Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Alita’s eyes are about the size of coffee saucers, and the movie dares you to keep noticing. You stop quickly, which is a small miracle. The real problem is the overstuffed story. It crams a memory mystery, bounty hunters, a floating city, cyborg roller derby and a teen romance into one movie, then ends mid-sentence, pointing at a sequel. Hugo, the boy Alita falls for, has all the spark of a screensaver, and their romance eats a lot of time. Rosa Salazar saves it anyway. Under all those pixels she’s curious, stubborn and funny, and every feeling comes through. Christoph Waltz plays Dr. Ido as the kindest dad in Iron City, rocket-powered hammer and all. Motorball is a blast, and the bar fight is pure Robert Rodriguez. Audiences gave it an A minus CinemaScore and $405 million worldwide on a reported $150 to 200 million. A 6.4 because the lead feels real even when the movie feels unfinished. $323.07 says you try roller skates this month for the first time in years and immediately hug a wall.

What works: Rosa Salazar’s performance gives the digital Alita real warmth and humor, and the Motorball and bar fight sequences are thrilling.

What doesn’t: It stuffs in too much lore, wastes time on a flat romance with Hugo, and stops right where the real story starts.

Who it’s for: Anime fans and action lovers who want big, colorful cyborg fights and don’t mind an open ending.