Science-Fiction films - 2019
| Alita: Battle Angel | Replicas |
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When a film comes out with James Cameron's name on it, it is bound to cause some buzz. The writer/director/producer behind the The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), Titanic (1997), and Avatar (2009) (the last two still the two highest-grossing films of all time) has been conspicuously absent the past 10 years it seems, leaving the film landscape open to other epic makers such as Christopher Nolan. With Alita: Battle Angel, Cameron returns in the role of writer and producer, while Robert Rodriguez (Desperado (1995), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Sin City (2005)) took over the director's chair. While Cameron's directorial attention has apparently been consumed by his development of an Avatar film series, his interest in bringing the Japanese manga series Battle Angel Alita to the screen has been ongoing for nearly two decades.
The story: Set in the year 2563, we are introduced to a world where a favored few live in a floating sky city and the rest of humanity lives in the ruins of a post war world. Cybernetic enhancements and replacements are commonplace, and humans are frequently a combination of flesh and mechanical parts. Dr. Ido (Christoph Waltz), a cyborg doctor-engineer, discovers the remains of a cyborg body in a junk heap. He is able to revive her and provide her with a functional body. Though she has no memories of her past, he gives her the name 'Alita' (Rosa Salazar) and essentially becomes a foster parent for her.
At first, Alita approaches the world with the eyes of an innocent. She shows child-like fascination at the things of the world, such as the city, the people around her, the food, and the entertainment. She is smitten with the first young man she meets, a street kid named Hugo (Keean Johnson), who has a bit of a "diamond in the rough" aspect. As time goes by, Alita becomes aware of the dangers of the world and that she has instincts and abilities specifically designed to confront these dangers head on.
Good points: The film's visual effects are practically its reason for being. The spectacular action scenes, the cityscapes, and the anime-style big-eyed look of Alita herself are all state-of-the-art, if not groundbreaking, cgi work. The relationships in the film work due to the affecting performance of Alita, though it's hard to know exactly who to credit. Salazar's portrayl ranges from innocent, to fierce, to heartbreaking, but since she is so blended into the motion capture cgi representation of the character, it's hard to say where one ends and the other begins. Either way, the overall effect is superb.
Quibbles: While the action and look of the film are engrossing, the plot seems a bit simplistic in comparison. The world is one where the majority of people are oppressed and a tyrannical god-like oppressor rules from a throne literally in the sky. Few details are given as to how or why this situation exists. Nor is much revealed about the puppetmaster oppressor. It's clear that this film is poised as the first of a series, but the lack of information - barely enough to tease revelations to come - is frustrating.
All in all, I recommend seeing Alita for the visuals and the charm of the lead, whether it's Salazar or the cgi or a unique blend of both. Hopefully the film will be successful enough that we will see more of this story unfold in the future. If not, one can always check out the Manga.
- JC
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When I saw a trailer for Replicas nearly a year ago, I have to admit to being very intrigued. First, Keanu Reeves is a sentimental favorite for his roles in Speed, the Matrix trilogy, and the John Wick films as well as more romantic turns in The Replacements and The Lake House. Second, seeing him cast against Alice Eve was a plus, due to the actress' memorable turns in The Raven and Star Trek Into Darkness. Toss in the sci-fi moral dilemma: a man loses his family in a tragic accident and he has the means to re-create them. What does he do and what could go wrong? It's a modern Frankenstein story with high emotional stakes. What could possibly go wrong?
On the positive side, the science theory is interesting and the moral dilemma is real. Some of the problems faced and choices that have to be made are truly engrossing. There are also "oh crap" moments when things go south and our hero has some major digging to do to get himself out of impossible situations. There were times when Replicas brought to mind some of the flavor of sci-fi action thrillers of the past. (Several times I found myself comparing it to Schwarzenegger's The 6th Day (2000).)
Quibbles: One complaint that I had early on is that even though Reeves is a fan favorite, the role of an emotionally devastated genius seems a bit out of his reach. While we love him as a hero or even a romantic lead, it's hard to buy him as a distraught neuro-scientist. I can think of several other actors who would have been more credible choices for this role. Also, there was simply too much story here for a 1 hour 47 minute film. This could have been a four to six hour miniseries. It brought to mind some of the complicated problems, moral issues, and emotional drama from the Penny Dreadful series. It doesn't take Eve's character long to sense something isn't right and Reeve's character confesses immediately at each turn so the revelations don't have much impact. It might have been more effective to show less of what Reeves' character did and show the story from the point of view of the "replicas" slowly uncovering what happened to them and the audience following along with them. But that would have been quite the different movie.
Overall, I found the film imperfect, but still entertaining. Some other reviewers have suggested it would have been a better choice to release via a streaming service and I have to agree. Netflix has proven itself as a good way of offering up good new science-fiction that doesn't necessarily have broad appeal. In spite of likeable leads and a promising premise, the end result falls a bit short.
- JC