Alita: Battle Angel - 16 WTF Moments

15. The AWFUL Love Story

Alita Battle Angel Rosa Salazar
Fox

Even staunch defenders of this film will surely agree that Alita's love story is a bit of a mess, to be kind.

After Hugo coincidentally saves Alita from being crushed by a robot - and even more coincidentally, he happens to be friends with Dr. Ido - a dull, forced meet-cute unfolds.

Even if you can accept the inherent creepiness of Hugo romancing a cyborg with a child-like sense of wonder, the love story feels immensely contrived due to the rushed pacing and, well, the fact that Salazar and Johnson have no natural sexual chemistry.

It's tough not to curl your toes in embarrassment as Hugo tells her later on, "You're more human than anyone I've ever met."

Though the romance probably could've worked with a greater emphasis on their relationship and a better actor being cast in the role of Hugo, as it stands the love story is just corny baggage the film is saddled with.

The romance is part of the source material, of course, but that doesn't mean it was necessary to translate it to the big screen in such hokey fashion.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.