms would be that it definitely feels like there's a lot of material cut and the score was just there.
My biggest criticisms would be that it definitely feels like there's a lot of material cut and the score was just there.
I forgot to mention that Ed Skrein as Zapan was a fantastic villain. He had a great, intimidating presence. His back also looked extremely cool. Whoever designed that should get a raise.
On the flip side, I was pretty disappointed with Jennifer Connelly. I like her a lot as an actress (Labyrinth crush!), but she was given nothing to do and just came across as boring and bland.
I was sure shook with what happened to her at the end though. Like...wow. That was real dark. Again, what was this rated?! LOL.
On the flip side, I was pretty disappointed with Jennifer Connelly. I like her a lot as an actress (Labyrinth crush!), but she was given nothing to do and just came across as boring and bland.
I was sure shook with what happened to her at the end though. Like...wow. That was real dark. Again, what was this rated?! LOL.
Film did really well for its rating imo, good amount of death and gore. Having most of them be robots means they are more freely to do violent scenes.
Preferably it'd be gritty R18, similar to Dredd, but that would probably reduce its audience.
I was looking forward to the grotesque scene in the manga with the maggot guy, oh well...
Preferably it'd be gritty R18, similar to Dredd, but that would probably reduce its audience.
The real highlight of the film!I forgot to mention that Ed Skrein as Zapan was a fantastic villain. He had a great, intimidating presence. His back also looked extremely cool. Whoever designed that should get a raise.
I was looking forward to the grotesque scene in the manga with the maggot guy, oh well...
I got pretty strong Terminator vibes when he was chasing Hugo at the end. It was really well done.
Honestly, it's the weakest part in New Order for me. Including a "vampire" in what once was pure cyborg series felt totally out of place.
But i'm not fond of New Order at all. It turned more or less into a uninteresting typical Shonen for a HUGE part of it. And the giant robot with a penile canon. Really ?
The movie just changed back to 60% and fresh, but what's surprising is the 92% audience score. Like I knew it was going to be high, but not that high.
I know it'll change, but it's still a very impressive debut score. If it wasn't obvious from this thread and most of the YouTube reviews, this movie has really strong, positive word of mouth.
I know it'll change, but it's still a very impressive debut score. If it wasn't obvious from this thread and most of the YouTube reviews, this movie has really strong, positive word of mouth.
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It's a very good movie. I don't actually know what critics were expecting if they didn't like it, but then again some of them are just really... snobbish... when it comes to movies that use a lot of CGI.
That's not too surprising given the property, I still think it is very entertaining movie that most of Alita fans will like. At the same time, 60% also seem like it can reflect the chances of an average person liking it. I do wonder if having James Cameron attached to it and knowing he intended to direct it hurts the perception of the movie. There is this imaginary perfect 3 hour long version with 3x the budget that could have been; the one we got is compared with that and magnifies all its flaws.
I forgot to mention that Ed Skrein as Zapan was a fantastic villain. He had a great, intimidating presence. His back also looked extremely cool. Whoever designed that should get a raise.
On the flip side, I was pretty disappointed with Jennifer Connelly. I like her a lot as an actress (Labyrinth crush!), but she was given nothing to do and just came across as boring and bland.
...
Might want to edit that last bit out...spoilery. But yeah, Jennifer Connelly's talents were somewhat wasted with her character.
Pretty damn impressed as far as an adaptation goes. The visuals were obviously fantastic. The acting and cast was fine even if things are pretty simple plot wise (but faithful to the source). Yes Alita looks odd and some people will never get over that, but I assume that's how James wanted it to be.
Will watch again.
Will watch again.
Kinda surprised how uniformly positive it's being received by the G.A. so far. Will be interesting to see how its box office turns out.
Comparing this to Jupiter ascending is a joke.
I don't know a single person that went to it IRL and didn't like it. I employ 80 teenagers and young adults so I get a lot of feedback on movies. I think it got 60% bc critics tend to hate sci-fi and especially anime influenced anything.
Wife bought our tickets for tomorrow night. Thanks Alamo Drafthouse for having the only non-3D showing of this in my area. That shit gives me such a headache, but I'm sure it's a visual feast.
Edge of Tomorrow was even better than the manga it was based on.
Yeah, Jupiter Ascending in no way comes close to Alita (and I like Jupiter Ascending).
Alita's teeth annoyed me. Like, a person does not need to show their teeth that often when speaking.
I enjoyed the movie overall though.
I enjoyed the movie overall though.
I've seen the trailer often enough so I've been aware of the movie for a while but many of my circle of friends who enjoy sci-fi movies have no fucking clue this movie exists. That makes me think this movie is going to bomb hard. I'm gonna hopefully see it in IMAX this upcoming week.
I think it's expected to make 35M across 5 days so it's a big bomb. Fucking sucks.
I don't even bother to pay attention to analyst guesses until the time comes. "Well they say it will may x amount" means nothing to me until the weekend comes. They've been slow to update non-domestic numbers right now, it JUST officially came out in NA early in the week, and no Japan/China yet. I think it'll be ok globally.
For what it is worth, I thought this was better than Jupiter Ascending, it just reminded me of it with regards to how bad the script and acting was for a lot of the film. Alita manages its tone and has much better overall writing. They're both big budget sci-fi bombs with a gratuitous amount of green screen and wonky CG, with big ideas and big name actors playing super goofy characters. I don't think the comparison is unwarranted.
I genuinely liked Alita, I think the good mostly outweighed the bad.
I disagree that the script is bad. It's serviceable not bad. I also disagree that the main character Alita is poorly acted. Some of the supporting cast is sure. The comparison is laughable again.
Also you don't even know if Alita is going to be a bomb. It may not do well in the states but WW it could do just fine.
It was based on a light novel. The manga was adapted from that around the same time the movie was being filmed, so it seems like a stretch to say it was based on the manga.
Going to go watch this Saturday night, and I can't wait. Robert Rodriguez is really hit-or-miss, but when he hits he usually knocks it out of the park and good word of mouth Alita's been getting is encouraging.
I'm sure the movie will do fine overseas, but I think it will take a miracle for it to do well domestically. I hope to be wrong!
That being said the script is definitely not great. Characters saying exactly what is on screen, a ton of cheesy one liners, and the directing across the board exacerbates the stilted delivery. I actually think Alita herself was the most well acted character in the movie, but I don't think that makes her particularly good. For what it is worth, I think it's largely a direction issue. The film is just so earnest and goofy that I think it ultimately works.
As for the supporting cast, I think Hugo was probably the lowest point not counting the sneeringly goofy goon hunters. I also think Mahershala Ali didn't have his best day this time around.