Alita: Battle Angel - 9 Reasons It's A Failure

7. The Pacing Is A Mess

On paper it's hugely encouraging that Alita clocks in a totally reasonable 122 minutes, given the tendency for high-concept blockbusters to veer into self-indulgent territory with overwhelming140-150 minute runtimes.

But oddly enough, this is most certainly a film that would've benefitted from being a little longer and just allowing scenes to breathe more.

The first act of the movie provides an extremely rushed introduction to not only Alita but also most of the principal characters, while never stopping to spend time with them in a way that seems remotely organic.

And frustratingly, things swing entirely the other way later on, with the middle-act feeling too often like an exasperating slog without the required narrative forward-momentum.