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Alita: Battle Angel reviews are dropping

jett

jett

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,653
https://www.joblo.com/movie-news/review-alita-battle-angel

If there's a major issue I have with ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL it's that I wanted more, which isn't necessarily a bad problem to have. It wasn't that there wasn't a lot here (and there's A LOT), but I easily would've stayed in my seat to watch another half hour to see the story taken one step further, as this is absolutely an origin tale that builds to something much bigger and with much left to be explored. While that's actually a really cool aspect to the film, it does leave the cinematic stomach a bit hungry for more with this meal. Still, the film stands tall on its own and I'm hopeful it resonates enough with fans and non-fans alike that will see more follow-ups to come. There's plenty of source material left to explore and with the world set-up so beautifully, it'd be great to revisit this immersive, virtual environment again, but that will ultimately rest on whether or not folks enjoy it as much as I did and give it the box office boost to make it so. If this is our only stop, however, it's something I'll happily revisit for the fun, wild ride that it is.
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8/10

https://www.entertainment-focus.com/film-section/film-reviews/cinema/alita-battle-angel-review/

With plenty of heart and some sensational spectacle, Alita: Battle Angel is an absorbing and delightful cinema experience that really has to be experienced in IMAX where possible. The 3D element crucially sweeps you up into this world (at one point I got sweaty palms just by watching a CGI character stand on the edge of a CGI building). IMAX presents nearly half of the film with up to 26% more picture onscreen. Going beyond the standard frame of a cinema screen makes the experience far richer, and mixed with the upgraded sound and re-mastered image gives Alita: Battle Angel a truly unique edge. If you can take the leap, then watching it in IMAX will not disappoint one bit. As for the film itself, it easily becomes one of the outstanding highlights of the year so far, and delivers a startling insight into where the future of cinema could be heading.
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4/5

https://comicbook.com/movies/2019/01/31/alita-battle-angel-review-effects-action-good-positive/
All things considered, the movie is an immersive escape to another world. Attempts at emotion and human connections are supplemented by amazing visual and practical effects, along with well-crafted action sequences. It's not going to be the next Avatar despite being an equally massive idea, but Alita builds its own world for a second adventure which could get audiences more invested.
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3/5

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/31/alita-battle-angel-review-robert-rodriguez
Alita: Battle Angel is a film with Imax spectacle and big effects. But for all its scale, it might end up being put on for 13-year-olds as a sleepover entertainment. It doesn't have the grownup, challenging, complicated ideas of Ghost in the Shell. A vanilla dystopian romance.
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3/5

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/alita-battle-angel-review-cyborg-blockbuster-bolted-together/
Alita: Battle Angel review: this cyborg blockbuster is a bolted-together mess
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2/5

https://www.thewrap.com/alita-battle-angel-film-review-robert-rodriguez-james-cameron/
When the action stops, though, it's obvious that nothing much adds up, and nothing much is resolved. What, for instance, is life like in Zalem? Who is its Oz-like ruler, Nova (Edward Norton, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo)? What does the planet Mars have to do with it all? And, crucially, who was Alita in her previous incarnation?

Rodriguez must have planned to answer these questions in a sequel, but don't hold your breath. His film is probably too rushed, unfocused and tonally erratic to attract an audience, in which case the wait for an "Alita: Battle Angel" sequel will be even longer than the wait for an "Avatar" one.
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Certinfy

Certinfy

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
3,476
I'm actually still optimistic despite the mixed reviews. Could well be a movie critivs don't love but general audiences do. Seems like it's happening often lately.
 
Seesaw15

Seesaw15

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,809
When the action stops, though, it's obvious that nothing much adds up, and nothing much is resolved. What, for instance, is life like in Zalem? Who is its Oz-like ruler, Nova (Edward Norton, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo)? What does the planet Mars have to do with it all? And, crucially, who was Alita in her previous incarnation?
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Pretty much what I got from the trailers. Even the manga which I enjoyed quite a bit falls apart under its own weight after a point. The fact that Cameron seemed to only really be focusing on "cute anime girl does action" on an adaptation/visual level never really inspired much hope.

Looks like Speed Racer will remain the uncontested king for another year.
 
Dice

Dice

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,205
Canada
Good reviews, considering it's a manga adaption (the bar probably is low for those).

I'm personally psyched to see any manga getting big budget adaption.

Mixed reviews is honestly good enough for me (cuz TAKE THAT critics!! or something)
 
Stephen Home

Stephen Home

Alt account
Banned
Dec 17, 2018
709
Sound slightly better than what I expected but I am just not interested. The trailers did nothing for me.
 
Curler

Curler

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,595
Seesaw15 said:
Pretty much what I got from the trailers. Even the manga which I enjoyed quite a bit falls apart under its own weight after a point. The fact that Cameron seemed to only really be focusing on "cute anime girl does action" on an adaptation/visual level never really inspired much hope.

Looks like Speed Racer will remain the uncontested king for another year.
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I'm reading through right now, but so far nothing really "falls apart", as it is still building.

This review can almost be said about any first movie in a series. Hunger Games? That sure had a ton of unsnswered questions after the first one! But they answered them in the following movie. Feels very nitpicky.
 
chrisPjelly

chrisPjelly

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
10,491
Everything about this screams the Speed Racer of this generation. Super flashy and fun, but with a wacky story and style that will leave general audiences and critics scratching their heads.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
92,529
here
for some reason alita is on the side of my arizona green tea
 
Mengy

Mengy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,374
I hate to say it but I'm just not excited to see this film. I'm sure I will at some point, but I might wait to watch it at home.
 
Strangelove_77

Strangelove_77

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,392
I can see this being one of those movies nerds on the internet will love in about 2-3 years.
 
Seesaw15

Seesaw15

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,809
Curler said:
I'm reading through right now, but so far nothing really "falls apart", as it is still building.

This review can almost be said about any first movie in a series. Hunger Games? That sure had a ton of unsnswered questions after the first one! But they answered them in the following movie. Feels very nitpicky.
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How far into the series are you? There is definitely a point further along where things stop making sense and as a reader you're just kind of along for the ride.

And to be fair to the reviewer unlike Hunger Games or Harry Potter which were pretty much direct adaptions( 1 movie=1 book) Alita seems to be either speeding through multiple arcs/volumes or just mixing things up.
 
Hero_of_the_Day

Hero_of_the_Day

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
17,319
Curious to see how this thing does at the box office. Has looked like a bomb waiting to happen since we first saw.
 
Violence Jack

Violence Jack

Drive-in Mutant
Member
Oct 25, 2017
41,663
I'm probably seeing this regardless of reviews just to support Sci-Fi/cyberpunk films and that I like Rodriguez as a director. He's needed a hit for a long time now. But I'm expecting it to bomb.
 
Doggg

Doggg

▲ Legend ▲
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Nov 17, 2017
14,437
Hmm, I thought this was going to be a complete bomb, so I'm actually pleasantly surprised.
 
Eddie

Eddie

Banned
Jun 3, 2018
1,367
Eh, this movie needed gang buster reception to have a chance at the box office . It's leaning towards more positive but definitely going to struggle at the BO
 
Big One

Big One

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,277
The manga is one of my all time favs, but I'm kind of eh on what I've seen on the movie. I'll still see it though.

To be fair even if it averages at 3/5 that's still better than any anime/manga to live-action Hollywood movie out there.
 
Curler

Curler

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,595
Seesaw15 said:
How far into the series are you? There is definitely a point further along where things stop making sense and as a reader you're just kind of along for the ride.

And to be fair to the reviewer unlike Hunger Games or Harry Potter which were pretty much direct adaptions( 1 movie=1 book) Alita seems to be either speeding through multiple arcs/volumes or just mixing things up.
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I just finished vol 4 of the first, main series (been wanting to get through as much as I can, since I'm not sure how far the movie goes). So that finished the Motorball arc.

Fair enough that the others were 1:1 adaptations, but there's bound to be some mysteries in the first of many stories.
 
Seesaw15

Seesaw15

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,809
Eddie said:
Eh, this movie needed gang buster reception to have a chance at the box office . It's leaning towards more positive but definitely going to struggle at the BO
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This seems closer to a Valerian than a Venom but who knows audiences could latch onto it regardless of reception. Though outside of the obvious Star Wars example I'm scratching my head to think of a futuristic sci-fi blockbuster that appealed to general audiences.
 
Inuhanyou

Inuhanyou

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,214
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you'll never get critics to like adaptions of things from anime and manga...but even then, i think a lot of that has to do with directors and hollywood not understanding what makes the original content work and also having to square that with big budgets and typical movie conventions
 
Korigama

Korigama

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,480
Seesaw15 said:
How far into the series are you? There is definitely a point further along where things stop making sense and as a reader you're just kind of along for the ride.

And to be fair to the reviewer unlike Hunger Games or Harry Potter which were pretty much direct adaptions( 1 movie=1 book) Alita seems to be either speeding through multiple arcs/volumes or just mixing things up.
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This is based on the first several volumes, though Jennifer Connelly's character is anime-only.
Inuhanyou said:
you'll never get critics to like adaptions of things from anime and manga...but even then, i think a lot of that has to do with directors and hollywood not understanding what makes the original content work and also having to square that with big budgets and typical movie conventions
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Given we're at the point where critics can and often do love Western comic adaptations with the right people involved with those, it's entirely that (and unfortunately, I don't see that changing anytime soon).
 
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Curler

Curler

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,595
Korigama said:
This is based on the first several volumes, though Jennifer Connelly's character is anime-only.
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Yeah I found out about that recently. Sounds like this was more based on the OVA (which I plan on checking out soon).

Since the story has changed, I really hope that
Yugo/Hugo becomes a cyborg and dies... I doubt it since apparently he teaches her Motorball which is... a stretch, but I liked it as a non-conventional romance. He prob sticks around through the whole thing.
 
Old Man Spike

Old Man Spike

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,056
United States
Cross-posting, they finally released the Motorball clip officially, with an introduction by Cameron himself.

'Motorball' Clip:
(Youtube Link)


People already using a handful of early reviews to justify their long-held negativity/pessismism for this film. As expected.
 
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Lord Error

Lord Error

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,358
I have pretty much zero hope this movie will be any good, but I'll still see it someday, just for visuals.
 
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