7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido, a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed SkreinAction | 100% |
Adventure | 88% |
Sci-Fi | 82% |
Comic book | 58% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
To paraphrase (and slightly tweak) a famous quote by a certain Dorothy Gale, one way or the other, we’re not in Grindhouse territory any more. A lot of people have referred to Alita: Battle Angel as “a James Cameron film”, and while it’s true that Cameron was a guiding force and co-producer of the project, Robert Rodriguez received the directing credit, and so it’s probably at least as instructive to look over Rodriguez’s previous outings in a science fiction environment as it is to look at Cameron’s arguably better remembered achievements. Rodriguez has often offered something approaching futuristic high tech visions, albeit often laced with pretty substantial amounts of whimsy, in such films as Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, but Alita: Battle Angel is a significantly more ambitious enterprise, one that brings with it a whole field of hazards courtesy of the fact that it was adapted from a well beloved manga. In that adaptive regard, it's kind of interesting to compare Alita: Battle Angel with the largely disparaged live action film version of Ghost in the Shell, at least insofar as both properties offer a heroine who may be as much machine as she is human. Alita: Battle Angel seems to have escaped much of the controversy surrounding certain casting decisions made in the case of Ghost in the Shell, perhaps ironically at least in part because the lead actress in this instance is Rosa Salazar, who, despite some impressive credits (American Horror Story: The Complete First Season) probably doesn't have quite the name recognition that someone like Scarlett Johansson does. The fact that the character of Alita is a "composite" presentation utilizing aspects of motion capture and some obviously CGI elements may have also provided a subliminal discounting of any similar outrages. And thankfully perhaps, that's the only controversy Alita: Battle Angel managed to escape, for while the film has some occasional stumbles, it manages to capture at least some of the spirit of the original manga while also creating an immersive 26th century world that is impressively rendered in an often surprisingly beautiful way considering the post-Apocalyptic emphasis of the film.
Alita: Battle Angel is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa Mini as having digitally captured the imagery, and while the IMDb is silent on a DI, some other online sources state that everything was finished at 2K (as always with my reviews, if anyone has verifiable authoritative data to the contrary, let me know, and I'll post an update). This is another pretty stunning looking Blu-ray from the folks at Fox, and in fact aside from a bit of blurriness in high action scenes and an overall softness in some aspects of the CGI, it's really often quite remarkable to watch. A lot of the film is graded either towards buttery yellows or cooler blues, but fine detail levels remain remarkably consistent throughout. Textures on practical props and costumes look precise and inviting, and even some of the computer rendering, like the soft down on Alita's face, is at least relatively "realistic" looking. That said, there is definitely a "cartoonish" aspect to some elements here, including Alita herself, as mentioned above in the main body of the review. The softness of the some of the CGI is probably exacerbated by some of the hyperbolic Motorball sequences where extremely fast action and whipsaw camera moves don't tend to support great levels of fine detail or clarity.
While some audiophiles may carp about the absence of a Dolby Atmos track, especially since the closing credits feature a mention of that very technology, the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track on this disc is really quite excellent in and of itself. Yes, there are certainly moments here where it's obvious engagement of Atmos channels may have given a greater vertical presence, but the surround activity in the sound design is near constant, and often incredibly visceral and immersive. The bustling environment of the crowded cityscape where Alita finds herself provides bounteous opportunities for what is almost a cacophonous array of ambient environmental sound effects, and as might be imagined, the Motorball sequences are similarly complex and well rendered. The battle scenes (aside and apart from Motorball, that is) also provide great engagement of the side and rear channels. LFE is often extremely forceful and even floorboard shaking. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and the entire track offers excellent fidelity and extremely wide dynamic range.
- The Fall (1080p; 5:05)
- Iron City (1080p; 3:19)
- What It Means to be a Cyborg (1080p; 2:28)
- Rules of the Game (1080p; 2:52)
- I Don't Even Know My Name
- Just an Insignificant Girl
- I'm a Warrior, Aren't I?
- Kansas Bar
There is kind of the unavoidable feeling as Alita: Battle Angel comes to a putative close that the bottom line may well be "OK, now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to the real story, OK?" Assuming this is just the opening gambit in a longer strategy, Alita: Battle Angel manages to trot out an almost insane number of plot points with little to no expositional trouble, with well defined characters and a believable creation of a pretty dystopian future society. There's nothing too groundbreaking here in terms of actual content, especially for any devoted anime fan, but Alita: Battle Angel is often energetic, if just as often kind of silly. Technical merits are solid, and the supplemental package enjoyable. Recommended.
2019
Limited Edition Collector's Set
2019
with USB Charging Wristband
2019
with USB Charging Wristband
2019
2019
+ Funko Keychain
2019
Cinematic Universe Edition
2014
2013
2018
2018
2018
2014
2019
2020
2013
2010
Cinematic Universe Edition
2019
2008
Live. Die. Repeat.
2014
2018
2017
Cinematic Universe Edition
2011
2014
2019
2016
2009