Alita: Battle Angel Review - 7 Ups & 3 Downs

The film has a spectacular supporting cast of veteran character actors such as Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Jackie Earl Haley, and Ed Skrein. And every single one of these well-respected actors is not only totally down to get all weird and cyberpunk-ed out for the film, they're all having the time of their lives while doing so.

Waltz and Connelly get the most substantial roles, playing Dr. Ido and Dr. Chiren, and spend every second they are on-screen making the absolute most of it. Waltz gets to transcend the archetypal roles of the surrogate father or even a mere mentor, getting the chance to unleash a bit of the infectiously joyful quirks that have made him such an unforgettable performer in films like Inglourious Basterds. Connelly manages to take Chiren, a role that could have easily fallen through the cracks of the film in a lesser performer's hands, and make her one of the film's most compelling and captivating characters.

Ali, Haley, and Skrein all get to play various antagonists throughout the film and all bring their A-game. Ali brings a quiet and reserved intensity to the nefarious Vector, while Haley and Skrein get to ham it up and chew the scenery as more subservient villains.

And of course, it would be remiss to not mention the fact that this film has a handful of unexpected cameos throughout its runtime from big-name stars and that each one of them is somehow even more ridiculously entertaining than the last. If nothing else, these unnamed stars are all in on this universe, giving their respecitve performances a full 110%.