Alita: Battle Angel is based upon a manga series, which is a cause for concern as Hollywood adaptations don't have a good track record. The good news is that Alita: Battle Angel is a solid film, even if you have no idea about the source material. It takes place in the future where a war had ravaged the planet, and what's left is a city in the sky known as Zalem, and the city below it. The people living in the city below makes due, and no one ever goes up to Zalem although a few dream of doing so. Alita was rescued from the scrapyard and given a cyborg body but had lost her memories. The bulk of the plot has her interacting with Hugo, a boy she met (and given that he's the love interest, is quite weak), and just learning about this world. Considering it was only given two hours, the film does a great job at world building. By the end of it, you feel that you are familiar with a lot of its elements and workings. The flipside is that there isn't a clear objective for Alita. There is so much in its story that it simply cannot fit it all inside the film, which leaves the ending somewhat lacking. There is an absolutely reliance on CGI given that a lot of the characters are cyborgs, but there are some excellent action sequences that is a thrill given the fast pace. Yes, the bigger eyes on Alita is distracting (and weird considering no one else has it) but you'll get used to it. Overall, Alita: Battle Angel is a solid film that does a lot of things right.
