I recently went to see the new movie about the girl with the extra big eyes.  That is probably the main identifying factor in Alita: Battle Angel.  But there were many themes throughout this fast-paced action film.

The first theme was that of duality, where there is something good above us, and the earth is entirely garbage.  That idea was developed by the belief called “Gnosticism” which began around the first or second century A.D.  The claim is that there is a perfect realm above us, but the path to heaven is through the rejection of this world altogether.  Now the issue with this belief is that it renders the Incarnation as worthless.  It claims that Jesus is not truly God, because the true God would not want to have anything to do with this world which is all evil. 

Alita was discovered in a garbage heap, which is beneath this “heavenly city.”  She is brought to life and given a new body, but she lacks her memories of the past.  We get to experience her joy as she encounters the delights of the world – from a tangerine and some chocolate to the pleasure of winning a simple game.  This series of scenes is sharply contrasted by her interactions with various citizens who all seem to desire nothing more than living in the floating city above them.  There is a beautiful Christian message on both sides of the story.  We can see and enjoy the goodness in this world which God has created, and we should keep our gaze fixed on our eternal destination: heaven.

Perhaps the most moving scene in the movie is when Alita literally offers heart to her boyfriend, Hugo.  At this point, we knew that Hugo was not as good as Alita thought he was.  His work involved assaulting and stealing body parts from various people for money.  He represents us, living in the midst of our sinfulness.  And while we may not go around assaulting and decapitating people, we still use other people for our own personal gain at times.  And Alita in that scene represents Christ, who was willing to die for us, and went so far as to allow his sacred heart to be pierced with a lance as he hung on the cross.  Did we deserve it?  No.  And neither did Hugo, but that does not change the radical love God has for each one of us.  Love is the way to defeat sin.

There were many battles in the movie.  The main characters fought in the midst of games, and they fought to survive.  Near the beginning of the film, we see Alita make a stand in front of a more massive robot.  Battle was in her blood!  And that is true for each one of us.  We are all in a battle against the world, against the devil, and against ourselves.  There are two paths: sin or grace.  What remains is for us to take a stand.  If we stand with God’s grace, we are promised the ultimate victory. 

On the other hand, if we do not make a stand, we will fall automatically into the position of sin.  When Alita lifted her sword at the end of the film, it was meant to fill the viewer with awe and wonder.  That scene was possible because of the many victories she had accomplished before.  As Christians, we seek to be in that same position.  We choose good instead of evil.

Vector, one of the many enemies in this movie, had a memorable line which cannot be ignored.  He said, “I would rather rule in hell than be the lowest on the totem pole in heaven.”  He made a stand for evil in that statement.  Now we know heaven is not a caste system as that floating city portrayed, and once you get there, you cannot eventually be tossed out.  But the truth remains that we were made for heaven.  Hell is not a natural place for us to fit in.  It is defined as “the absence of God.”  We were created, body and soul, by God.  We were made for God.  So, to choose to be in the absence of God is to literally go against our nature.  But sadly, that choice is made so often automatically, because while someone did not stand for evil, they refused to make a stand for good.

As Christians, we know that God made us.  God, who is perfectly good, made us good.  Our mission is to discover our relationship with God.  From that relationship, we come to know our identity.  And from our identity, our mission naturally flows.  Alita came to know her identity very slowly throughout the film, but the whole process began with her relationships.  Her relationship with Dr. Ido, who put her back together and acted as her father figure gave her a firm foundation to begin.  Next, she made friends with Hugo as he helped her to understand the world around her.  From that, she began to recall her memories and discover who she was.  While she was a Martian in the past, that did not define who she became in the present, because of those relationships.  And that led to her mission against Nova.  A mission to fight against injustice and corruption.  A mission, not of vengeance, but rather motivated by justice.  A mission for peace.