Alita: Battle Angel ***SPOILER THREAD***

[Inuyaki]

The movie ended so abruptly... wow...

Maybe it only felt that way, because everyone said they used the first 4 books to make the film, when in reality it was only the first 2 with Motorball mixed in. And so I thought there is still more to come.

No Alita running away to find out more about herself, no Shimura-Jashugan-Ido-Arc (I really like Shimura and Jashugan), no Ed (I think he was important to her in the manga... a person she can confide into, who is not her "father") and so on. Did they even take a single story element out of the books 3 and 4?

Btw Jashugan was in that first ringscene (the moment before we saw him close up and his name got dropped), right? If so, he was seriously powered down... Maybe they use the Nova performing brain enhangement part in the sequel as plot of Nova to stop Alita from winning...

 

 

The story itself was pretty good, the visuals were amazing. And Alita... ❤️

Alita seriously holds the movie together. You rarely see a character being that likable, Rosa Salazar and Weta did a fantastic job! She alone is a good enough reason to watch that movie

 

Hugo worked better than in the manga imo, I never liked him there and was happy that he only was in for a few chapters. I mean yes, he had it rough, but watching him manipulate her that much was a stupid plot (like it felt necessary for that plot to appear because the main char is young and naive...)

In the movie he felt more genuine. Though no idea why they left out his backstory.

 

In contrast that Zapan scene where he got his face cut off was hilariously bad.

 

Also Ed Norton is a good cast for Nova. And I also thought it was JC before he took his glasses off

 

 

PS is there any reason why they renamed Makaku into Grewishka?

Edited February 17, 2019 by Inuyaki

[Mulder]

On 2/8/2019 at 3:57 AM, Mulder said:

No Clive Lee in this? He was awesome in the OVA.

Nvm he was in this and that makes me pleased. Kind of disappointed they used Zapan in his place but Zapan's overall more important so fair enough.

[chuck0]

Yeah, motorball was only used as a kind of glue to stitch some of the story together. I understand that they wanted the added visual spectacle but overall the movie might have worked better without it.

Would also have loved to see Alita saving little Koyomi because she could have bonded with the other hunter warriors through that. Though i guess more brain eating would have been required. I am reallly happy though, that they did not skip Alitas initial defeat against Makaku/Grewishka (as far as i remember the OVA lets Alita win straight away). Her determination and fierceness really shone through there. As you say, overall she really is the glue that keeps this movie together.

[Mulder]

1 minute ago, chuck0 said:

Yeah, motorball was only used as a kind of glue to stitch some of the story together. I understand that they wanted the added visual spectacle but overall the movie might have worked better without it.

Would also have loved to see Alita saving little Koyomi because she could have bonded with the other hunter warriors through that. Though i guess more brain eating would have been required. I am reallly happy though, that they did not skip Alitas initial defeat against Makaku/Grewishka (as far as i remember the OVA lets Alita win straight away). Her determination and fierceness really shone through there. As you say, overall she really is the glue that keeps this movie together.

Yeah in the OVA Alita wins the initial fight against Grewishka. The Motor Ball stuff to me did help tie the plot together a bit more then it was in the OVA at least, it replaced the gladiator stuff the OVA used.

[chuck0]

The guy that did a great pre release video about Alita has released a movie review.

Very in depth and pretty much nails most of my feelings towards the adaption.

 

 

 

[Pure Spirit]

On 2/8/2019 at 4:26 AM, IronJimbo said:

Check out the OST on spotify its so damn good. They should have made it louder or something in the film.

Agree, I think the blame goes to RR for not having confidence in the soundtrack, silencing the background noise and just panning over the stadium like how Avatar just like the soundtrack sing at times. The motorball song was really given the short shrift during the film. I wonder how much of this was due to studio pressure to get the film down to 2 hours.

[Klingo]

1 hour ago, chuck0 said:

Yeah, motorball was only used as a kind of glue to stitch some of the story together. I understand that they wanted the added visual spectacle but overall the movie might have worked better without it.

Would also have loved to see Alita saving little Koyomi because she could have bonded with the other hunter warriors through that. Though i guess more brain eating would have been required. I am reallly happy though, that they did not skip Alitas initial defeat against Makaku/Grewishka (as far as i remember the OVA lets Alita win straight away). Her determination and fierceness really shone through there. As you say, overall she really is the glue that keeps this movie together.

I liked the motorball and be great point to lead to whoever goes to Zalem as champion and you saw at the end she is determined to win it after going through the races through time lapse.  

[Klingo]

On 2/7/2019 at 12:46 PM, Avatree said:

I really liked their relationship, that was one of the strengths of the film. At least from alitas perspective. (didn't care about him as a character)

and yeah when he was rebuilt and then climbed up the pipe and then died, it was all a bit quick, felt like some scenes had been edited out. Which may not have made it better if they were in, but no that bit didn't really work for him as a character.

 

It did work in terms of the affect it has on Alita and that was what I thought was important. Seeing and believing Alita's reactions to events in the movie is enough for me. The entire film is held together (imo) by the character of Alita (and, I suppose in part by Rosa Salazar's performance).

 

 

Also can I just say I really liked how fast the credits went. More movies should do that.

Love the scene when she was willing to give up her heart for him.  And he was uncomfortable, especially when he himself was kinda bad still peoples parts.

Edited February 18, 2019 by Klingo

[Klingo]

On 2/10/2019 at 8:31 AM, Dingdong said:

The movie has top notch visual effects, and a good story, although it felt a bit all over the place. They were trying to tell Alita’s history for once, then jumps to Ido being Hunter Warrior, then goes to the baddie Hunter Warrior Zapan then suddenly goes to Chiren and Vector then leaps to Hugo’s dirty business and so on. Kinda all over the place but still a solid piece.

Don't think it was bad.  Not too fast pace.  They explained well her background as a warrior from Mars.  And she was drawn to conflict because of her instinct and training.  Hence why she wanted to be a hunter warrior.  She thinks she can make a difference.  And at the same time caught up in Hugo's scheme to get rich quick.  LOL!  Just kidding more like having a better life together.  Sadly it was not to be.

[Darth Lehnsherr]

It's a shame the Hugo character and everything around him was botched cause everything else I found pretty good! 

 

And nobody told me Lana Condor was in this!!!

[Serg91]

They did not use the full potential of this story. It could be at the level of the best works of Cameron. I liked it, but I know it could be much better.

[IronJimbo]

Yep Serg could have been a 10/10.

 

Is that Jai guy a good actor? Motorball champ a big role in the sequel

 

 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Can someone explain why I and many others walked out of Blade Runner 2049 and Battle Angel satisfied, while when we walked out of Ghost in the Shell, we were disappointed? Both Ghost and Angel were a bit simple and cliched in plot, yet Angel is now one of my favorite movies while Ghost I consider a film that didn’t reach its potential. 

[chuck0]

4 hours ago, Serg91 said:

They did not use the full potential of this story. It could be at the level of the best works of Cameron. I liked it, but I know it could be much better.

i have thought about this quite a lot in the past few days and while i certainly agree that a movie without any budgetary constrains could have been better, what we got is close to the best possible outcome with the compromises that had to be taken.

 

2 hours ago, IronJimbo said:

Yep Serg could have been a 10/10.

 

Is that Jai guy a good actor? Motorball champ a big role in the sequel

 

 

I have the suspicion that the motorball arc (for which the Jai guy is kind of the end boss) would not be the main meat of the sequel. It will be a kind of stepping stone for Alita to cope with Hugos death. I hope that her friendships that she has with the people from Iron City will be fleshed out there a little more (for example in the manga she is friends with the ppl that run Kansas). She even has a singing career

 

 

1 hour ago, CaptainJackSparrow said:

Can someone explain why I and many others walked out of Blade Runner 2049 and Battle Angel satisfied, while when we walked out of Ghost in the Shell, we were disappointed? Both Ghost and Angel were a bit simple and cliched in plot, yet Angel is now one of my favorite movies while Ghost I consider a film that didn’t reach its potential. 

I  think the Major from GitS is not especially relateable and or likable. She is interesting, but it can be hard emphasizing with her. In general the themes from GitS are more heady and less engaging on an emotional level. That makes an adaption incredibly hard. And yeah i think Bladerunner is actually a movie that fully commited to this kind of story and demonstrates how it can be done right from an artistic point of view  (not so much comercially).

Alita is the opposite to these two heady/detached kinds of protagonists and the movie captures her as a character very well. She is this sweet, fierce, determined, wide eyed bundle of energy and emotions and with all of its rough edges, this is one of the things the movie practically nailed. So anybody that can relate/emphasize with Alita will probably have a really good time with this adaption, and i guess that is what happened to you?

Edited February 19, 2019 by chuck0

[Morieris]

Was I the only one totally confused in how the original Alita was killed.

 

As far as I could tell she was in a scene.....and then she wasn't and now she's dead.

[John Marston]

Anyone notice the cameo from international superstar Jai Courtney?

[Reddroast]

7 hours ago, IronJimbo said:

Yep Serg could have been a 10/10.

 

Is that Jai guy a good actor? Motorball champ a big role in the sequel

 

 

No not really.

[Pure Spirit]

17 minutes ago, John Marston said:

international superstar Jai Courtney?

[Mulder]

6 hours ago, CaptainJackSparrow said:

Can someone explain why I and many others walked out of Blade Runner 2049 and Battle Angel satisfied, while when we walked out of Ghost in the Shell, we were disappointed? Both Ghost and Angel were a bit simple and cliched in plot, yet Angel is now one of my favorite movies while Ghost I consider a film that didn’t reach its potential. 

GiTS badly butchered it's source material, had none of the intelligence of the movie or Stand Alone Complex.

[shayhiri]

46 minutes ago, Morieris said:

Was I the only one totally confused in how the original Alita was killed.

 

As far as I could tell she was in a scene.....and then she wasn't and now she's dead.

 

The fuck??

 

22 minutes ago, Reddroast said:

No not really.

 

The Shay hates Jai because of his ugly mug. Why the rest of you hate him - I do not know. He's not really a bad actor. Just ugly and dumb looking.

 

 

Edited February 20, 2019 by shayhiri