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Thread: Alita: Battle Angel (Robert Rodriguez)

  1. #1
    In the belly of a whale Henry Gale's Avatar
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    Alita: Battle Angel (Robert Rodriguez)


  2. #2
    In the belly of a whale Henry Gale's Avatar
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    What can you say of a movie that has so little to? Perhaps all its muffled thematic ideas and interesting but skimped-on world-building will come together and get across more clearly in the sequel that may never even get made. (International grosses TBD) It's just a shame it isn't on display here, when it matters most.

    But I dunno, I feel like even at his worst, there's always a clear passion and sincerity in Rodriguez's work that comes through, and here it feels too much like a second-hand project from James Cameron (who honestly, even with this same script of his would've probably found a way to crush it on more efficient craft and spectacle) and everything that was undeniably excitedly communicated to him wasn't then communicated again to the audience on-screen.

    I will say this, apparently this was 2 hours and 22 minutes long and my guess was closer to 1 hour 50-something. It moves very efficiently constructed and worthy of a passing gaze, like a blimp. As nice and inoffensive as it may be, ultimately, what is it's actual purpose and who is it actually for in the year 2019? And if you miss it as it goes by, you shouldn't be too mad.
    Last edited by Henry Gale; 02-06-2019 at 04:37 AM.
    Last 11 things I really enjoyed:

    Speed Racer (Wachowski/Wachowski, 2008)
    Safe (Haynes, 1995)
    South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (Parker, 1999)
    Beastie Boys Story (Jonze, 2020)
    Bad Trip (Sakurai, 2020)
    What's Up Doc? (Bogdanovich, 1972)
    Diva (Beineix, 1981)
    Delicatessen (Caro/Jeunet, 1991)
    The Hunger (Scott, 1983)
    Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
    Chungking Express (Wong, 1994)

  3. #3
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    This just looks so goddamn awful, and has since teaser 1.

  4. #4
    A Platypus Grouchy's Avatar
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    This is a dumb blockbuster movie but not necessarily a bad one. The world building alone makes it worth a watch.

  5. #5
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
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    I liked this! Not great, but lots of heart so above average.

  6. #6
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    It has some RADICAL pacing issues, and is super, super rushed. It seriously feels like this was intended to be a three hour epic, but got compressed down to two hours, and they just DUMP exposition after exposition onto you to play some really quick catch up all along the way. Its a movie that could definitely do with some breathing room, that's for sure.

    It also doesn't exactly satisfyingly wrap itself up in the end, but rather, just as it appears that we're about to entire the big climax of the movie, it instead sequel baits itself and cuts to credits. And I was like, wait, it's over already? I mean, if they're confident enough that this movie will get a sequel, then cool, but I don't really know, I think I would've preferred something a little more concrete, and then if this does well enough, then go ahead with any future plans for the series.

    I did enjoy the characters, and the story in general, and I'd like to see more. The effects are MOSTLY outstanding (but not always), and the characters are quite charming. And the action's pretty fun throughout. But I think I would've preferred even 20 minutes added on, if just to let everything really settle in more and breathe a little, so we really have time to take in not only just world, but the whole story surrounding it.

    So yeah, it's a movie that I think I want to like more than I actually did. I wasn't exactly left satisfied by the time that credits rolled, and it definitely could've been much better, but it wasn't a complete disappointment or anything.

    Definitely makes me respect Rodriguez a hell of a lot more as a director though. Despite having such a distinct style of his own, he totally made this as much of a James Cameron production as was probably possible of him to do, when he so easily could've just taken the movie and done his own thing with it. I respect how much he clearly respected Cameron's vision, and wanted to bring that vision to life, and I can see why Cameron placed his trust in Rodriguez accordingly (even though I would still probably prefer Cameron actually direct this himself, but still...)

    If only certain other big time directors showed this level of respect for their fellow directors' vision after they come on board a project *coughWhedoncoughJohnson*...

  7. #7
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Good not great. Its fine for what it is, but doesn't do anything particularly wonderful or awe inspiring. The choreography in some of the fight scenes with Alita are well implemented and the whole premise is based around a weird roller-ball subplot that feels like something out of Hunger Games.

    The world-building is fun and the designs of the cyborgs combined with the state of art CGI brings some charm to the universe. It feels incomplete as it ends and reveals a major actor playing the villainous overlord waiting to be overthrown in the third film...

    Oh yeh, wonky Dialog:
    "Are you going to killer her?"
    "No... much worse"
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  8. #8
    Body Double Rico's Avatar
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    I find myself wanting to know more and more about this world, but the plot itself was lacking. Still, I'm down for a sequel if it ever gets made.

  9. #9
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    Glad to hear beforehand and often about the nature of its ending, because even then, given all the hurtling speed of the film burning through plot, how it just... stops still takes me by surprise, at what would seem like a story's halfway point (or if one inclines to be very generous, at the end of a second act). Still, drippy romance asides, the world-building and infectious lead performance (whose backstory thankfully doesn't lead to torturous personality, as tends to be the YA norm) surrounding a series of fluid, spatially coherent, and fairly exciting action scenes make the whole thing go down easy. 6.5/10
    Midnight Run (1988) - 9
    The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
    The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
    Sisters (1973) - 6.5
    Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5

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