MovieChat Forums > Alita: Battle Angel (2019) Discussion > This was like a really great 80s film

This was like a really great 80s film

posted 5 years ago by alienzen (1929)
9 replies | jump to latest

I kind of see what people are getting at when they say the film is cheesy but has a lot of heart. Somehow the cheesy moments landed though. Maybe it's being jaded from all of the modern movies that are always being self conscious and quippy, that this film felt like a breath of fresh air.

I can understand the comparisons with Captain Marvel too. You have the same memory loss situation(except this time there is some actual sense of mystery around it), flashbacks to a female mentor giving pep talks, the unlocking of her full potential. That's where the parallels end. Alita was actually allowed to have a male love interest, as well as express emotion and vulnerability and basically being like a teenage girl.

There was a lot of world building done in a short space of time, while leaving enough gaps to make you want to know more. All of the supporting cast was great.

I was really surprised how quickly I forgot that Alita was a CGI character, she was so expressive and the actress playing her really sold it.

It's disheartening that a film like this struggled at the box office due to terrible marketing and might not get a sequel, while an awful nothing film like Captain Marvel makes a billion. I'll be pissed off if I don't get to find out what happens next.

[–] RogerPodactor99 (16) 5 years ago

Totally agree! i stayed away after bad word of mouth but finally caught it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it will be one of those movies that will develop a cult following (just like alot of 80's movies). I'd love to see a sequel. Alita was a bad mofo!

[–] alienzen (1929) 5 years ago

I assume you mean bad reviews. I don't think it had bad word of mouth. But I stayed away for similar reasons. I was undecided, there were some people saying it was good, but the crappy trailers and bad reviews swayed me not to go.

[–] einstein (2280) 3 years ago

also agreed it was quite enjoyable

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16135) 5 years ago

I just watched it today and wish I did see it in the theaters. I happened to like CM fine but I liked this better and it was far more ambitious. Perhaps if James Cameron just directed it himself, it'd done better?

[–] JoWilli (14971) 3 years ago

better than the reviews thats for sure.

kinda like Dredd, that movie was epic...

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

ugh....two movies that need sequels so badly but won't :(

[–] huwdj (4562) 3 years ago

I thought the marketing was good. Caught my interest, saw it in the Cinema - and was a little disappointed. Also frustrated that it ended the way it did. I'd go watch Part 2 if it ever gets made though.

[–] Ace_Spade (9334) 3 years ago

I didn't find it that cheesy. Maybe that's just the cynicism of the age talking? I really liked the father-daughter moments, the scenes of Alita growing to find out love and friendship, and her wide-eyed (VERY wide-eyed) optimism through most of her struggles. She was a hero with a dark past, but who wasn't wallowing in angst. That's not in-vogue right now, I guess.

100% agreed on the economical world-building.

My understanding is that, while it's not quite the same thing, there's a large comic book/anime series to be pillaged for more stories of Alita, so if you need to scratch that itch, the material is there.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

It was pretty entertaining