Collider argues that Alita: Battle Angel is a neglected but exceptionally effective action film now available on streaming. Produced and co-written by James Cameron and directed by Robert Rodriguez, it combines Cameron’s detailed science-fiction world-building with Rodriguez’s energetic genre style, offering a more earnest alternative to recent superhero and nostalgia-driven films.

Based on Yukito Kishiro’s 1990s manga, the 2019 film follows a discarded cyborg in 2563 as she rediscovers her humanity and fights mechanised enemies. Cameron had pursued the project since around 2000, but Avatar commitments led Rodriguez to direct; the film nevertheless grossed more than $400 million worldwide, the highest total of Rodriguez’s career. The article credits its clear, exciting action to contributions from cinematographer Bill Pope and stunt coordinator Garrett Warren, alongside its ambitious CGI and carefully designed setting.