“Alita: Battle Angel” (2019)
“Alita: Battle Angel” (2019) is a cyberpunk action film directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron. It is based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga series Gunnm (also known as Battle Angel Alita). The film blends high-concept sci-fi visuals with emotional depth, delivering a thrilling and visually stunning experience.
The story is set in the year 2563, in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by a war known as “The Fall.” Most of humanity now lives in Iron City, a massive slum beneath the floating city of Zalem, which remains mysterious and inaccessible to the people below.
The protagonist, Alita (Rosa Salazar), is a cyborg who is discovered in a scrapyard by Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor. Ido repairs Alita, but when she awakens, she has no memory of her past, nor does she know her true nature. As she begins to explore her new world, she befriends a young man named Hugo (Keean Johnson) and becomes increasingly curious about her origins.
Alita soon discovers that she possesses extraordinary combat abilities and that her body was designed for martial arts. As she delves deeper into her past, she finds herself caught in a power struggle between the forces of Zalem, the ruthless hunter-warriors who enforce the law in Iron City, and the oppressive government led by Nova, the mysterious and unseen ruler of Zalem.
Alita must fight not only for her survival but also for the people she comes to care about, including Dr. Ido, Hugo, and others who face oppression from the system that controls Iron City. Throughout the film, Alita evolves into a fierce warrior, determined to uncover her past and fight for a future where freedom and justice can prevail.