This film is set in the year 2563, three hundred years after 'The Fall'. The action takes place in Iron City; a dystopian location in the shadow of the wealthy, floating city of Zalem. One day, while scouring the city dump for spare parts, Dr Dyson Ido discovers the remains of a female living cyborg. He then attaches her to the body he had made for his disabled daughter who was killed before she could use it. She awakens with no memories of who she is so he calls her Alita, after his late daughter. He then shows her the world; cautioning her about some of its dangers. She later befriends Hugo, who introduces her to the sport of motorball... a dangerous sport where cyborgs compete for the chance to be allowed to move to Zalem. She also discovers Dr Ido is a 'Hunter-Warrior', a bounty hunter, when he is cornered by a trio of killers she instinctively helps him; using martial arts skills that were believed lost... clearly Alita is somebody special. She soon becomes known to the city's shady authorities and they want her power source. She will have to fight to save herself, close she cares for and for the justice she believes in.

The early parts of this film may seem a little slow but they serve to introduce the protagonists and the world they inhabit. Once the action begins it is exciting. Much of the fighting is between cyborgs but some of it still manages to be a little shocking given the films rating. There is a good sense of mystery about Alita's character and we gradually learn more about her throughout the film as she learns about herself. The cast does a solid job; Rosa Salazar in particular impresses in the role of Alita. The special effects are great; Alita may be CG but apart from her large eyes one might think she was real. Similarly most of the action looks real even in situations it obviously couldn't be. The only slight weakness was the sport of Motorball; the way it was presented, with commentary, reminded me of pod-racing from 'The Phantom Menace' crossed with 'Rollerball'... a minor quibble though. The ending is clearly designed to set things up for a sequel or sequels... I certainly hope we get more as I really enjoyed the story so far and was left wanting more. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of the genre.

Yes, every film these days isn't just a film. It's the beginning of a larger body of work, a shared universe, or trying to set up an ongoing franchise. And, besides the Marvel Shared Universe and a few pre-existing properties like 'Star Wars,' most fledgling film franchises struggles beyond the first offering. That's simply because they make setting up a wider universe more of a priority than actually simply telling a good story (that 'Dark Universe' saga that tried to get off the ground with Tom Cruise at the helm, anyone?).

Now, I'm not going to say that the producers of 'Alita: Battle Angel' wouldn't love the franchise to still be going in ten years time (complete with all sorts of spin-off tales of secondary characters and probably a TV series to boot),but at least it stands on its own as a great story and - if it doesn't get a sequel - can be looked at as a whole, rather than something that started and was never concluded.

It's set well into the future where the world has been ravaged by one giant war (aka 'The Fall') and half the (unlucky) population live in a junkyard of a city on Earth, while those better off live in a floating city above it, known as 'Zolum.' The status quo remains until a Dr Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) who specialises in creating cyborgs out of spare parts finds the remains of a young cyborg girl ('Alita,' in case you haven't guessed!) on the scrap heap and takes it upon himself to rebuild her. Of course the plot needs her to have forgotten who true identity and - naturally - this all links in with what will become her destiny to bring a little more equality between the two last cities on Earth and the mysterious ruler who 'watches all.'

So, it's kind of one of those 'prophecy/saviour' type films which certainly aren't that original, but, if done right, are very entertaining - and Alita is very entertaining. First of all Rosa Salazar is a very likable lead and, despite not having too many major roles to her credit, does brilliantly at holding the weight of the story on her shoulders. She's also got on hand Christoph Waltz, who always turns in a great performance in whatever he's in. This is no different and their relationship is the character-highpoint of the film.

Alita's love interest is 'Hugo' (Keean Johnson) and, although I couldn't really find fault with anything about his performance, I got the impression that his part could have been played by anyone. Jennifer Connelly is on the cast-list, but I felt she was a little underused and could have been in it a lot more. And, despite being a big fan, I only found out that Jackie Earle Haley was in the film after seeing his name on the credits and having to look up who he played online afterwards

It's all stylishly directed by Robert Rodriguez, despite having James Cameron as co-producer and writer, the directoral honours seemed to have gone to Rodriguez. His natural style of fast-paced shots work better for the action and amount of CGI used. I know Cameron did - practically - an entire film ('Avatar') in CGI, but in Alita (and this could just be because a more modern film can blend live action and computer effects together) better, the effects look for more polished and real when compared to 'Avatar.' The soundtrack is also pretty generic and you certainly won't be humming the theme tune for months to come after leaving the cinema.

But, that's just a minor gripe. Basically, if you're in the mood for some great action and don't mind the lengthy two-hour run-time, you should definitely check this one out. After only a couple of scenes you'll stop wondering why Alita's eyes are so (CGI) big and concentrate on her growth as a character (and, is it just me, or is she using 'Sting' i.e. the sword from 'Lord of the Rings' to save the world?).

I see that it's only got a big of a lukewarm reception from some critics, but, if you see what the fans are saying about it, I think you'll know who to believe. Bring on the next installment.

Coming from the producing mind of James Cameron, Alita: Battle Angel is one of the most visually impressive films of recent memory, though it doesn't necessarily have the script to go along with those dazzling visuals. Rosa Salazar is fantastic as the titular Alita, and once again proves that she deserves more starring roles in Hollywood. The problem lies with the screenplay, a cringe worthy romance, and underdeveloped characters. But at the very least, it's a fun action film in a universe that I would love to see more films take place in.

7.5/10