Review of Alita: Battle Angel (2019) by Nousemerk — 14 Feb 2019

I went and saw this movie last night with my fiance at AMC Riverpark Square in IMAX 3D. I had high hopes for this film ever since it was announced and knew James Cameron was tied to the production. I was NOT disappointed! For the best experience, I highly suggest seeing it in IMAX 3D as it'll better immerse you into the world and characters.

I think they did a great job at setting up the story. Beginning with Alita's mysterious past and then throughout the movie unlocking her character and history. I enjoyed the father daughter relationship between Alita and Christoph Waltz character, Dr. Ido. And the love interest between Alita and Hugo seemed natural, and not forced. Rosa Salazar, the actress behind Alita (along with digital artists at WETA Digital) did an amazing job at bringing the CGI character to life. I never got an "uncanny valley" feeling from Alita (despite her manga inspired facial aesthetic). It's probably some of the best special effects in film thus far.

Speaking of special effects...from crafting the world, to the cyborg side characters, to the action/battle sequences, everything was spectacular. Again, seeing it in IMAX 3D really let's these things shine.

Overall, I highly recommend this movie to any fans of Sci-Fi / Fantasy. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen. I hope it does well at the box office too, as they perfectly set everything up for sequels. Such a rich world, characters, etc...would love to see more of it.