It’s Earth 2563. In the aftermath of the apocalyptic War, resurrected wide-eyed cyborg Alita, embodied by youthfully resilient Rosa Salazar, woefully tells kind human friend Hugo, played by spirited Keean Johnson, “I’m just an insignificant girl.” Yet, from her simple origin, the Hero arises in Producer James Cameron and Director Robert Rodriguez’s futuristic “Alita: Battle Angel”. The screenplay by James, Robert and Laeta Kalegridis is based upon creator Yukito Kishiro’s popular Manga “Gunnm”.
Cybernetics surgeon Dr. Dyson Ido, played by sincere Christoph Waltz, recovers the remnants of the young cyborg girl in a city junk heap. Her brain is alive in the cybernetic shell. Ido re-engineers the robotic body of his late daughter Alita, whom tragically died years previously. When this “Alita” awakes, she has no memory of who she is. She reinvents her life from zero, along with fatherly Ido.
When human Alita died, her distraught Mother Chiren, beautiful icily sullen Jennifer Connelly, left Ido. Revered scientist Chiren becomes the lover of powerful nefarious Vector, played by charismatic Mahershala Ali, who deals in black market cybernetics and runs the Iron City Motorball Games. Motorball is the shiny loud CGI upgrade of roller derby or “Rollerball” from that 1975 movie. Deadly contestants race on roller-skates on a treacherous track attempting to push a metal ball into a hole.
Elevated above populous industrial Iron City is the sky city Zalem, possessing advanced technology. Perhaps, cyborg Alita is artifact of Zalem technology? Both Ido and Chiren were both born on Zalem, and were banished to Iron City. If Chiren helps Vector prosper in the Motorball Games she can regain access to Zalem. She will be free to return home.
The Writer’s solemn futuristic narrative turns complicated. In 2563 there is no law enforcement to protect citizens from a renegade cyborg. The secret society of Hunter-Warriors, a group of bounty hunters, take down cyborg criminals. In high-stakes action, Alita discovers her great physical prowess and martial arts skills as she protects Ido from evil cyborg Grewishka, played by capriciously intense Jackie Earle Haley. Alita is the formidable cyborg warrior. Perhaps, her past is re-emerging?
A link to her forgotten past lies in Martian technology from 300 years ago. Yeah, Martian. Alita recovers her symbiotic robotic body. She brings it Ido. Alita may be the fiercest, most advanced cyborg warrior in human history. Alita wants “her body” back. Ido tells her that the body is just a shell, “neither good nor bad”. Good or bad is entirely up to Alita.
Although 300 years old, Alita has the brain of, the spirit of a teenage girl. She befriends Hugo, vibrant Keean. Hugo is the rogue hustler, who along with his buddies ravages and jacks cybernetic parts to sell to Vector, ruthless Mahershala. Alita and Hugo fall in love. More than the spectacular high octane Motorball Games or the stunning Wu Shu and mixed martial arts smackdown of Warrior-Hunters, what captivates is Alita and Hug’s poignant love story.
In this, James Cameron and Rosa Salazar create subtle movie magic. Rosa’s visage of Alita is created on screen using performance capture technology. Rosa is beautiful and looks in real-life like Alita. Yet, the nearly human visage of cyborg Alita is beautiful and wonderfully strange. Alita has the big bright hazel eyes of an Anime character. The hair wisps are cool. Her tears streaming down her cheek touch. She kisses as the youth madly in love. Rosa is amazing.
James and Robert’s Alita gracefully transforms as the Hero, who bravely says, “I do not stand by in the presence of evil.” “Alita” is about the young woman defining herself, discovering her power within, and falling deeply in love. Alita boldly reinvents her life. Although mostly machine, she is so poignantly human — becoming greater than she knows herself to be. That makes “Alita: Battle Angel” something truly special.
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This post is republished on ‘Agents of Change‘, a Medium publication.
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Photo credit: Shutterstock, modified