Factual Opinion

Can't wait for Infinity War! Wait, I was supposed to write a review? For what?

Whilst the reviews say, 3.9 or 9% at the overall presentation of the movie, you must decide when becoming a filmmaker if you want to create a movie so bad it's cherished and loved for being so bad it's loved ironically, or make a decent movie that'll just get shaded over just how normal it is compared to the rest. We should all be a bit more adventurous like Tommy Wiseau when it comes to creating such works of art, for if dreaming a little is dangerous, the cure is not to dream less, it is to dream a lot- all the time and maybe something amazing will come from it.

This movie is something we wish could save or redeem the franchise, but like Salazar and his crew of the Silent Mary, it was just a ghost, an empty void of what made us love Pirates of the Caribbean in the first place.

[Potential Spoilers for some conflicting opinions] Hmm. Now where exactly do I go with this movie? Alita Battle Angel has been an anticipated movie to many including my family due to its unique visuals, story and world that it has built. Naturally, many people have fond memories of the manga or OVA that was released in the 90's and late 000's and truth be told, I'm sure there is quite a lot that old fans and new alike can be drawn into Alita's cyberpunk world and it definitely shows. Unfortunately for me, whilst I too was hyped for this film when it came out, I've come out more so conflicted than anything. You can praise and compliment the visuals all you want and I will too- for the world that Alita creates feels absolutely eerily beautiful, with life brimming in each building or street, with even background characters seeming like they have a story behind them to tell, added with all the mechanical aesthetic, it is no secret that I feel the strong points in this movie are very well it's presentation and Robert Rodriguez with his talents in visual story-telling shows through very much so; he's very much a person that lets the world pan out through it's brimming world, every character feels unique and paints a definitive picture of who they are and where they come from. However, I'm afraid that this is where the trail of compliments end for this movie and I'm really sad because of that, for I really want to say more nice things about this movie, but I feel they're either too minor or just a relay of another compliment I've said beforehand, because whilst I feel Alita excels in presentation, it is absolutely abysmal in it's overall execution, so let's get into it. Oh my god, this movies' pacing and character arcs are absolutely all over the place, take Alita, our main protagonist for this story: At first, I must say I was charmed by her overall traits of a character, being that she was essentially a teenager lost in a warrior's body, scared because she wasn't sure exactly who she was, this in turn made her a relatable character, because we felt like we wanted to cheer her on remembering who she really is and creating tight bonds on the way with the ones she's grown to realise as family. Then, problems start to arise, as not even to the second half of the movie, that Alita starts to become- essentially, a bipolar questionable character, it's almost as if the movie just dropped this father and daughter plot line in favour for an edgy, more badass approach, sacrificing natural character progression for needless action and angst, which really broke the immersion for making me want to think Alita as her own individual person, trying to build on little of what she had before and more just some expert martial artist who just kills people because she's the main hero [1.] [1. Many examples of where I felt like Alita was a questionably likeable character were not limited to: Creating an ideal of not standing around whilst people do bad things for needless violence, when seconds earlier she just stood around whilst a dog got killed whilst she had the obvious time to save it (Great strong female character guys), having a temper tantrum when she doesn't get what she wants on countless occasions or even stabbing a guy in cold blood] And good lord, I really hoped the movie would pick itself up after those brief hiccups, I held up hopes that maybe due to it being based off a long serialised manga that some things had to be compromised for the sake of movie length, by my god, my recent years of looking at cinema critically, that ending was the most rushed, anticlimactic and overall underwhelming ending to a movie I have had to experience firsthand, nothing felt like it could give you a moment to take in what had happened- it just ended, leaving open the possibility for a sequel [Note: Count your eggs before they hatch] I really wanted to like this movie, I really did, and it pained me to put the thumbs down on this review, but I just have to face facts with my individual opinions and say this movie was just not.

I've grown up with this franchise and I have to say it has been some of the most beautiful, gorgeous and even at times magical experiences I have ever sat down to watch at the cinema. Whilst it may have quite a moderate start at the beginning with some noticeable pacing issues, I can say that the ending is what really hit home for me. I will never forget the day my now passed Granddad took me to the first movie as I saw beast and man, estranged by fruitless conflict, turn to best friends. Whilst it may be a bittersweet end to the series, I feel this won't be the last we'll see Hiccup and Toothless soaring through the skies anytime soon, still it's been an honour living the world of dragons up to this point and will never forget the fine memories of flying.

Definitely a step in the right direction for DC, you don't have to be nitty gritty like Snyder proposed, nor do you have to be overly goofy with your action like Marvel, sometimes you have to make sure that there is a definitive balance and this is something Aquaman manages to grasp the concept of in it's own way.

The only saving grace this movie seems to have is hope that the third instalment saves it from flopping and the beasts or lack of therefore. This seemed less of a "Fantastic Beasts" flick and more "1920's angst with magic in it."