A few words about…™ Alita Battle Angel — in 4k UHD Blu-ray

4 Stars Highly Recommended

Robert Rodriguez’ Alita Battle Angel is one of those home video distribution rarities, thanks to Fox. Rather than splitting up Blu-ray / 3D combo packs from the 4k, they’ve given fans all three variants.

I knew nothing about this film going in, and found it an enjoyable ride, beautifully combining DP Bill Pope’s digital production photography with layers of effects.

And it works beautifully.

Audio courtesy of a Dolby Atmos mix, is huge and room-filling.

Rosa Salazar, digitally reconfirmed as a Keane painting, does a fine job as Alita, which properly credits the original Japanese graph novel by Yukito Kishiro. Nice to see credit, where it’s due.

Image – 5

Audio – 5 (Dolby Atmos)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Highly Recommended

RAH

Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.

His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.

Post Disclaimer

Some of our content may contain marketing links, which means we will receive a commission for purchases made via those links. In our editorial content, these affiliate links appear automatically, and our editorial teams are not influenced by our affiliate partnerships. We work with several providers (currently Skimlinks and Amazon) to manage our affiliate relationships. You can find out more about their services by visiting their sites.

Share this post:

View thread (18 replies)

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,801
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
This has been one of my favorite films of the year which is surprising to me. I wasn't feeling it from the prior trailers before taking a chance and seeing it in a movie theater. I enjoyed my first viewing so much I went back again and then watched it on 4K/UHD disc the other day on my new OLED.
 
Last edited:

benbess

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
5,661
Real Name
Ben
"Rosa Salazar, digitally reconfirmed as a Keane painting...."

!!!

Thanks for the laughs! And thanks for the good review.

I liked this movie quite a bit, and based on this review I'll probably get the blu-ray at some point.
 

Robert George

Screenwriter
Joined
Jul 3, 1997
Messages
1,176
Highly underrated film. I thought the tepid reviews and box office for a film that combined the talents of James Cameron and Robert Rodriquez seemed a bit odd. I was right. While I recognize all the different films this borrows from, that does not make it any less enjoyable for what it is.

Technically, this is digital filmmaking at a new level. Cameron and crew have set the bar very high indeed...again (re: Avatar).

The UHD disc is simply beautiful, and worthy of the finest multi-channel audio systems that will undoubtedly get the workout mine did...twice so far.
 

B-ROLL

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 26, 2016
Messages
5,022
Real Name
Bryan
For those that have Target Cartwheel - Alita Battle Angel is 10% off through August 1st ...
prod_offer_275474_300x300.jpg

Alita: Battle Angel
Expires: 08/01/2019

dvd, blu-ray, & uhd



10% off



Offer ID: 275474

Brand: 20th Century Fox

Categories: movies

Terms and Conditions

Not valid with Order Pickup or Drive up. Offer valid in store and online with Order Pickup and Drive Up, unless explicitly noted otherwise. Limit no more than one manufacturer coupon (paper or Cartwheel digital), one Target coupon and one Cartwheel offer can be combined per item. Manufacturer (MFR) offers are single-use only and not eligible for Order Pickup and Drive Up. Each Cartwheel offer can be used for a maximum of 4 qualifying items per transaction, unless otherwise noted. Limit 1 Cartwheel barcode per transaction and 6 Cartwheel barcode transactions per day. Cartwheel cannot be applied with price match. Void if copied, scanned, altered, transferred, purchased, sold, or prohibited by law. Offer expires 11:59 PM PST. Item(s) may not be available at all stores. Quantities limited; no rain checks. Offer value may not exceed value of item purchased. No cash value.
 

Brian Kidd

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2000
Messages
2,555
Like Cameron, I came to the story originally through the animated version, which I saw back in the 90's. I really enjoyed it, but could sense that the source material had more to it than was feasible in the two animated releases. Boy, was I right. When I finally got around to reading the original manga, it blew me away. The artwork is astonishingly detailed and beautiful and the story contains wonderful characters. I knew that this was a passion project of Cameron's, so I've been following his interest in it for years. When it was finally announced, I was initially disappointed that Cameron wasn't directing it, but I think Rodriguez can do really interesting work if his heart is in the project.

The film was a fantastic adaptation of the source material. Of course, by its nature, it had to trim down the plot and make some changes to better fit the medium, but it had the spirit and look of the manga. It's a shame that people seemed to turn against it when they saw the look of the Alita character. Although she looks like the manga design and I can understand their reasoning for keeping the large eyes, I think that a lot of folks in a general audience saw those big eyes and were either disturbed or dismissed it outright, thinking it was "one of them Japanese cartoons like Pokemon." It seems to be gaining supporters, now that it is on home video, which is great. I really hope that this translates into a sequel. The filmmakers took a real risk, structuring the film the way they did and assuming that it would be a monster hit. If it never gets a sequel, it will always feel like an incomplete story, which it is. Don't misunderstand me, I still think it's a really enjoyable film that, were people to give it a fair chance, would have a much larger fanbase than it currently does. There is simply a lot of story to be told and it would be a shame if we're never able to see it play out, especially since Rodriguez/Cameron have proven that they understand and respect the source material.

If nothing else, people who enjoyed the film should give the first few volumes of the manga a chance. It's fantastic stuff and has rightly achieved venerated status amongst fans of comics and manga.
 
Last edited:

MikeDE

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 12, 2001
Messages
267
I picked it up last night at Target and watched it in 3D. It was a lot better than I expected after reading reviews when it was in theaters. Visually, there is a lot to take in.
 

Brian Kidd

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2000
Messages
2,555
I picked it up last night at Target and watched it in 3D. It was a lot better than I expected after reading reviews when it was in theaters. Visually, there is a lot to take in.
All those interesting visuals came directly from the manga. I'm telling you, the artwork is astonishingly good.
 

DP 70

Screenwriter
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
1,076
Real Name
Derek
I saw this in 3D Dolby Vision and Atmos in London and it was fab presentation.
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 31, 1997
Messages
13,392
Wow. I hard-passed on this because the trailers made it look...meh. But there are an awful lot of people in this thread whom I've known for quite a while (virtually, anyway) and whose opinions I respect...looks like I'm heading to Best Buy tomorrow to pick up the 4K...
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 31, 1997
Messages
13,392
Looking forward to watching in 3D- just arrived Friday. And thank gawd James Cameron supports 3D!
It's funny when I think back on it. During the 3D-at-home era (when many manufacturers were making 3D HDTVs) I opted to spend the extra $3-$5 per title to get the combo 3D/Blu-ray packs. I enjoyed watching them on my Sony HD set which was active 3D,

Now, a few years outside of that era, I just looked at both of my 4K sets (bought one and two years ago) and realized I have no mechanism to play any of those 3D discs.

It's great Cameron supports 3D. But without Sony, Vizio, Samsung, etc. actively supporting it with their 4K offerings, it's going to end up being a moot point. I'm sure if I look hard I can find a 4K 3D set, but when I was buying these two sets, I don't recall seeing a 3D model at/near the mid-tier pricepoint (I have a 65" Sammy KS8000 and 65" Sony 900F set that I bought on sale around the $1500 range at the time when they were the new sets).
 

Noel Aguirre

Supporter
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Messages
1,591
Location
New York City
Real Name
noel
It's funny when I think back on it. During the 3D-at-home era (when many manufacturers were making 3D HDTVs) I opted to spend the extra $3-$5 per title to get the combo 3D/Blu-ray packs. I enjoyed watching them on my Sony HD set which was active 3D,

Now, a few years outside of that era, I just looked at both of my 4K sets (bought one and two years ago) and realized I have no mechanism to play any of those 3D discs.

It's great Cameron supports 3D. But without Sony, Vizio, Samsung, etc. actively supporting it with their 4K offerings, it's going to end up being a moot point. I'm sure if I look hard I can find a 4K 3D set, but when I was buying these two sets, I don't recall seeing a 3D model at/near the mid-tier pricepoint (I have a 65" Sammy KS8000 and 65" Sony 900F set that I bought on sale around the $1500 range at the time when they were the new sets).

Sadly no more 3D sets are made that I know of for US consumption. However that's not the case in Japan and Europe I believe. I have a 4 K 3D Sony Triluminous set that still stuns from 2014. I can only hope the some high end manufacturer will bring 3D back for us that support the format because for me and others 4K just doesn't give the feeling that the extra depth of 3D does. My collection is huge and I love repeat viewings of them all. Fingers crossed.
 

JoshZ

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 26, 2012
Messages
2,288
Location
Boston
Real Name
Joshua Zyber
3D on flat panels is totally dead, but the format is still supported on some (not all) home theater projectors.
 
Most Popular