Greg, I’m thirsty. I think I need Alita of Pepsi to give me the energy to review this movie, Greg. Let’s recap.

Hugo shows Alita the town of Iron City. She shows great interest in a street game called motorball, a violent sport involving cyborgs and humans skating in competition to deposit a ball into a goal. One night Alita follows Dr. Ido when he goes out. She discovers that he is a hunter-warrior, and she comes to Ido’s aid when he is attacked by three cyborg assassins, led by Grewishka (Jackie Earle Haley). During the attack Alita discovers she has highly advanced martial arts skills, giving clues to her true identity.

Greg, Alita may be a futuristic sci-fi film but it has all the elements of ancient hero tales told throughout the ages. Recently, we reviewed Finding Joe, a documentary that skillfully elucidates Joseph Campbell’s eternal truths about the hero’s journey, which is also the human journey. Alita encapsulates those timeless insights to the letter. When we meet Alita, she suffers from amnesia and is completely oblivious to her true special nature. To recover her memory, she receives help from two sources: (1) encounters with challenges in the world, and (2) her mentor, Dr. Ido. This discovery of one’s True Self is always the classic pattern in hero mythology. Sure enough, Alita’s genuine place in the world as a highly advanced warrior is revealed. Her metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly inspires us and calls us all to go on our individual journey, too.

One other notable feature of Alita is the film’s stunning CGI effects. Just when we think filmmakers can’t possibly improve on the moviegoing experience, they up the ante and find new ways to dazzle us. Alita gives us a collection of unforgettable cyborg characters, and Alita’s fight scenes with them take The Matrix effects to a whole new level of awesomeness. My big regret is not seeing Alita in 3D, as I’ve heard this film is a must-see beyond two dimensions.

Greg, you mention a “cartoony” look to the characters, and I would say that a downside to Cameron’s ability to manipulate images onscreen is that Alita’s cartoonish face is dominated by her impossibly large eyes. Yes, these eyes are big and beautiful but they are also unnatural – and perhaps that’s the point. Alita takes place in an unnatural world. Still, I can’t help feeling that this distorted image of female beauty puts pressure on women to conform to an impossible standard. It would be like giving Hugo impossibly large biceps. Hugo can be attractive without them in the same way that Alita can be attractive with normal-sized eyes.

Yet, time and again Alita surprised me with its heart, sweetness, and soul. I was worried going into this film that we’d be subjected to a cold, cruel futuristic reality lacking any feeling. While partly true, Alita is first and foremost a love story about a woman brimming with a passion for life and a deep compassion for those in need of help. Those large cartoonish eyes of hers are so remarkably expressive and moving to us. While there is plenty of fun in the form of “motorball”, the depth of our characters’ humanity is explored in Alita’s relationship with Ido and with her love interest Hugo.

Greg, it sounds like you and I were stuck in the uncanny valley, that uncomfortable place where nearly-realistic computer-generated images creep us out a bit. Pardon the pun, but maybe Alita’s oversized eyes will grow on us.

Overall, Alita: Battle Angel is an extraordinary technical achievement that also approaches the level of extraordinary as a film achievement. Greg, your analogy to Pinocchio is spot-on. This is a story of an almost-human child struggling to find her humanity with assistance from her “maker”, Dr. Ido. I’m a sucker for any movie where the hero’s mission is to discover her True Self, especially when such a discovery inspires the acquisition of some inspiring heroic traits. There will likely be a sequel that illuminates the identity of the villainous mastermind whom we only get sneak peeks of. Like you, Greg, I give Alita 4 Reels out of 5.

What’s not to love about a story that taps into Joseph Campbell’s most cherished mythological storylines about discovering one’s true heroic identity? This movie does it about as well as any movie can. I should also emphasize that once again we have a strong female lead character who embodies both masculine and feminine stereotypes, i.e., the kick-ass traits that only men were once allowed to have along with nurturant traits which were once only the purview of women. I give our hero the full 5 Hero points out of 5.

The message of the story is that at all costs, we must all rigorously pursue the truth of who we genuinely are. Alita is fearless in her determination to discover her identity and to become who she is meant to be. Joseph Campbell emphasized the importance of having the courage to enter the dark forest of life where there is no path; it is up to us to create our own path. I give this message 5 Message points out of 5.

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