This film, “Alita: Battle Angel,” will be a cyberpunk action film directed by Robert Rodriguez, known for the “Spy Kids” film series and the Star Wars spin-off drama “The Mandalorian. Also working with Rodriguez on this film is James Cameron, known for “Titanic” and “Avatar. Regarding the worldview of this film, it might be better to call him the “Terminator” series’ Mr. Cameron. The film is based on a Japanese manga titled “Gun Dreams” by Yukito Kijo.

銃夢火星戦記

ついに明かされるガリィの過去。
火星の戦災孤児はいかにして機甲術の闘士となり、そこから追われることになってしまったのか!?
そしてZOTTの後、姿を消したガリィは、火星の大地に降り立つ。
謎の戦士・フラウXからのメッセージは何を意味しているのか。
過去と現在、陽子とガリィ。
ふたりの物語はやがて収束し、 その先には驚くべきビジョンが待ち受ける──。 SFアクションの金字塔『銃夢』シリーズの最終章『銃夢火星戦記』がついに開幕!!

Stunning action scenes and visual effects

The most eye-catching aspect of this film is the visual effects. The visual effects of the action scenes are truly breathtaking, as is the depiction of the world of the manga in live-action.

Alita: Battle Angel” is primarily set in 2563 and depicts the near future. The familiar “20th Century Fox” logo appears at the film’s beginning. Still, upon closer inspection, it has been replaced by the decaying “26th Century Fox,” which shows the filmmakers’ stylish sense of style. The film mainly depicts two cities, Iron City, a scraggly iron town on the ground, and the aerial city of Zalem, and the visual effects used to represent these cities were very skillful.

Iron City looks like a slum in the real world. Still, it also has the atmosphere of a scrap metal factory because of its name, “scrap iron,” and I felt that this was skillfully expressed. In contrast, Zalem was like a high-tech version of Laputa, with many compositions looking up at the viewers. It contrasted nicely with Iron City. It reminded me of Midgar from the game “FINAL FANTASY VII.

As the title “Battle Angel” suggests, the film’s primary focus is the battle scene with Alita. The “motorball” competition, which appears several times in the movie, has the atmosphere of a Roman amphitheater. It seems to be a famous scene among fans of the original work, and the production team’s enthusiasm can be felt in the finished product. The smooth movements of the cyborg were quite captivating. This scene seems highly praised by many people and was very convincing.

The only thing that scared me a little was that there were more scenes of the cyborg being cut up than I had imagined. The overly smooth depiction was quite traumatic for me.

The way Alita is made is fantastic!

Alita, the main character in “Alita: Battle Angel,” is a cyborg girl brought to life through the impressive use of motion capture technology. The lead actress, Rosa Salazar, filmed the movie using this innovative technique, a testament to both the advancements in technology and the actors’ skill. Seeing a clip of the filming in an advertisement at the time of its release was a truly awe-inspiring moment.

The CG-created visuals of Alita in this film have always been debated, with many negative opinions centered on her large eyes. It is something that the author himself felt might be similar to the uncanny valley when he first saw Alita in a PV. However, as the story progresses after viewing this film, it is an excellent performance that makes us recognize that Alita is a cyborg with a more human heart and warmth than humans since the film is a mixture of cyborgs and humans.

Sequel that many people are interested in.

After watching “Alita: Battle Angel,” I felt this work was only the beginning. While the original manga is a series of works of a certain length, it is clear from this work that it is conceived as a series of works. Several events were mentioned in the work but not revealed, such as Alita’s past and the true mastermind. Big-name actors were cast in the scenes considered “smells,” and their names were withheld in the credits. It is a disturbing way of making the film for those who appreciate the work. I can only assume that these tricks are predicated on there being a sequel.

Perhaps because of this, the story’s development was weak when considered a stand-alone work. The plot is weak, the characters lack a sense of purpose, and many parts of the story are not revealed during the work, leaving the reader with a sense of incompleteness. The characters are not fully explored, and there is plenty of room to tell their backgrounds, which could be supplemented by a spin-off, depending on the story’s development.

Perhaps because of this, the story’s development was weak when considered a stand-alone work. The plot could be more substantial, the characters need a sense of purpose, and many parts of the story are not revealed during the work, leaving the reader incomplete. The characters are not fully explored, and there is plenty of room to tell their backgrounds, which could be supplemented by a spin-off, depending on the story’s development.

At this point, the production of a sequel to “Alita: Battle Angel” is underway as a plan. So, we hope the plan will become a reality so you can enjoy this epic story satisfactorily. Perhaps the moviemaking technology will have been further developed so that I will be waiting with baited breath for the world of Alita, with its powered-up visual effects and action scenes.

Until then, I will do some preliminary reading on the original story.