Discuss Alita: Battle Angel
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New Trailer
posted by JustinJackFlashSTAFFMOD on December 8, 2017 at 8:17 PM
Alita looks freaky.
Reply by Innovator
on February 6, 2019 at 3:22 PM
That's the thing about Netflix, yes they can make western adaps, but they also don't have to because they are just a production/streamming service company thus can make Japanese made live-action movies and still show them on the same service (like they already do). What would be the difference to a service like Netflix?
Reply by JustinJackFlash
on February 6, 2019 at 3:46 PM
Yes, I do like the wide variety of choice Netflix blesses us with.
Reply by Innovator
on February 6, 2019 at 4:40 PM
You also have to consider there is a big difference between Alita and Deathnote (or Ghost in the Shell for the most part), in that Alita was from it's manga roots was set in America and the characters conceived to be American. So a western adaptation of it doesn't have the stigma of whitewashing that other anime to live-action conversions may have. Western adaptations of certain mangas could work, but they have to be really picky about what material to adapt, else get crucified.
I actually don't blame Ghost in the Shell being adapted in this way in its downfall fully (though many do). The anime that was made in Japan, and was just as boring. I was hoping the western adaptation would elevate the material, but alas...
Reply by JustinJackFlash
on February 7, 2019 at 6:46 AM
My first argument to this would be that a Western anime adap would be a Western interpretation. In the same way that when Hollywood remakes a French film the characters don't stay french. They're usually given American names and the location is changed to an American city. Even all the Aisan horror remakes we were bombared with a while back were changed in this way.
My second would be that I have seen it written that many anime characters are drawn to be non race specific. Many of them don't look Japanese. Hey, don't blame me, I didn't draw them. Early in anime history the anime style was based on the incredibly Western looking Disney characters. I see these as cartoon characters ripe for interpretation.
One of these non race specific looking characters is the Major in Ghost in the Shell. I was even surprised when I first saw the first images for the Western Ghost in the Shell because of how much Scarlet Johannson looked like her. She has fairly big, round eyes just like a manga character. So could you blame them for casting her?
If it's historical figures that's a bit different. I wouldn't want to see a white person cast as Sammy Davies Jr or Ghengis Khan. But with cartoon characters the whitewashing accusations are a lot more nit-picky.
Reply by OddRob
on February 8, 2019 at 12:54 AM
The best chance anime had was Ghost in the Shell. They had a story reason why they made the Major white, also for business reasons. But wow they really messed it up, really bad. They had so much material to work with and they went with a generic story. Visually amazing but the rest was just bad. I fear for other anime like Akira and Cowboy Bebop that might be coming down the line.
Reply by Innovator
on February 8, 2019 at 2:42 AM
Last I heard, Keanu Reeves is playing Spike. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cowboy-bebop-live-action-series-a-go-at-netflix-1164398
Reply by JustinJackFlash
on February 8, 2019 at 12:58 PM
Yeah, it sucked. I thought the trailer made it look great. But the film was just empty and boring.
Reply by OddRob
on February 8, 2019 at 11:18 PM
Keanu has been playing Spike since they first thought about doing a live action CB a decade ago from what I remember. Ill wait and see if it actually happens. As for Ghost In The Shell, they blew it really hard. I remember back on the IMDB boards all the SJWs going crazy over the ScarJo casting. None of them understood the reason behind it, cause you know facts/money dosent matter. I was worried about the story and I was right to do so. The movie did feel empty and soulless. The movie Upgrade had better world building with a fraction of the budget of Ghost.
I really dont think Hollywood can do live action Anime adaptions correct. At least none that I can remember.
Reply by Innovator
on February 9, 2019 at 12:47 AM
It's kind of hard to find a balance between being true to the source material or making changes to American sensibilities. Most anime fans, don't want any change to the source, but that's not going to fly with the general crowd. I say stay true to the heart of the material (for the fans), but keep it episodic (meaning try to tell a complete story in one movie) even if you are telling only a part of a large story cut any parts irrelevant to the story you are currently telling, and above all make the movie fun and entertaining. Ghost in the Shell wasn't fun or entertaining, and that is where it failed (unfortunately the source wasn't really all that fun or entertaining either).
Reply by OddRob
on February 9, 2019 at 1:20 AM
Very true. And I think even harder for Anime adaptions compared to other Western sources. I wish Hollywood would learn by now and at least try and stick to the source better than they have in the past. But I dont think much will change no matter how many flops they put out. Ghost was visually appealing to me and alright acted, but being a huge fan of the Anime I was very much let down. I think the original movie/Anime isnt for everyone, very philosophical topics and ideas. I can see how it would turn off some people. They had so much to pull from and make it their own but they blew it and went with a generic betrayal/revenge story. Im honestly not sure if we will ever get a true Anime adaption and actually have it succeed in Hollywood standards. Alita def will not be doing that.
Reply by Innovator
on February 9, 2019 at 2:14 AM
Maybe, we'll see. It's rating is increasing as more critics review it. It's at 60% now, and we still got a week to go till it's opening in the U.S.