Alita: Battle Angel Review - 7 Ups & 3 Downs
3. Motorball!
The big Motorball sequence in this film is more than worth the price of IMAX 3D admission alone. It serves as the most astonishing sequence in the entire film, both in its construction and in its execution, and is absolutely incredible.
It's also probably the single great Robert Rodriguez setpiece ever put to film. Brilliantly showcasing that exact knack for ratcheting up the tension of a sequence through utilizing suspense more akin to something out of his horror genre roots, the sequence gradually builds from a casual game to a life-or-death battle royale, and oh my, is it entertaining.
The CGI here is the best the film has to offer, the cinematography is consistently gorgeous, all of the action beats are captured with startling clarity, and it's a hugely satisfying culmination for Alita where she truly comes into her own as a hero in her own right.
It is nothing short of phenomenal and is, pretty easily, the best use of IMAX 3D in the last decade.