How’s this for a Tuesday night: a world premiere 30 minute IMAX 3D sneak preview screening of scenes from the upcoming film Alita: Battle Angel at Cineworld in Leicester Square with an in-person intro from producer Jon Landau and director Robert Rodriguez followed by a Q&A with the pair afterwards?
Yes, it was an awesome way to spend a midweek evening.
Missing from the intro and Q&A was James Cameron, the film’s other producer and its screenwriter. However the screening commenced with a recorded welcome by Cameron in which he spoke about how before starting work on Avatar, he struggled between whether to do it or Alita. Avatar turned out to be amazing. Plus, I think the rough and ready feel of the Alita story suits Rodriguez better though. So maybe fortune was on the side of moviegoers in this case. We still get the big Cameron blockbuster experience with the gritty street feel of a Rodriquez flick.
Based on the 90s manga series by Yukito Kishiro, Alita tells of a cyborg girl with a mysterious past and a powerful future. CGI and special effects are next level incredible. With 10 times more giga-whatevers going into the graphics for the main character’s eyes than were used for the whole of Golem in the Lord of the Rings series (Sorry! I’m not a tech guy, but I think you get the point).
The action scenes previewed were nothing short of exhilarating. When this movie comes out in February it’s bound to be a hit. There’s a good chance it’ll break box office records too. It’s certainly going to have me heading to cinema. I’m excited about seeing the full film in the same way I was about Avatar back almost ten years ago.
Cineworld Cinema – London Leicester Square is located at 5-6 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA.
For more information about Alita: Battle Angel go to foxmovies.com/movies/alita-battle-angel.
