An important issue that is often forgotten in manga-based films, especially Japanese manga-based films, is that the interpretation and transformation of the same original text and central idea must also be different on different visual carriers.
This is one of the important reasons why the self-contained Japanese animation works often fail in the adaptation of live-action movies. Although the subject matter is diverse, the reliance on exaggerated images and interpretive (Secondary 2) language makes it difficult for independent stories in a special environment to simply be repackaged in the style of live-action performances after they are separated from the special environment. Only the "magic reform" that captures the spirit and follows the principles of film creation is the only correct way.
Alita: Battle Angel, directed by well-known diving enthusiast, James Cameron, is obviously a typical example of correct operation. Although the film is directed by Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino's good friend, a lover of "torture chambers" and exploitation movies, and the eccentric director of vulgar special effects movies for children, "Alita" is basically Above is a James Cameron movie: the only writer/producer after "Avatar", honored by Weta Digital, a lot of motion and expression capture, CG special effects that challenge the Uncanny Valley, and producer Jon Lan Dao, screenwriter Leta Kalogridis joined the effort.
If it weren't for the fact that the original comics and OVA were far less well-known/disseminated than other works of the same kind, "Alita" might have become a better film than the live-action version of "Ghost in the Shell", the live-action version of "Ghost in the Shell" team".
In a movie world where Metropolis, RoboCop, The Fifth Element, Elysium, Blade Runner, and even Roller Skater already exist, Alita and Ghost in the Shell The influence it can bring to futuristic movies can be said to be minimal - the topics to be discussed have already been talked about, the tricks to be played have been played by others - although it lacks enough originality, but wasteland punk + bull's-eye girl The setting still has some appeal.
But the premise is that, just released earlier, also produced by Weta Digital, another CG bomber "Predator City" has not completely destroyed your brain and eyeballs.
Faithful to the original, Alita clearly bears the personal stamp of director Robert Rodriguez: focus on action scenes, consistent motion photography and fast editing. But compared with his other films, "Alita" is much less interesting in terms of interest. After all, this is an adaptation of Cameron, not a personal original film that can be arbitrary.
In this way, as the film progresses, the enthusiasm and drive of the director himself seems to disappear with it. In the first half of "Alita", although the romantic plot like a soap opera for young men and women lacks worth watching, Robert Rodriguez did not make any mistakes in the development stage of the story, and the development of his unique worldview is also interesting. But in the second half of "Alita", when the plot begins to spread out horizontally and a large number of unconnected main points take turns, the film's narrative suddenly becomes awkward, as if the story progresses are completely irrelevant. The blunt lines and illogical forced turns also lack enough traction and drama.
Thankfully, the film's seriousness in performance somewhat compensates for these scrutiny -- a rarity in films of the same type and scale. With his chameleon-like acting skills and personal charm, Mahershala Ali has proved that 2019 is his lucky year: "Green Book" aiming at awards, "Alita" aiming at the market, and challenging the old, middle and young The third season of HBO's "True Detective" spanning three generations is a popular choice this year. And Christopher Waltz, who is known for his villains and dark characters, brings a refreshing new impression. And the Latina heroine Rosa Salazar, although she can't complain about her style, but with her serious motion capture performance, it did not become a shortcoming of the film.
But considering that this was produced by Weta Digital, the second super blockbuster with a budget of more than 100 million US dollars released in half a year, "Alita" with a cost of 200 million US dollars, only spent 7,000 US dollars for the feature film debut. For Robert Rodriguez, it is undoubtedly a huge pressure. A large number of fast-paced action scenes, dark and rich to extravagant visual effects, whether it can attract enough audiences to enter, it is still an uncertain unknown for "Alita", which has several sequels planned.
You know, as the first part of a large-scale series of film planning, the most taboo is to rashly spread out the stall when the story is not clear, in an attempt to replace the film as an independent work with "next time decomposition". attractive. So is Predatory City, so is The Dark Tower, an attempt to imitate Fantastic Beasts, and so is Edward Norton's "Alita" at the end of the credits.
Twenty years in the making, James Cameron's wish finally hit the big screen with the help of director Robert Rodriguez and Peter Jackson's Weta Digital team. With such top pedigree, this cyberpunk teenage adventure film seems to be aiming for something like the Hunger Games franchise. However, the clunky script, confusing plot, stacked characters and uninspired stylized representation likely won't gain much commercial potential beyond its core audience -- fantasy action movies and fans of the original.
Twenty years of planning has also made "Alita" outdated - not technically, but artistically and ideologically: In a market where there are already a large number of superhero blockbusters and other sci-fi movies full of sophisticated CG, "Alita" Alita lacks the sophistication, challenge and complexity of Ghost in the Shell, especially its sleazy dystopian romance; despite the warmth, wit, and punk attitude of Cameron's earlier work, The level of humor in the script is very low, which is also very uncomfortable for modern audiences who are used to "3 minutes and 1 laugh point" in blockbusters.
Being a producer is a great way to avoid ruining a lifetime of wisdom. While not a fiasco, James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez's visual feast lacks the energy and originality of the duo's best solo work. This is also doubtful, whether "Avatar 2", which has been delayed for many years, will become a high-definition trailer when it is released next year, rather than an adventure movie that can continue to bring surprises and can be independent chapters.
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