Animated live action adaptations, whether based on western cartoons or eastern anime, have had a long track record of poorly done portrayals in transition to the silver screen. Because of this, “Alita: Battle Angel” was expected to continue that long-running trend. From the trailers and viewers’ reactions to them, there didn’t seem to be much promise.

However, Alita is not like its predecessors. From gorgeous CGI that is well-rendered and eye-catching, fast-paced and fluid action, to decently developed characters that viewers can get invested in—Alita holds up as a competent adaptation of its anime counterpart.

Alita is a cyborg girl—a remnant from a post-apocalyptic battle some 300 years prior to the film’s plotline. Dr. Dyson Ido, a doctor who offers his services to provide his patients various bodily prosthetics, uncovers her in pieces in a trash heap from that came from Zalem, the last existing sky metropolis. He brings her to his office, where he gives her a new body and lease on life.

When she is revived, however—she has no memory of who she was, or what her purpose for existing might be. Ido chooses to give her his deceased daughter’s name, Alita, until she is able to piece together who she actually is.

The movie is a blend of Alita rediscovering who she is while interacting with the new world she has been introduced to. She befriends Hugo, a young man who has a questionable occupation, he struggles to come to terms with as the two continue to get to know each other. She also runs into some shady criminals suspected of committing several recent murders in an alley, and becomes a target for Vector, a very powerful and prominent individual residing in Zalem.

The actors do their roles justice, especially Rosa Salazar, who plays Alita. Even with the amount of CGI used in bringing her character to life, Rosa does a commendable job giving Alita lots of expression through overly large eyes and body language. Some might find her large eyes unsettling, but I personally grew used to them fairly quickly, and they didn’t detract anything from my viewing experience.

If I had any complaints, it would be that some elements do feel rushed at times. The relationship between Alita and Hugo moves quickly towards romance, which a lot of films generally suffer from.  Some of the minor characters seem incidental, but it isn’t a major detractor.

Overall, I would suggest at least giving Alita a chance. The cinematography and the engaging characters make it worth seeing the movie at least once.