At SXSW last week, director Robert Rodriguez
discussed the filming strategy used to make his adaptation of Battle Angel Alita. In the film, which has been retitled Alita: Battle Angel for some inexplicable reason, the Grindhouse director opted for more practical effects at the behest of James Cameron.
Said Rodriguez:
"It gave us a real tangible real-world set to put the action in, because Jim [Cameron’s] whole thing in science fiction is to make it more science fact, and the more fantastical the story, the more it needs to be grounded in reality. So we surround Alita with real actors, real characters that are played by real people, and real set versus doing it green screen — there’s very little green screen in the movie, it was really done on practical set locations, because I really needed feel to ground it."
It's clear that the titular character's eyes and limbs are cgi but nearly everything and everyone else in the trailer below is real. How that will translate into the finished film, which was pushed back from its original July release date to December 21t is anyone's guess.