Alita: Battle Angel takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that might not be filled with zombies
or bizarre aliens, but a lot of crazy stuff still happens there. Some of it, however,
will sail right over the heads of younger viewers. Here are the things that only adults
will notice.
On any planet, it seems unlikely that a highly advanced cyborg would be tossed out in the
trash. Well, except for the version of Earth that takes place in this anime and manga adaptation.
Even as-is — no limbs and basically just a brain, head, and torso — Alita contains
very rare technology that can still sell for a lot of credits or be of value to someone.
It's never explained why she's thrown away so casually and left out in the open. When
she's found in the Iron City scrap yard by Doctor Ido, her face is easily visible — it's
almost as if she was placed in that spot intentionally. Perhaps someone from the floating city of
Zalem did it in the hopes of her being discovered and restored to her prime form.
Nonetheless, in her found state, which is pretty beat up, she'd still be extremely valuable.
After Ido brings Alita to his lab and gives her a new body, she wakes up in a place she's
never been to before. She doesn't know where she is or how she got there. She doesn't even
know her own name. Basically, her memory bank has been wiped out and she's starting over
— as a 300-year-old teenager.
For most adults, it's hard to think that a cyborg like Alita wouldn't be somewhat frightened.
She's either really good at compartmentalizing or just moves on fast. While it can be argued
that she's simply a cyborg, not to mention a killing machine, it's important to mention
that she has human emotions — she cries, falls in love, and perhaps most human of all,
has empathy for a scrappy little dog.
Alita has every reason to be freaked out, but instead, she's super casual about her
current state of affairs — or at least as casual as you can be if you wake up in the
midst of a bustling dystopian city.
Ido has all of the signs of an overbearing parent. He tells Alita she needs to be home
before dark and not to trust anyone. He also tells her what she can and can't do, such
as become a bounty hunter. Short of grounding her, he does his best to control her every
move.
"And if you go out during the day, don't wander too far from this neighborhood. Okay. Promise?
I promise."
Of course, Alita has the raw emotions of a teenager and the strength of a kick-ass cyborg,
so trying to discipline her could get a little awkward.
"Nooo!"
Eventually, when Ido truly understands how powerful Alita really is, he allows her to
try out for a deadly sport called Motorball. Although, dad-mode kicks in again when she's
getting suited up. He's adamant about her wearing pads and a helmet, despite the fact
that participants with helmets can still get their heads knocked off.
"Ahhh, crap."
Hugo and Alita are a young couple, and young couples are known to fall for each other fast.
That's definitely the case in this movie. Hugo and Alita go into major "I-love-you"
mode after what appears to be only a few days and a couple kisses. That's all well and good
and no one can blame these two for trying to find some good in a world that's consumed
by so much chaos and uncertainty.
Taking it up a notch, Alita quickly gets kind of creepy. Not creepy in the sense that she
calls Hugo non-stop or questions where he is and who he's with — but creepy in the
sense that she literally takes her heart out of her chest and offers it to him.
As Alita says…
"It's all or nothing with me. This is who I am."
And giving your heart away so someone else can make his or her dream come true is about
as "all or nothing" as it gets.
Bounty hunters, no matter what universe they're in, have extremely dangerous occupations and
can easily be harmed — or worse yet, swallowed by a giant, toothy creature in the desert.
Despite the dangers of the job, in Alita: Battle Angel, it's way too easy to become
a licensed bounty hunter, or as they're called in Iron City "hunter-warriors." It almost
seems like signing up to be a post-apocalyptic Uber driver.
Ido — who has been around the block a few times — works as a hunter-warrior to make
ends meet. But Alita, who looks very young and has no experience, simply walks into a
big building wearing a cool leather jacket and acts like she's registering for a class.
"State your business.”
“I'm here to register as a hunter-warrior."
And, just like that, she becomes a hunter-warrior on the spot.
The ease of becoming a hunter-warrior is likely because there's such a high demand for them.
The people of Zalem, and especially the film's evil mastermind Nova, want the city policed
and they don't seem to care who does it, as long as everyone stays in line. If one feels
brave enough to hit the streets and start bounty hunting, then he or she apparently
can.
For a post-apocalyptic world, the general population seems somewhat tame in Iron City
— no one tries to escape the impoverished streets or rebel against the elitist society
in the sky.
While the city is surrounded by a Hydro-Wall, everyone is content with staying within its
boundaries. There appear to be other places in this cyberpunk world that are habitable.
For example, the Badlands is flush with water and wilderness, which makes it look like a
paradise. Meanwhile, the city is plagued with unfair social structures, endless violence,
and power-hungry villains with grotesque interests.
“I want to rip you open and see if you're ugly inside. Like the others."
Compared to the alternative, The Badlands look like a reasonable place to start a new
life. There's no one around and the security forces of Zalem don't appear to monitor it.
Alita easily retrieves a suit from a partially submerged battleship that clearly hasn't been
inspected. The ship is filled with alien technology and, according to Hugo, has mostly been left
alone.
Maybe citizens have tried to escape and failed. Maybe Iron City is all they know and a better
option than exploring the unknown. Who knows, they might even like it. But the wilderness
of the Badlands seems like a solid place to call home — especially compared to the overcrowded
and hyper-violent streets of Iron City.
And, honestly, who wants to go out for an evening stroll and run into this guy?
"Come here little flea, so I can pinch your head off."
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