HAIR at the Movies Part 45: Alita: Battle Angel (Robert Rodriguez 2019) – When Humanity Refuses to Stay Down

Alita: Battle Angel (Robert Rodriguez 2019)

Alita: Battle Angel flips the usual AI question on its head. This isn’t a story about a machine struggling to become human—it’s about a being who already embodies humanity in a world that has forgotten it. Alita’s identity isn’t rooted in memory, biology, or ownership, but in choice: to love, to resist injustice, and to refuse apathy. In a society that trades bodies and barters souls, the cyborg is the one who still believes life has inherent worth. The film suggests the real danger of advanced technology isn’t augmentation—it’s settling for a diminished vision of what it means to be alive. ⚔️🤖❤️

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HAIR at the Movies Part 28: Surrogates (Jonathan Mostow 2009) – When Technology Becomes Your Body… and Your Life Moves Out

Surrogates 2009

Surrogates isn’t really about artificial intelligence—it’s about avoidance. When people outsource their bodies to flawless stand-ins, safety and convenience quietly replace vulnerability and presence. The surrogate becomes more than a tool; it becomes a lifestyle, and eventually a substitute for living. The film asks a question that feels uncomfortably close to home: if technology lets us live without risk or discomfort, will we still choose to show up as ourselves—or fall in love with distance instead? 🧍‍♂️🤖

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