Wednesday, February 27, 2019

T5W#185-Top 5 Reasons Alita: Battle Angel is Better Than Ghost in the Shell (2017)


Last week I got a chance to see Alita: Battle Angel and was surprised to see that it wasn’t the disappointment I thought it would be.  It wasn’t perfect but it was a much better live action Anime than many we’ve gotten in the last couple of years.  My opinion and hopes of good Live Action Anime were kind of dashed back in 2017 after Netflix’s Death Note and Ghost in the Shell dropped back to back.  The latter film hurt me more because, if you’ve read my blog a long time, you know I love Ghost in the Shell (besides the Stand Alone Complex compilation movies and Arise Alternate Architecture ive reviewed every single GitS title out there).  If the 2017 bomb starring Scarlet Johannson as Not Motoko Kusinagi was an example of all the wrong things to do with a Live Action Anime adaptation, Alita was the better example…by like a mile.  And today im gonna highlight five reasons why it does so in this Top 5 Wednesday cage match.  Agree with me or not, these are my Top 5 Reasons Alita: Battle Angel is better than Ghost in the Shell (2017)

 

#5-Fun Factor (Did I have a good time?)

For all the wrong live action adaptations can do, they can still be a little fun to watch.  Death Note 2017 is a terrible film but you cant help but cringe and laugh at how bad it is sometimes (its ripe for a good Rifftrax).  Ghost in the Shell 2017 is an absolute snoozefst.  It brings nothing new to the table.  In fact it borrows so much from 80’s scifi action films and does absolutely nothing with any of those classic elements.  It’s pretty paint by numbers and nothing thrills, nothing excites, me personally it only infuriates.  Alita: Battle Angel had just as much to prove and it brought its game face.  Even if you weren’t a fan of the story changes, there was still plenty of creative action and the heartfelt story of Alita herself to instill a feeling of fun while watching the film.  I was never bored to death by Alita and I was curious how it would all play out.  Ghost in the Shell…I couldn’t wait for it to end and was even more mad when they played the classic theme song from the Oshii films at the end…it didn’t deserve that greatness.

 

#4-Supporting Cast (who’s got who’s back better?)

Beyond Scarlet Johannson, there aren’t a lot of truly recognizable faces in Ghost in the Shell.  One or two might stand out in some circles like legendary Japanese actor “Beat” Takeshi as Aramaki and Pilou Asbeak from Game of Thrones as Batou.  Other than those two, I couldn’t identify any other actors nor did their characters have much to do in terms of anything in Ghost in the Shell.  To be fair, Alita has the same issue but the supporting cast is a far greater caliber.  Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connely and Mahershala Ali all have some of their best scenes bouncing off of Alita herself and do get one or two good moments to shine in their own right.  I cant really say the same of any actor who interacting with ScarJo’s NOT MOTOKO throughout the entirety of Ghost in the Shell.

 

#3-Visual Effects (Which is prettier?)

To the credit of both, Alita: Battle Angel and Ghost in the Shell are very nice to look at.  Both of their respective environments are very colorful and highly detailed.  While both visual effects teams should be proud of their work, Alita takes this one simply for how nearly flawless the fusion of real actor with heavy duty CG cyborg bodies looks.  Looking at Ed Skrein’s Zapan stands out in particular.  You’d be hard pressed to believe that only his face is the real deal when his characters body looks that good.  Then again, I expect nothing less but the best from WETA Digital, the wizards who gave us Avatar and The Lord of the Rings.

 

#2-Action Sequences (Who actually knows Kung Fu?)

Alita wins this category hands down for embracing its Anime roots and going full on nuts with its cyborg combat.  The Motorball sequence and Alita’s first battle with Grewishka stand out the most for their intensity and pushing the envelope of how much violence you can get away with in a PG13 rated action film.  Ghost in the Shell is so by the numbers it isn’t even amusing.  Even the intro scene that tries to mirror the 1995’s famous intro falls flat.  Everything else after that never takes advantage of the fact that the Major is a combat cyborg who can do some seriously amazing feats besides some simple kicks and punches.  Put 2017’s Major against Alita and there is no contest in who would kick who’s ass in a fight…and since we’re on the subject.

 

#1-Lead Characters (MORTAL KOMBAT!!!)

In my review of Ghost in the Shell 2017, I cited Scarlet Johannson’s portrayal of The Major as one of the worst parts of the movie.  I get that each iteration of Motoko is supposed to be different, personality wise as we see in the Oshii Films, Stand Alone Complex and Arise.  Johannson being a white girl aside, her “Motoko” is bland, boring and more like the Terminator than her more emotive Anime counterparts (from the angsty to the super serious to the hot head with something to prove).  Alita, on the other hand, is full of so much heart (literally) and wonder from her very first moments and we get to see her grow as a person throughout the entire movie.  I could care less what happened to The Major at the end of Ghost in the Shell.  But I cared a great deal about Alita’s future, especially when she literally gets cut up in battle and still manages to come out on top.  Alita: Battle Angel gave us a lead we could give a damn about.  Ghost in the Shell just further tarnished the good name of one of the best Anime franchises in history with the worst portrayal of its signature heroine.

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