Alita Battle Angel: We Had a Sneak Peek of This Sci-Fi Film and Here’re 5 Reasons Why You Should Watch Out for It in 2019!

For those who are unaware of this, Alita: Battle Angel is based on a popular Japanese manga, Battle Angel Alita. The movie has been a pet project for Titanic and Avatar director James Cameron for years and is finally all set to release in February 2019. While James Cameron won't be directing the film, he is serving on board as the producer, as well as co-scripting the film. Robert Rodriguez of Sin City and Spy Kids fame is directing the movie. The movie stars Rosa Salazar in the lead, with Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein and Keean Johnson in the supporting cast. Alita Battle Angel New Trailer: Rosa Salazar's Cyborg Turns Gladiator in This High-on-Action Promo; Movie To Release in India on February 8, 2019.

While the trailers have not managed to create a huge buzz for the film, we got to be a part of a select audience who was shown a sneak peek of Alita: Battle Angel. The screening began an introduction from both James Cameron (who joked that he will be stuck making Avatar movies for the rest of his life) and Robert Rodriguez on how Alita Battle Angel has been a dream project for years and has been a huge challenge to bring to life. After that, we were shown selected scenes from the film. Here's where my opinion of the film changed. Alita Battle Angel Trailer: James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez Come Together for an Action-Packed Visual Extravaganza.

I may have seen a bit too much about the film, but some of the scenes did bring a renewed sense of confidence in the movie. Not familiar with the manga, the sneak peek helped me to know more about Alita and a sport that I had little knowledge about. Here are five reasons why Alita Battle Angel is a movie to watch out for in 2019!

The Intriguing Futuristic World

Sure, we have seen a barrage of movies that were set in dystopian futures, with the most recent being Mortal Engines. So what makes Alita Battle Angel stand out is how human and cyborgs cohabitate together in peace and otherwise. We have cyborgs with proper human feelings and humans with cybernetic limbs in the same world that is set thousands of years in future.

Rosa Salazar's Performance

Rosa Salazar was one of the young actors who managed to impress us in the Maze Runner series. Alita Battle Angel is perhaps her first proper lead role, and going by what we have seen till now, this could be her big-ticket spotlight! It is a motion capture performance, but Rosa manages to get the emotional tics of the character so correctly that it is very easy to feel empathetic towards Alita, even when she is banging tables in frustration. Andy Serkis would be proud!

The Warm Equation Between Alita and Ido

The biggest highlight of the movie is the equation between Alita and her resurrector, Ido. Their relationship comes up as the main focus, with Alita trying to discover her lost memories while Ido trying to mask her from the pains. Their scenes have a lot of pathos and sentimentality that may work in favour of the film.

The Motorball Sequences

We saw some glimpses of that in the latest trailer. The motorball sequences are a big part in the manga series. So how could the movie miss out on that? Got to see two scenes in the sneak peek involving this sport. The first had Alita getting introduced to the game by her friends, in which she soon turns out to be a pro. The second scene had her participate in a proper motorball race, only to realise later that her fellow contestant/cyborgs are there to kill her. An unfazed Alita, however, tackles them smartly in what could be one of the best action sequences in the film.

Looks Great on IMAX 3D

Considering that the movie is the combined creative effort of the men behind Avatar and Sin City, it is natural that Alita Battle Angel has earned high points visually. Since we had seen the sneak peek on the IMAX screens, we saw first-hand that Alita Battle Angel is a visual treat on the big screen, what with the action scenes, the VFX and the production values.

Hollywood movie buffs in India will be lucky enough to watch the film here a week before the USA, as Alita: Battle Angel will be releasing here on February 8, 2019 by Fox Star India.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 11, 2018 09:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).