Alita: Battle Angel

Cert: 12A; Now showing

“No goodies ’til the trilogy finale,” might as well be the tagline of this latest attempt to build another huge fantasy-sci-fi franchise with the customary tired tropes (orphaned children, hidden powers, grandiose destinies, etc).

Brought from the pages of Manga to the screen by producer James Cameron and director Robert Rodriguez, Alita (Rosa Salazar) is a bit like a lethally dangerous Pinocchio.

We’re in the 26th Century. She has been reassembled from the cyborg scrap heap by Dr Ido (Christoph Waltz), who sees something special in her. Wide-eyed and lovely she certainly is but this kitten has formidable claws. Not only is she a supreme fighter who quickly puts manners on all class of cutthroats but she has a talent for the brutal sport of “motorball”.

Not everyone is happy about her, including two corrupt scientists (Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali).

The CGI-heavy action is super slick, but at the expense of storytelling, coherence and soul — the very things that really foster devoted brand fanbases.