10 Reasons Alita: Battle Angel Is The Best Live-Action Manga Adaptation Ever

Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell was groundbreaking in every sense when it first premiered, but what made it stand out among other sci-fi dramas of the 90s was its philosophical semblance. The film came with an undertone of intriguing questions surrounding human existence and identity. Its live-action, on the other hand, was critically panned because it came nowhere close to the narrative depth of the original.

Ghost in the Shell isn’t the only live-action anime adaptation that has disappointed Otakus. But, every once in a while, a fairly well-made live-action adaptation comes along and subverts the stigma around Hollywood’s take on anime/manga. Alita Battle Angel is one of those films—here’s how.

10 Stays True To The Original Manga

Alita Battle Angel isn’t bereft of narrative liberties, but, despite drifting away from several plot points of the manga, the movie remains true to all the ideas and themes that the source brings to the table.

Unlike other subpar anime/manga adaptations like Ghost in the Shell and Death Note, Alita Battle Angel gives viewers the impression that its creators were well-versed with its manga. It is arguable whether or not a movie adaptation was the right path for it because of its limited runtime, but, by hinting at a potential sequel, the movie leaves a lot of room for a more extensive and complex world-building of the Alita Battle Angel universe.

9 Doesn’t Cram Too Much Source Material Content In Its Plot

The source material manga, titled Gunnm, originally ran from 1990 to 1995. During this span, it covered a total of nine volumes. Along with these, there have also been other spin-offs and sequels of the series over the years. So, clearly, the manga series offers an abundance of content that cannot be covered in one single movie.

While most other live-action anime adaptations try to jam-pack their narrative with several plot points, Alita Battle Angel selectively covers limited story arcs. Due to this, not only is its pace easy to follow but intriguing enough to keep most viewers hooked.

8 Has All The Right Elements Of A Compelling Cyberpunk Story

From an aesthetic techno-fueled dystopian world to extreme class divides, from hardboiled noir to blood sports played by cyborgs—Alita Battle Angel has it all. All of this is coupled with a multilayered premise that goes back and forth between the protagonist’s timeline to unravel the vast scale of its universe.

It’s these elements that give the movie a cutting-edge anime-esque vibe that comes in tandem with classics like Akira and Paprika. What more can a cyberpunk fan ask for?

7 Action Scenes Are Fluid And Loyal To The Source

Although the movie is more conservative with its use of bloodshed compared to the original anime and manga, it never leaves a dull moment during its battle scenes. Be it the Motorball sports events or Alita’s showdowns with her enemies, every action scene is spectacularly slambang, has realistic fluidity, and detailed choreography.

Adding to that, many action scenes in the movie are also perfectly in sync with that of the OVA. Considering how challenging it is for filmmakers to traverse the intricacies of anime backgrounds and character movements to the big screen, the action in Alita Battle Angel is highly commendable, especially when it comes to the representation of Alita’s Panzer Kunst fighting style.

6 Well-Written Villains

Since a sequel isn’t in the can yet, fans may or may not get to see more of Edward Norton as Desty Nova. But, despite his limited screentime, the film does a great job at portraying his omnipresence and control that looms over every nook and cranny of the Srappyyard and Badlands of Iron City. Even the other cyborg baddies of Iron City look convincingly vicious and evil.

Another villain who grabs every viewer’s attention is Jennifer Connelly’s Chiren. Her catharsis from being a selfish antagonist to realizing her role as a selfless mother is poignant enough to be memorable.

5 Top-Notch Visuals

Since James Cameron is one of the producers of the film, its stunning imagery isn’t surprising at all. As confirmed by Robert Rodriguez in an interview, he and the crew opted to shoot many heavy digi-FX scenes with real set designs, props, and textures instead of solely relying on greenscreens. In fact, even for the Motorball scenes, the filmmaker used a full-fledged high school stadium as the background.

Many viewers might assume that only Rosa Salazar’s eyes were digitally augmented to make her look like the anime version of Alita, but Alita was entirely computer-generated, and, according to the movie’s FX supervisor Eric Saindon, her eyes alone had more detail than all of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.

4 The Cast Does An Incredible Job

Anyone who has seen the 90s OVA will agree that the movie’s casting is right on the money. Christoph Waltz is almost a live-action doppelganger to the anime representation of Dr. Ido, and, when it comes to Rosa Salazar, it’s hard to differentiate between her and her CGI depiction of Alita after watching the film. She seems like the perfect embodiment of Alita and her performance further cements her stance.

Other than individual performances, even the character chemistries in the film shine right through. Dr. Ido comes off as a genuine grieving father who sees a reflection of his daughter in Alita, and the depth of Alita’s romantic interspecies relationship with Hugo has the potential to leave some viewers teary-eyed towards the ending.

3 Presents A Diverse Future

The film’s urban environment of Iron City is replete with visuals of signboards, markets, and people of multiple cultures. Time and again, viewers may even notice background characters yelling in Spanish.

The movie’s representation of a relatively diverse future defies the common norm and sets an example for other dystopian dramas. Not to mention, it also adds a layer of realism to its representation of a world where dire class divides exist.

2 Both Action And Drama Are Perfectly Balanced

As its title promises, Alita Battle Angel brims with glossy pile-ups of scintillating action scenes. But, along with its shock-and-awe entertainment, the film also comes with a surprisingly well-thought-out narrative. At its forefront is an intriguing conspiracy that slowly reveals itself while Alita struggles to recall her foggy past.

Aside from Alita, pretty much every leading character is loosely bound to the central conspiracy. All of these plot points are combined with action scenes in such a way that a viewer rarely loses sight of the movie’s direction.

1 Overall, It Feels Real And Grounded

Mostly by the virtue of its earnest character development and exceptional graphics, Alita Battle Angel delivers, and it cannot be denied that it is rightfully being hailed as the best live-action anime adaptation ever made.

Even with its visual splendor out of the way, the film’s storytelling has enough warmth and drama to make viewers look forward to the franchise it promises in the future. Whether or not it’ll return to the big screen remains unknown—but it will, for quite some time, rank among the better live-action Hollywood anime and manga adaptations.

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