‘Alita: Battle Angel’ script is severely lacking

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From film icons James Cameron (“Avatar”) and Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City”), “Alita: Battle Angel” has been the most anticipated blockbuster of this new year. Surprisingly, its main cyborg character is touchingly human but exceptionally brutal. Unfortunately, the action can best be described as routinely spectacular and monotonously dynamic.

This movie has so much going for it but falls short at almost every level. The advanced performance-capture technology creates an astonishing believable Alita. Rosa Salazar (“Parenthood”) may be the next rising superstar from her super-heroic performance as the delightfully devastating half-human, half robot, but the script is severely lacking.

Cameron and Rodriguez deserve kudos for the post-apocalyptic world they create. It includes the dark and dystopian Iron City, as well as Zalem, a modern and affluent city floating above the skyline. The diametrically opposed socio-economic differences could make its own story but is referenced mostly in passing.

Based on the first four books in Yukito Kishiro’s popular series of manga (comic) books, Cameron, Rodriguez and Laeta Kalogridis (“Terminator Genisys”) create a screenplay that hits, but mostly misses so many genres and themes, such as futuristic sci-fi, robotics, sports-action, class privilege, humanity, YA rebellion and teen romance.

This visual spectacle is magnificent and is also offered in 3D IMAX. Three Academy Award-winning actors lead the cast and none displayed a hint of their capabilities. It was refreshing to see Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”) as the kind Dr. Ido. Jennifer Connelly (“Beautiful Mind”) is downright creepy as Ido’s ex-wife and Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight”) is the evil bossman, boasting, “I’d rather rule in hell than serve in heaven!”

The story begins in the 26th Century, 300 years after “The Fall,” which changed the world forever. Trolling through the junk heaps for spare robotic parts, Dr. Ido discovers a very broken, but special cyborg. After repairing her, he finds she has no memory of who she is, but he knows she is the last of technological wonders that helped destroy the world.

Three-hundred-year-old technology today delivers a musket, but in Iron City, Alita is the lethal and dangerous being who can save them from death and destruction. She will fight to protect her new friends from terrifying enemies. But first, she must unravel the mystery of her origins in this post-apocalyptic world. She is an angel from heaven and angel of death.

Her first introduction to the teen world is the game of motor ball. It’s a cross between roller derby and Quiddich, where neither makes much sense and both may have a small loyal fan base. Motor ball seems to have fewer rules than WWF, “no autopsy, no foul.” A player trash talks his friend, I’m going to rip your arm off and whip you with the wet end!”

This is the first collaboration between Cameron and Rodriguez. Cameron usually directs and produces the movies that he writes himself while Rodriguez typically writes, directs, edits, directs the photography, operates the camera, designs production, supervises special effects, edits the sound and composes the music. Together, they’re as effective as steering a heavy wheelbarrow by each holding one handle.

“Alita: Battle Angel” is 122 minutes and rated PG-13 for violence, profanity and intense scenes. The movie tagline is “Discover a bold new world and a brave new hero.” It’s everything in between that doesn’t work that well. The action is well choreographed, but the level of brutality didn’t seem consistent with the characters and not necessary to advance the plot(s) or character development.

In fairness, this is a solid YA sci-fi action flick with over 1,500 visual effects. However, it strives for much more and it should. Apparently, the original manga comic was violent and portrayed a dark vision of humanity, so give Rodriguez credit for his first PG-13 movie. However, we felt somewhat deceived for the cliffhanger ending that could require two more episodes (ka-ching) to complete the story.

Ron’s Rating: B-
Leigh’s Rating: C