Some centuries in the future, a disembodied cyborg “core” Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found on a junk heap in the forbidding and treacherous megalopolis of Iron City. Dr. Ido (Christoph Waltz) finds her and gives her a body, and the two begin to discover her secrets—and secret powers. (As the title makes clear, fighting is one of them.)

Legendary sci-fi director James Cameron had been working on and off on this manga-based project for some years. A notoriously exacting – and expensive – perfectionist, he eventually handed the project to his near-exact opposite: the churn-’em-out-quickly wizard of shoestring movie productions, Robert Rodriguez. The clash of sensibilities results in a unique, slightly crazy world. With no shortage of battles.

Based on Angie Thomas’s critically acclaimed bestseller, The Hate U Give is another prime example of how the Young Adult genre can be used to tackle weighty and topical themes.

When Starr Carter’s (Amanda Stenberg) best friend Khalil is shot dead by a police officer in front of her, the uneasy balance she’s been treading between the mostly rich white school she attends and the mostly poor black neighbourhood she lives in is pushed to tipping point. Facing pressure from all sides, Starr must choose who and what she really stands for.