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Review: ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Sorely Misses Cameron’s Direction

After 20 years of false starts, Alita: Battle Angel finally makes its way onto the big screen. The manga adaptation has long been in development under James Cameron, but with Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar sequels taking priority, he seemingly never found the time to make this property come to life. So he passed the project onto someone else. That director. . . was Robert Rodriguez. Yes, the director of Spy Kids, Shark Boy & Lava Girl, Machete, Planet Terror, and Sin City was selected to pick up the mantle and carry James Cameron’s film over the finish line. 

Hard to believe considering that Cameron is a well known perfectionist, and you can easily find examples of his exorbitant demands online. From The Terminator to Titanic to Avatar, Cameron is uncompromising. If he wants it, he gets it, which is why it comes as a surprise that Rodriguez was selected because … well, he’s… not really … on Cameron’s level. That’s not a slight on Rodriguez, the two have very distinct styles, but given Rodriguez’s track record, I don’t know how he landed this gig. 

Questions immediately arose about who compromised where, who got final cut, and what creative liberties were taken. This is Cameron’s script with Rodriguez direction, and after seeing the film, it really should have been Cameron through and through. The film has a multitude of pros and cons that work on different levels of admiration and disappointment, but ultimately, Alita: Battle Angel leaves much to be desired.

After finding the partial remains of a cyborg, Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) uses his skills to rebuild and name her Alita (Rosa Salazar). With no prior memory, she slowly learns what it means to be human as she interacts with those around her in Iron City. In doing so, she begins to piece together her opaque past, a past which draws the eyes of Vector (Merhershala Ali) and his band of mercenaries who know of Alita’s true potential. 

The film is an adaptation of the famous manga, Gunnm, a manga that lasted for five years across nine volumes. With so much material to sift through, elements would naturally be cut from the single, 2 hour 22 minute film — which, might I add, was originally supposed to be 3 hours long in Cameron’s original script. Because of this, the film’s dealing in the origin arc of a larger story, an act one if you will, but that results in a very unsatisfying experience. Put simply, it’s incomplete. The entire film promises a grand stand off with Nova, the puppet master who lives in Zalem, the floating city above Iron City that holds the richest of the rich, but we never get any of that. 

What is so disappointing is that it’s all false promises. A major arc in the film is not even resolved, clearly leaving the film open to a sequel, but at a reported $200 million budget, it doesn’t seem like we’re going to see the end unless the film is a hit over seas. So much time is spent on establishing these narrative beats, but they go unfulfilled. It’s wasted time that could have been used to develop other characters, relationships, or even cut the run time down, and for that reason, there’s a lot of bloat. In such a predicament, they could of gone with Cameron’s longer script and had a more complete narrative, or they could have gone shorter and just cut more parts with Nova instead of leading us down a road of empty promises.

The one arc that does receive attention is Alita’s. Alita wakes up with no memory and she spends a good portion of the film learning what it means to be human and finding her true identity. Through her relationships, she comes to know the value of personal connections, the pleasantries of life, and the value of simply existing, lessons well outside of her robotic origins that exclude her from such. Alita as a character is the most fulfilled component in the entire film. It is the prioritized arc, but as mentioned before, the neglected overarching one intrudes on it and ultimately detracts from what could have been even better.

And then there’s the biggest conundrum: Cameron not directing. Earlier, I mentioned how this film is oddly in the hands of Robert Rodriguez, and it really shows. Scenes take on an off putting quirkiness, performances are all over the place, and tone seems to be uneven throughout. Rodriguez’s direction hinders the film, especially when you know what a VFX heavy film can be if it were Cameron in the driver’s seat. We don’t know what was cut from the script, but if Cameron was in charge, I doubt he would have cut any of it prior to filming. Given the under baked arcs, you have to wonder if substance was cut for run time. To be clear, we’re only speaking in hypotheticals; the behind the scene inner workings of the film are unknown, but given the track records of both directors, we can make an educated guess as to who is at fault, and after seeing the film, it’s pretty clear direction emerges as an issue.

Visually, the film is great. Using the same technology that Cameron used on Avatar, the film shines in the VFX department, especially for the motion capture performances used to create the varied robots and cyborgs. In order to replicate the anime look of Alita, they used motion capture to render Rosa Salazar’s performance onto a computer model that more closely resembles the look and feel of the anime character. The achievement here is how it never quite falls into the uncanny valley. I mean, it’s pretty impressive that they can give this character massive eyes and have it not look totally bizarre. The action sequences, too, exhibit refined choreography and spectacle, but as noted in my Ready Player One review, how much success can be attributed to Rodriguez here as opposed to the VFX team is debatable, but I tip my hat none the less.

For such a massive budget, it’s interesting to see the film operate in the personal dealings of Alita. That being said, the film is an elongated first act origin story that clearly has aspirations for a sequel, but in those hopes, it left major arcs unresolved at the expense of the one we really care about. Without Cameron in the director chair, one can’t help but think about what could have been and why the film feels so unfulfilling when the credits roll.

Score: 2.75 / 5 Stars

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Review: ‘Widows’ is ‘Ocean’s 8’ With A Dramatic Heft

Upon first announcement, Widows seemed like a peculiar albeit talented coupling of filmmakers. Director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Shame) has been known for highlighting the cruelty of the real world through the suffering of the characters in his films, with the aim to make the audience uncomfortable yet understanding and sympathetic. Writer Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects), though a talented author in her own right, undeniably garners much more mainstream attention than McQueen. However, rather than being an artistic “dumbing down” of McQueen’s artistic prowess, the best elements of both filmmakers are out in full force. Widows is a somber, melancholy heist film that is so much more than what it seems on the surface level; it is one of those rare blockbusters that prove that artistic vision doesn’t need to be sacrificed in order to be successful. The film is incredibly entertaining, thought-provoking, and easily one of the best films of the year.

Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo in Widows (2018)

Widows is riveting from the very beginning. For the most part, we are launched straight into the action of the heist-gone-wrong which leaves the wives of the criminals involved widowed. The action is intense, with point-of-view shots of the getaway vehicle filling the screen; excellent, bass booming sound design; and in-camera car stunt work. Excellent visual storytelling is exemplified here, as we are introduced to each of the criminals, particularly Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson), in inter-cuts to his personal life with his wife Veronica (Viola Davis). The editing here portrays the double life lived by Neeson’s character in a particularly sharp and efficient way. Additionally, this opening scene gives the audience the basic premise within just a couple of minutes, where the widows of four criminals are set to take on the ultimate heist and finish what their husbands started. However, the film is so much more than just a typical action heist film, unlike Ocean’s 8 from earlier this year.

One of the things that makes this film so great is that on top of being a heist story, it attempts and succeeds at telling a poignant story that comments on grief, violence, political corruptness, being a minority in America, and so much more. As Veronica states regarding the heist, “they had the balls to pull it off,” which is true of the film as a whole. The real accomplishment of Widows is McQueen and Flynn’s ability to so seamlessly integrate the film’s lofty sociopolitical themes and ideologies into the narrative, where nothing ever seems heavy-handed or forced. It’s still an incredibly entertaining heist film regardless, but what makes it truly shine is its ability to use this framework to tell a story that matters.

Widows also features one of the best and most effective ensemble casts this year, with some incredible standouts. Daniel Kaluuya, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Get Out, is brilliant here as Jatemme Manning, an ice-cold killer whose unpredictability combined with his undeniable swagger make him an electrifying presence to behold on screen. But the real star of the show here is Viola Davis, who really needs no introduction at this point. She steals almost every scene she’s in, and her performance expertly rides the line between immense vulnerability and undeniable grit. Her performance and character embody the intense grief one experiences in a time of loss and the difficulty and desperation that comes with experiencing that loss. It’s a thrilling, nuanced performance that’s sure to make rounds at many awards shows come next year. The rest of the main cast, including Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Farrell, and relative newcomer Cynthia Erivo, all give fantastic performances as well.

Steve McQueen embraces his artistic ambitions with a bravado unlike many directors in Hollywood right now, and for good reason. He has yet to make a movie that is less than stellar, and Widows is certainly no exception. It’s everything you could possibly want out of a heist film, with all the energy of an exhilarating, perfect third act along with emotional and dramatic heft. The combination of Steve McQueen, Gillian Flynn, and this amazing cast is exactly the sort of thing Hollywood needs right now.

Score: 5/5

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Review: Deadpool 2 Achieves Superhero Mediocrity

It’s not even the end of May and here we are with our third super hero film of the year. As we talked about in our Ready Player One review, the superhero genre has well overstayed its welcome and only once in a blue moon do we see something truly different. One film that self-proclaims its uniqueness is Deadpool 2.

Directed by David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde), Deadpool 2 promises to be a deviation from the standard superhero fare while upholding the core tenants of the original: a film full of profanity, loads of ultra violence, and an R rating that the MCU won’t dare touch. The good news is the sequel has carried over a lot from the first film. The bad news is the sequel is just like the first and it doesn’t have a leg to stand on beyond its lazy writing and intolerable humor. With few exceptions like the addition of Domino and a fun third act action sequence, Deadpool 2 tries to be differentiate itself from the genre it inhabits, but proves that it is essentially everything wrong with the superhero genre, if not worse.

Deadpool 2 kicks off with Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) living high off the success of the original. He is globe trotting and killing criminals left and right, but after an early film death, Wilson finds himself depressed and his life without meaning. It isn’t until later when he meets Firefist (Julian Dennison), an orphaned mutant who is angry at the world for the tests they conduct on him, that he takes on a paternal role and begins to find purpose. Wilson now chooses to protect Firefist from Cable (Josh Brolin), a cyborg who has time traveled to kill Firefist and stop the death of his family, to not only cause a change within the young mutant to stifle his anger, but also to find meaning within himself.

The major problem with the film is how incredibly stupid it is and how it justifies itself in the name of authenticity to Wade Wilson. The fourth wall breaking habits of Deadpool is fine at the start, but after the twelfth time, the third and second walls are brought down as well and you’re left with a shabby one wall movie that consistently wants to remind you that it’s meta. Piggybacking off of that is the over indulgence in references. Again and again the film makes references and allusions to pop culture items, and in the same vein as the meta jokes, they are fine initially, but by the end you are amazed that the film depends so heavily on them. The self referential nature is not insightful, amusing, or palatable and embodies just how poor the script is. The writing feels phoned in and when it is bad, the lines are written off and justified with a self referential joke. Instead of writing something competent or actually funny, the writers throw in the towel and self-mock itself. And I know what you’re thinking: “This is how Deadpool is in the comics.” Sure, but it’s insufferable. This stuff isn’t funny and by the end of it all I found it profoundly lazy.

Side Note: The reactions in the theater were a kin to my own. No one was laughing all that hard or consistently at the jokes which is problematic when they’re nonstop. It is just one showing, but highlights the broader lack of amusement in the audience beyond my own.

Surprisingly, Deadpool 2 makes the original film retroactively better which is hard to do since it too was lazy and bombastically idiotic, but at least that film had a consistency with its flippancy. In it, the film wanted to be a metaphorical middle finger to superhero films, and while it only partially achieved that goal, it was at least consistent. In this film, Reynolds’ script tries to inject heart and emotion into Wade Wilson where it simple doesn’t belong. To do that, the film wants you to take it seriously at times, particularly with the aforementioned early movie death. In a film that tries so hard at being subversive and against the grain of other superhero films, these periodic moments of gravitas contradict what Deadpool is: a merch’ with a mouth who stands in stark contrast to the MCU. These moments are exactly what the original Deadpool parodied, but Deadpool 2 comes full circle; that is, as it tried to move further and further away from the genre it tried to mock, it eventually came back around and ended up exactly where it started: another mundane superhero film.

There are a few bright spots in the movie. Domino is a welcomed addition due to her luck power, making for clever scenes with fun action choreography. Occasionally a joke will land and get you to laugh (particularly a good mid-credit sequence). And the third act is a true highlight thanks to some impressive parallel editing of three simultaneous sequences that result in a satisfying payoff. However, these are unfortunately my only points of praise. The rest of the film is burdened by my complaints above. 

The way in which Deadpool 2 operates is very flamboyant; the incessant need to embody Deadpool at every breathing moment is exhausting and the narrative that is weaved does not uphold the genre differentiation that Deadpool 2 wants you to think it is. By the end of it all, the film’s gimmick collapses in on itself, and while the original was somewhat permissible, this time it simply exposes how similar the franchise is to other super hero films.

2/5 Stars