Alita: Battle Angel Gets An Uncanny First Trailer

Alita: Battle Angel just got its first official trailer.

But it’s… well… you’d better see for yourself.

Alita: Battle Angel has been more than fifteen years in the making… but now we’ve finally got our first glimpse at the upcoming Western adaptation of Battle Angel Alita – the manga by Yukito Kishiro.

But was it worth the wait?

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Alita: Battle Angel is set firmly in the future – the 26 century, to be precise. It follows the story of Alita – a female cyborg who has been rescued from the scrap heap and repaired by Dr Dyson Ido (played by Christoph Waltz). But he’s no ordinary scientist, and she soon finds that her adoptive father is also a bounty hunter… and it’s not long before she joins him.

How does it fair so far?

Well, if you ask me, it looks a bit weird. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Clearly, the not-quite-realistic aesthetic of Alita is meant to remind us that she’s not a human being – she is, after all, a cyborg. And while there is a hint of Uncanny Valley about her, that’s probably been done deliberately.

Alita is clearly an entirely digital creation, playing alongside human actors.

And that’s kind of the point.

But the first trailer has already seen plenty of criticism online…

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Hollywood Ghost in the Shell: What if we thoughtlessly put a Japanese person in the body of a white woman and made that the plot twist?

Hollywood Alita: Battle Angel: What if we gave the lead stereotypical anime facial proportions for no logical reason whatsoever?

— Justin Graham (@Hailinel) December 8, 2017

It’s no uncommon for Western adaptations of manga and anime titles to come under scrutiny for whitewashing… but this time, it looks as though Battle Angel is under fire for the way it represents its female lead.

Clearly, it’s a design decision based on the original manga.

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And you can’t blame Rodriguez for trying to capture some of that original magic.

But if the fans aren’t fussed, then the critics may have a point.

Alita: Battle Angel stars Rosa Salazar, Jennifer Connelly, Elza Gonzalez, Michelle Rodriguez, Christoph Waltz, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeff Fahey, Mahershala Ali, and Ed Skrein.

Robert Rodriguez directed the movie, based on a script he co-wrote with James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis.

Alita: Battle Angel heads to cinemas on 20 July 2018.