Caught me by surprise...

I was expecting a fun action movie to munch popcorn to, but there was a lot in there that really rose above that. At the top of my list would be the father-daughter relationship having some real heart to it, filled with great moments and small gestures.

There were lots of little gestures of affection between them that made them seem realistically related to one another. But the biggest one for me (mild spoilers) is the scene after Alita returns, having disobeyed a house rule. In most movies, even dramas about fathers and daughters, this scene would have turned into a big yelling match, "You don't understand me!" and get overblown. Here, he didn't let her off the hook, she didn't have a childish temper tantrum, and it didn't end with he storming off to her room while he sighed and looked at some nostalgic photo of the two of them on a desk.

What a treat that the movie used that moment to build character, heighten the dramatic tension, and forward the plot without resorting to tired cliche.

I also liked the complexity of the Hugo character, as well as the one played by Jennifer Connelly.

Plus! The world felt real and not just like they were throwing in random sci-fi stuff without having though any of it through.

Great movie; it achieved a lot that other action films just don't.