1st Battle Angel Trailer Released

20th Century Fox has released the first trailer for Alita: Battle Angel, producer James Cameron & director Robert Rodriguez’s long-gestating American live-action film adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s beloved Gunnm manga series. All evidence from this trailer suggests that the film will adapt the manga’s first story arc.

Judging by this brief look, this adaptation looks comparable in design, and just a bit more faithful to its source material than Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell movie. So hopefully “Alita” will fare better in critical and viewer reception than GitS did. Personally, I like the look of Alita’s arms. I appreciate Rodriguez’s seemingly deliberate effort to make actress Rosa Salazar’s eyes appear just a bit bigger and rounder, more “anime-like,” even if the effect is a bit unsettling. I do wish this trailer placed a bit more emphasis on action and the brutal world view than on the juvenile fiction-style teen angst angle. But considering the target audience for this film, and that this is the first of several trailers to come, the presentation may be appropriate after all.