ALITA 2: Fallen Angel (2019) Rosa Salazar, Keean Johnson. “Alita: Battle Angel” is a 2019 American cyberpunk action film based on the 90s series “Battle Angel Alita” by Japanese mangaka Yukito Kishiro, and its original 1993 animated adaptation, “Battle Angel.” It was directed by Robert Rodriguez, produced by James Cameron, and written by Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis. Rosa Salazar stars, through motion-capture animation, as Alita, a cyborg who wakes up in a new body with no memories of her past and sets out to discover her destiny. Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, and Keean Johnson play supporting roles.
Announced in 2003, the production was repeatedly delayed due to Cameron’s work on “Avatar” (2009) and its sequels. After years of complicated development, Rodriguez was announced as the director of “Alita” in April 2016, and the following month, Salazar was cast as the lead. Principal photography began in October 2016 in Austin, Texas, primarily at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios, and lasted until February 2017.
“Alita: Battle Angel” had its world premiere at London’s Leicester Square Theatre on January 31, 2019, and was released in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan on February 5, 2019, marking the new era of Chinese cinema. It was released in the United States on February 14, 2019, by 20th Century Fox in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, ScreenX, and IMAX 3D formats. It is the first film produced by Lightstorm Entertainment since “Avatar,” and the last released by 20th Century Fox before Disney acquired 21st Century Fox.
The film grossed over $404 million worldwide, making it Rodriguez’s highest-grossing film. However, with a reported break-even point between $350 and $500 million, there is debate over its profitability. It received generally mixed reviews, with praise for Salazar’s performance, action sequences, and visual effects, but criticism of the script.
