"Alita: Battle Angel" Cyberpunk, fighting heroine. Born from Cameron's affinity with "Gunm" *Note! Contains spoilers.

*Information as of March 2019 article publication.

*This article touches on the plot of the story from page 3 onwards, and especially mentions the last scene on page 4. I recommend watching the movie before reading.

“Alita: Battle Angel” synopsis

The story is set in a mysterious distant future, divided into two worlds: those who rule and those who are ruled. Cyber ​​doctor Ido picks up the head of a girl's doll from the rubble. She was a cyborg from 300 years ago, and her brain was still alive. Ido gives the girl, who had lost her past memories, a new mechanical body, names her Alita, and watches her grow. One day, Alita realizes that she has an extraordinary fighting ability within her, and learns that she is the "strongest weapon" created using technology lost 300 years ago. Facing an inescapable fate, a girl embarks on an epic journey that shakes up the order of two worlds in order to find the meaning of her given life.

Index

• The fateful encounter between “Gunm” and James Cameron
• Regarding the name and title
• Respect for the original and Cameron's stamp
• Three cameo actors are key to sequel idea

The fateful encounter between “Gunm” and James Cameron

`` Gunm '', written and illustrated by Yukito Kishiro, is a science fiction manga set in a futuristic dystopian world. It was serialized in Shueisha's Business Jump from 1990 to 1995, and translated versions were also published in 15 countries and regions. This in itself is not so unusual these days, when Japanese manga and anime are exported to the world as popular content. However, there is a special miracle that only happened in Gunm. The reason for this is that James Cameron, the mastermind whose Avatar (2009) and Titanic (1997) are still the No. 1 and No. 2 films in world box office revenue, has acquired the film rights.

It all started about 25 years ago when Guillermo del Toro, who would later become known as a Japanese otaku with Pacific Rim (2013), decided to create an original video animation (OVA) version of Gunm. It seems like it would be a good fit for you,” and recommended it to Cameron. Cameron was immediately hooked and acquired the film rights in conjunction with 20th Century Fox. So, what exactly was it about "Gunmu" that moved Cameron, Hollywood's biggest hit maker and rare visualist?

“Alita: Battle Angel” (C) 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The first thing that stands out is its worldview, which is in the vein of cyberpunk science fiction. A future in which cyborgs, whose bodies are partially or largely mechanized, are omnipresent. A surveillance society where people's actions are monitored by computers, cameras, and security robots. Furthermore, the original story includes an episode in which the main character enters a virtual world and engages in battle. Cameron, who wrote and directed the scripts for `` The Terminator '' (1984), `` Terminator 2: Judgment Day '' (1991), and `` Aliens '' (1986), must have felt an affinity for these elements.

“Aliens” trailer

Another important element is the presence of the "fighting heroine." The beginnings of this can be seen in the character The Talented Mr. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) created by Dan O'Bannon, the original creator and screenwriter, and director Ridley Scott in " Alien " (1979). However, due to the overwhelming difference in power between her and the Alien, she does not fight head-on, but rather uses quick wits to barely survive despite being cornered, which is more of a character in line with the grammar of horror movies.

Cameron, who was appointed as the director of the sequel, introduced the style of war action to the series, and in the highlight of the final part, he created an impressive scene where The Talented Mr. Ripley gets into a power loader and confronts the Alien Queen. Furthermore, he evolved the character design of the "fighting heroine" by Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day". It is probably because of this that Cameron was fascinated by the "fighting angel" Alita and wanted to visualize it with his own hands.

Regarding the name and title