Before the original comic was adapted into this movie, it was also adapted into a two-part animated mini-series. That lacked some of the details of the source material, and rushed things a bit, but the minimalism was not only understandable, but somewhat lovable. This movie is the opposite of that, it tries to expand and add more, but in the end does not stand on it's own.
Almost from the start, the movie tries to create a love story that feels less convincing than a "my dog ate the homework" excuse, and this exposes the first big problem: the characters have no personality, and serve no real function other than making the story move along. By the end of the movie, one would be lucky to remember two or three character names apart from Alita. All one remembers is a CGI girl with unsettling big eyes, a scientist doctor that always feels out of the action, and the love interest on the "good guys" team, and generic bad man, generic bad girl and generic bad monster on the bad guys team. These flimsy two dimensional characters are backed up by bad dialog worthy of fan fiction written by a 10-year old.
So it comes down to how good it looks. The design is a mixed bag. Some of the android look superb, others look rushed and unfinished. The main character falls on the latter one. Some design choices are also quite questionable, like most characters looking clean and well groomed, when they are supposed to live in slums. The special effects (CGI) are as dull and uninspired as the rest of the movie, so it fits right in.
It's never easy to make an adaptation of a Japanese manga or anime. The 2017 Ghost in the Shell movie is proof of that, but Alita didn't have the same huge shoes to fill, it could have been an interesting movie, even with the design flaws. All it needed was a proper script.
Almost from the start, the movie tries to create a love story that feels less convincing than a "my dog ate the homework" excuse, and this exposes the first big problem: the characters have no personality, and serve no real function other than making the story move along. By the end of the movie, one would be lucky to remember two or three character names apart from Alita. All one remembers is a CGI girl with unsettling big eyes, a scientist doctor that always feels out of the action, and the love interest on the "good guys" team, and generic bad man, generic bad girl and generic bad monster on the bad guys team. These flimsy two dimensional characters are backed up by bad dialog worthy of fan fiction written by a 10-year old.
So it comes down to how good it looks. The design is a mixed bag. Some of the android look superb, others look rushed and unfinished. The main character falls on the latter one. Some design choices are also quite questionable, like most characters looking clean and well groomed, when they are supposed to live in slums. The special effects (CGI) are as dull and uninspired as the rest of the movie, so it fits right in.
It's never easy to make an adaptation of a Japanese manga or anime. The 2017 Ghost in the Shell movie is proof of that, but Alita didn't have the same huge shoes to fill, it could have been an interesting movie, even with the design flaws. All it needed was a proper script.
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