Originally a Japanese comic book known as manga, Alita: Battle Angel has been brought to life by James Cameron (screenplay) and Robert Rodriguez (director). Attaching Cameron’s name to any project brings the weight of high expectations, especially in the visual medium. He does not disappoint with the production of Alita. Visually, Alita is stunning. No expense was spared in producing a future world where cyborgs are an everyday part of life. The cyborgs were so life like that the difference between them and actual actors was almost indeterminable. This helps suck you into this future that takes place over 500 years from now. Any differences seen between actors and CGI is easily written off given they are robots and you go into the film knowing it will engage your imagination. Despite that, it takes minimal effort to believe what is happening on screen. Couple that with good acting performances from the cast and what you have is an early front runner to compete with the other monster sized movies being released in 2019.

Even with amazing visuals, if the acting was sub par, Alita could have easily overshadowed its production. Thankfully, the entire cast brought all of their talents. Rosa Salazar (Alita) does a great job at motion capture acting. All her emotions come across clearly the entire movie and really get you attached to the character’s journey. Keean Johnson (Hugo) plays her counterpart, and for a young actor, gives an excellent performance given his costar was wearing a capture suit with dots on her face for the entire movie. Christoph Waltz (Dr. Dyson Ido) is amazing at his craft. He keeps solidifying his presence as a Hollywood elite. His character was really enjoyable and a great driver for a unique story. Mahershala Ali (Vector) has built a career with some strong performances and is on a trajectory to be one of the premier leading actors for the next few years. His role is not a major one in the film but is not minor by any means also. His counterpart, Jennifer Connelly (Chiren), also fits well into an ensemble that has taken this story and presented it in the best form that you could possibly expect. Every actor involved in Alita was excellently selected and performed beyond expectations.

With Alita starting off as a manga, you might expect it to lose something in translation. Thanks to great care by the production team, a respect for the original story form, and a universal understanding of the sci-fi genre, Alita’s final presentation is a film that all can appreciate. Immersed in sci-fi, yet very touching, Alita is not just a story of robots in the future. It is a story of rebellion, self understanding, and love. Fans of sci-fi will naturally gravitate toward Alita, but it also shouldn’t stop any other movie fans from viewing it. Alita offers something for every film goer to appreciate and may be what opens some up to the sci-fi genre. For parents, there is some violence in the film, but it is against mainly cyborgs so it’s not the traditional gore or violence you are accustomed to. If you allow your children to play video games with minor violence then they should be able to view Alita and enjoy it. It isn’t often that the overwhelming hype for a movie is fulfilled by its end product. Alita actually outperforms its media blitz. Set your expectation level wherever you would like and Alita will deliver. It is 2019’s first must see movie.