Review Alita: Battle Angel (2018)

Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Set in the 26th century, the story follows amnesiac female cyborg Alita who is rescued from a scrapyard. The rebuilt Alita, remembering only her training in a deadly martial art, becomes a hunter-warrior, tracking down and eliminating vicious criminals.




 
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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
“Alita” Director Tries To Justify Anime Eyes


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The first trailer for the Robert Rodriguez-directed and James Cameron-produced live-action manga adaptation “Alita: Battle Angel” arrived earlier this week and all that anyone is talking about regarding it are those ‘manga eyes’ of the titular character.

The robotic character is played by a regular actress with mo-cap to render an otherwise realistic human looking CG character – aside from disturbingly large eyes which push things into the serious uncanny valley territory.

In a recent interview with Empire, Rodriguez explained that the idea for a ‘real world’ recreation of Alita’s looks from the comic came directly from Cameron who wanted a photo-realistic version of the manga eyes:

“We really wanted to honour that tradition and see that look standing next to any human character. To have the right person to emote behind it was really essential. Her origins are in the film and you understand why she looks that way. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, we have some pretty big windows. You can see a lot going on in there! When it gets to the emotional scenes it’s really uncanny and striking. And captivating!”

Cameron of course has been dealing with the “Avatar” franchise in recent years which boasts creatures with large eyes, but those are deliberately alien and cat-like which makes the larger eyes less distracting than they are here.

Said to be budgeted at a whopping $200 million, “Alita: Battle Angel” stars Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley and Keean Johnson. It opens July 20th next year.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The James Cameron-produced and Robert Rodriguez-directed “Alita: Battle Angel” has been pushed back by a full five months from late July to December 21st where it will open against the likes of “Aquaman” and “Bumblebee”.
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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Rodriguez Explains How They Fixed “Alita” Eyes


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The James Cameron-produced, Robert Rodriguez-directed live-action “Alita: Battle Angel” adaptation was hit by a wave of bad feedback when its initial trailer launched.

The story follows a female android warrior, played by Rosa Salazar, who has giant eyes several times the size of regular humans. Those eyes were decidedly disturbing in the first trailer but subsequent previews saw some improvements and a more natural look.

At a recent Q&A, Rodriguez explained how they mostly fixed the eye problem – rather than making them smaller, they made a part of them bigger. Specifically, the irises and pupil were expanded by up to 30% so the look was less cartoonish and more in proportion and realistic – much more akin to human eyes.

Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley and more co-star in the film which arrives on February 14th.



 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
A long gestating passion project of filmmaker James Cameron, his “Avatar” sequel commitments prevented him from pursuing it and instead he’s stepped into a producer role and handed over the steering wheel to Robert Rodriguez. Armed with a massive $200 million budget, only the key central storyline of the first four books in Yukito Kishiro’s epic manga are being adapted. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future and focuses on a cyborg who has lost all memories and been left for dead. A cybernetics doctor rebuilds her as a bounty hunter who tries to learn the truth of her past. Subsequent trailers suggest they’ve fixed some of the ‘uncanny valley’ effect which made the first previews so off-putting.
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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
James Cameron: “See ‘Alita’ In Cinemas”


James Cameron wants you to not only see “Alita: Battle Angel,” but to see the film in cinemas. In fact, in a new trailer for the film, Cameron says it’s the ONLY way to watch the movie which he produced and co-wrote.




The new trailer is pushing the film’s attempts at cutting-edge effects. While Robert Rodriguez helmed the movie, its Cameron’s passion project and he’s out promoting it hard. The film had its first screening the other night and a few reactions have popped up on social media praising the visuals and echoing the ‘see it in a cinema’ message.

Long range tracking for the costly film (via Box-Office Pro) currently has it opening in mid-February to the tune of $16 million. That’s not good for a sci-fi film rumored to cost somewhere between $150-200 million, with the movie also potentially set to open in third behind the second weekend of “The LEGO Movie 2” and the opening weekend of “Happy Death Day 2U” which is on track to take $24 million at only a fraction of the cost.

In fact the similarly cheap Rebel Wilson-led “Isn’t it Romantic” is not far off, scheduled to grab $14 million for that opening weekend when “Alita: Battle Angel” opens February 14th.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
“Alita” Reviews Mixed, Box-Office Worrisome


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Reviews are now in for the Robert Rodriguez-directed and James Cameron-produced sci-fi epic “Alita: Battle Angel,” and the overall word is very mixed.

With 43 reviews counted on Rotten Tomatoes, the film stands at a mediocre 53% (5.7/10) and reactions seem to be all over the board with some loving, some liking, some dismissing and some despising it.

The film is looking likely to be the final theatrical release by 20th Century Fox before it falls under Disney’s purview. Made for a budget said to be around a whopping $200 million, The Wrap says tracking figures for the film are fairly disastrous with a five-day mid-February opening (it hits on a Wednesday) of no more than $25 million and a final domestic gross expected to be not much more than double that. A couple of key reactions are included below:

“Their chutzpah is admirable, but perhaps, on this occasion, a little misplaced.” – Stephen Dalton, Hollywood Reporter

“A sci-fi epic that does something rare in an age of endless adaptations and reboots: lives up to its potential while leaving you wanting more.” – Michael Nordine, indieWire

“A pretty zappy effects showcase, weighed down by a protracted, soul-challenged Frankenstory that short-circuits every time it gets moving.” – Guy Lodge, Variety

“Alita: Battle Angel is an engaging piece of thoroughly computer-generated action pop, hokey and amiable and filled with enough set pieces to never drag.” – Emily Yoshida, Vulture

There’s also a new behind the scenes featurette. “Alita: Battle Angel” opens in cinemas on February 14th.
 
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