Keep it Reel: 'Alita: Battle Angel'

Twenty years in the making and visionary director James Cameron has his passion project finally on the big screen.  He's handing over the director reigns to Robert Rodriguez -- along with over 300 pages of notes.  "Alita: Battle Angel" was certainly worth the wait; the film delivers on all counts.

I'm not a huge fan of the manga genre of graphic novels, so I didn't know how I would feel about the film. The film blew me away.

Rodriguez uses a technology called "motion performance."  This is the future of cinema. -- not only for sci-fi films but for filmmaking in general. Far too often we see films that use similar technology but SFX or CGI looks fake and irritating.  Not with this film. Real sets and real extras were used -- scenes you could swear is CGI -- and what you thought were green screens are real backdrops.  Visually the film will amaze you.

From a story standpoint, to be honest, its a bit muddy.  It's not a complex story to watch; it's rather simple but with that being said, without the visual effect the film gives, it can get a little boring at times.  It's kind of like an adult watching a kid watching someone else play a video game.  Do not let that deter you from seeing this film.   The very few slower parts of the film pale in comparison to the overall experience.  If you can summon the funds, do yourself a favor a see it on the best screen and best format you can.  "Alita: Battle Angel" is a ton fun and exactly what this kind of movie should be.  Bravo!