Released: March 2009
Originally Released: 14 September 2005
Director: Tetsuya Nomura
Distributor: Square Enix Holdings
Budget: Unknown (potentially up to $100 million)
Stars: Steve Burton, Rachael Leigh Cook, Steve Staley, Fred Tatasciore, Dave Wittenberg, Wally Wingert, and George Newbern

The Plot:
Two years after Final Fantasy VII (Square, 1997), Cloud Strife (Burton) exiles himself to avoid spreading the Geostigma disease he and many children are suffering after Sephiroth (Newburn) contaminated the Planet’s core. However, when three Remnants of Sephiroth – Kadaj (Staley), Loz (Tatasciore), and Yazoo (Wittenberg) – kidnap the diseased children to resurrect Sephiroth, Cloud reunites with his friends to defend the world once more.

The Background:
After decades of being largely exclusive to Nintendo’s 8-bit and 16-bit titles, the genre-defining Final Fantasy franchise was given new life when developer square shifted focus to the PlayStation with the award winning, incredible success that was Final Fantasy VII. This success eventually led to a whole host of spin-off media that didn’t just include new games, but Square’s second crack at a feature-length CGI movie following Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Sakaguchi, 2001), a critical and commercial disaster that nearly bankrupted Square. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children began as a short film by Visual Works, the company behind Square’s CGI cutscenes, designed to pitch a new game. Instead, Final Fantasy VII character designer Tetsuya Nomura joined the team and helped them develop the concept into a feature-length film, one that would focus primarily on Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart. While motion capture technology helped map out the character’s movements, the team struggled to bring the more complex action sequences to life and many characters were redesigned to make the animator’s lives easier. Accompanied by an anime tie-in and selling over 700,000 copies in Japan in its first three weeks, Advent Children garnered mixed reviews. While some praised the animation and action scenes, the confusing plot and reliance of audience familiarity with Final Fantasy VII turned many mainstream reviewers off. Regardless, the film was enhanced and extended for its Blu-ray release with this “Complete” edition, which was specially screened in Japan, increased the violence, and was largely received more positively upon release.

The Review:
If you’re a newcomer to Final Fantasy VII or it’s been a while since you played the game, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete has you covered in more ways than one. If you want a more comprehensive catchup on the events leading up to the film, there’s a “reminiscence” included in the special features that includes key cutscenes from the videogame. This edition also includes an expanded reminiscence for the entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII which, while lengthy in its own right, is a fun way to relive the videogame without pouring fifty-odd hours of your life into it. Beyond that, the movie includes an opening narration from Marlene Wallace (Grace Rolek) that summarises the videogame from a child’s perspective, greatly truncating events but quickly setting the tone for what’s to come. For the better part of forty years, the Shinra Electric Power Company sucked Mako energy from the lifestream of the Planet, using it to power the vast cities and equip their lite fighting force, SOLDIER, with the best weapons and technology. SOLDIERs were genetically enhanced super soldiers infused with cells from Jenova, an alien lifeform that fell to the Planet on a meteor many years ago. When he found out about his true origin, Sephiroth (Shinra’s elite SOLDIER) went mad and tried to destroy the world, though he was ultimately thwarted by Cloud, a confused Mako-infused mercenary, and AVALANCHE, an anti-Shinra group who regularly destroyed their Mako Reactors. Many lives were lost in the battle, which reduce the Midgar slums to ruins and saw Cloud’s love, Aerith Gainsborough (Grace Rolek) murdered by Sephiroth, but the group eventually stopped him at the Northern Crater, with the very Planet itself helping to repel the massive meteor summoned by Sephiroth. Unfortunately, though his body was destroyed, remnants of Sephiroth’s consciousness and poisonous influence seemed into the lifestream, afflicting many inhabitants of Edge, a city built on the outskirts of Midgar’s ruins and which contains a gigantic monument to the lives lost during “Meteorfall”. Cloud’s ally and love interest, Tifa Lockhart (Cook), owns a bar and delivery service in the city and cares for various orphans, including young Denzel (Benjamin Bryan), as well as looking after Marlene while her father, passionate ecowarrior Barret (Beau Billingslea), travels to find alternatives to Mako energy.

The Geostigma disease afflicts many of Edge’s children, appearing as an unsightly blemish on the skin and causing nausea, vomiting, and a violent death. Since there’s no known cure, those afflicted are shunned and the citizens live in fear of contracting the disease, which has also manifested in Cloud. Accordingly, the troubled mercenary has isolated himself in the wastelands outside Edge and taken shelter in the dilapidated church where Aerith once tended to her flowers. Fearing he’s ad anger to those around him and unfit to help others, Cloud continues to be wracked with guilt for failing to save both Aerith and his best friend, Zack Fair (Rick Gomez), an elite SOLDIER who died saving Cloud and who’s memories and abilities Cloud inherited. Though conflicted and dejected, Cloud continues to carry his cell phone, listening to but ignoring the many calls he receives from the worried Tifa and his former allies, who continue to try and reach him despite his best efforts. It’s while brooding in the wastelands that Cloud is attacked by the three Remnants of Sephiroth and driven to begrudgingly take up Reno’s (Quinton Flynn) offer for work. Since Reno and his hulking partner Rude (Crispin Freeman) are Turks, Shinra’s special forces, Cloud’s naturally wary of him and, when he discovers Shina president Rufus Shinra (Wingert) inexplicably survived being caught in a massive explosion, Cloud’s ready to walk away from Shinra’s representatives. However, intrigued by Kadaj demanding to know the location of his “mother” and bothered by the notion that the Remnants are seeking to resurrect Sephiroth, Cloud reluctantly becomes embroiled in the investigation, though he strictly acts alone. Thanks to Rufus, Cloud heads to the Forgotten City to rescue the infected children, only to find the Remnants have brainwashed the kids into mindless puppets. Saved by his even dark and more stoic gothic ally, Vincent Valentine (Steve Blum), Cloud discusses and ruminates on his disposition. Constantly distracted by memories and messages from Zack and Aerith, who’s face is always hidden from his eyes, Cloud struggles to let go of his guilt and move on from his past. Seeing Vincent as a dark mirror of himself, Cloud resolves to try and atone for his sins, gaining new strength from his friends and his those he cares for. With this, Cloud’s already formidable superhuman abilities only increase, allowing him to defy physics and pull of his more powerful Limit Breaks, all with the aid of his fancy (if impractical) Fusion Sword, which separates into pieces and easily allows him to fend of multiple enemies at once.

Stubborn, melancholy loner that he is, Cloud leaves the beautiful Tifa behind at Seventh Heaven and shuns his responsibilities as her point man and his relationship with her. Despite this, Tifa continues to care for and pine for him, keeping the businesses ticking over in his absence and promising Marlene that they’ll give him a “lecture” when he inevitably shows up. Realising that Cloud’s sick, Tifa’ hurt that he chose isolation rather than asking for help but gives him a stern talking to once they reunite, chastising him for “dilly-dallying” and outright demanding that he choose between a “memory [and] us”. While she’s no super soldier, Tifa is an incredible formidable fighter; she goes toe-to-toe with Loz, matching his brutish power and augmented speed, and instinctively leaps to Marlene’s defence whenever she’s in danger. Advent Children is largely an exploration of Cloud and Tifa’s relationship, meaning the other members of AVALANCHE are largely sidelined. Barret, Cait Sith (Greg Ellis), Cid Highwind (Chris Edgerly), Yuffie Kisaragi (Christy Carlson Romano), and Red XIII/Nanaki (Liam O’Brien) are all absent the battle with Bahamut SIN, meaning only Vincent gets significant screen time. Sporting supernatural abilities and whisking Cloud to safety with his ragged cloak, Vincent gives Cloud a lot of intel on the Remnants and their plot but initially refuses to get involved since he’s also burdened by his past sins. Unlike Cloud, Vincent doesn’t even have a phone and is a true loner, though he’s inspired by Cloud’s conviction to aid in battling Bahamut SIN. This fight sees Cloud reunite with all his allies and all of them get in on the action, giving him the physical and motivational boost to take down the rampaging Summon and allowing him to draw additional strength from their support. While they’re all ready to help Cloud in his subsequent battle with Kadaj and the reborn Sephiroth, Tifa orders them to stand down so Cloud can literally and figuratively exorcise his demons.

Having nearly caused worldwide destruction, the critically injured Rufus Shinra resolves to make amends for his past misdeeds and the selfish actions of his company. Thus, Rufus dispatches his Turks – Elena (Bettina Bush), Tseng (Ryun Yu), Reno, and Rude – to investigate the Northern Crater, only for them to be attacked by the remnants. Thanks to Vincent’s timely intervention, Elena and Tseng were spared death and, at Rufus’s insistence, Reno and Rude actively aid Cloud and his allies. Naturally suspicious of the three, Cloud initially gives them the brush off but Reno and Rude continue to aid him whether he likes it or not. Though largely portrayed as comic relief, Reno and Rude are determined to atone for their past and even take on the Remnants (despite being severely outmatched) and seemingly ready to sacrifice themselves to both aid Cloud and try to defeat the three Remnants. When faced with Kadaj, who demands to be handed Jenova’s remains, Rufus remains impassive and defiant, using the opportunity to learn more about the Remnants and hiding both the extent of his injuries and the fact that possesses the calamity’s head. Cloud and the others come to respect Reno and Rude and bury the hatchet with their former adversaries, especially after the two both try to help take down Bahamut SIN and actively save lives during the beast’s attack. In the two years since the end of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud has become a reluctant father figure to both Marlene and Denzel and a figure of inspiration to Edge’s orphans. While this makes him uncomfortable since he doesn’t feel he’s strong or capable enough to protect the children, they constantly pine for his return and have an unwavering belief in him. Though a new character whose background is further explored in the On the Way to a Smile – Episode: Denzel short (Ishihara, 2009), we learn that Denzel was orphaned when the Sector 7 plate crushed the Slums and stumped upon Aerith’s church in a bad way. Afflicted with Geostigma and increasing worn down by his condition, Denzel willing goes along with the other children when the Remnants promise to cure them, only to become another mindless puppet thanks to Kadaj’s corrupted water. It’s only when his maternal figure, Tifa, is injured during Bahamut SIN’s attack and Cloud arrives to save the day that Denzel snaps out of his malaise. Reinvigorated by his hero’s return, Denzel takes a page out of Cloud’s book to save others from the Remnant’s Shadow Creepers.

Birthed at the Northern Crater and appearing as manifestations of Sephiroth’s personality and spirit, the Remnants are like angry, defiant teenagers lashing out at a world they feel has mistreated them. Though similar and largely interchangeable, they are separated by some unique characteristics: Kadaj is the composed eloquent leader and wields a doubled-blade sword, Loz is the child-like brute whose punches and speed are augmented by a wrist gauntlet, and Yazoo…well, Yazoo largely disappears for me since he gets the least screentime and only stands out because he carries a gunblade and regularly mocks Loz for “crying”. While all three are passionate and emotionally unstable individuals, Loz is the most erratic of the three, desperate to be reunited with his mother and descending into anger or tears whenever he feels he’s let her down or been denied her. Seeing Cloud as their older “brother”, the Remnants mindlessly target him, Rufus, and anything remotely related to Shinra in a bid to retrieve Jenova’s head and complete their metamorphosis into Sephiroth. The Remnants summon Shadow Creepers to act as their minions and have no hesitation in using children as human shields to gain leverage. When they steal Cloud’s cache of Materia, Kadaj gleefully Summons Bahamut SIN to ravage the Meteorfall monument and attack the citizens to cause chaos and uncover Jenova’s remains. At times, Kadaj relates his despair at being a mere puppet, one with no true purpose other than to facilitate Sephiroth’s resurrection, yet he remains nonetheless determined to do this, mirroring Sephiroth’s anger at the world and his desire to destroy everything. Though he doesn’t fully appear until the climatic finale, Sephiroth looms over Advent Children Complete like a dark shadow. People are only sick because of him, much of Cloud’s guilt is because of Sephiroth, and the Remnants only exist to bring Sephiroth back. Once he does return, Sephiroth wastes no time in renewing his rivalry with Cloud, relishing the battle and taunting his foe, and using his vast powers to shroud the world in darkness, presumably in preparation for another meteor. Sprouting a single black wing and wielding the lengthy Masamune Blade, Sephiroth is effectively untouchable and attacks with a superhuman vigour, savouring his resurrection and the chance to torture Cloud both physically and mentally.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Guilt is a major theme in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete. Despite being powerless to help Zack, Cloud carries tremendous guilt about his death and struggles to live up to his promise of being the SOLDIER’s “living legacy”. Despite Zack spirit encouraging him and guiding him (both as a human and as a wolf), Cloud cannot let do of his insecurities, which are only exacerbated by him having indirectly caused Aerith’s death. Similarly, Aerith doesn’t blame or judge Cloud for this and only encourages him to move on and fight harder, but uncertainty weighs heavily on Cloud’s troubled mind and causes him to distance himself from his allies. This is best evidenced in Cloud abandoning Zack’s Buster Sword and leaving it to rust at the spot where his friend died, almost as if the weight of carrying Zack’s legacy was too much for him to carry, and isolating himself from his friends. Eventually, Cloud resolves to at least try and atone for his sins and returns to the fight, emboldening his allies and drawing strength from them in turn. The need to atone is another strong theme here, with Rufus trying to pay penance for Shinra’s part in ravaging the world and Vincent so troubled by his past that he’s even more isolated than Cloud. This need to atone sees Cloud and his friends set aside their differences with Shinra against a common foe and to try and rebuild their world for the better, all of them having been humbled at how close to complete annihilation they came. Unlike Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Advent Children is so intrinsically linked to its source material that it may alienate newcomers. Anyone who’s played the game should be delighted to see almost everyone return and many of them pulling off their signature Limit Breaks during the film’s exhilarating fight scenes. It certainly adds to the emotional weight of the film to see Midgar in utter ruins after the events of the game and to see the survivors struggling with the fallout of Sephiroth’s defeat, and I loved seeing AVALANCHE given more personality through voice acting, even if some of my favourites (Barret and Cid) were sidelined. The film’s bolstered by remixes of Nobuo Uematsu’s iconic tunes, with new versions of “Fight On!” and “Jenova” punctuating the action and easily my favourite version of “One-Wing Angel”, a hard rock remix that really adds to the emotional gravitas of the final battle.

As impressive as the photorealistic CGI was in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, it’s not only much better here but strengthened since it brings these beloved characters to life. Cloud greatly benefits from this effort, sporting a brooding, dark redesign that mirrors his conflicting demeanour. Riding a bad-ass new motorcycle and wielding an unnecessarily complex sword, Cloud’s insecurities and guilt are as perfectly portrayed as his superhuman abilities. Similarly, Tifa has never looked better than here; not only is she gorgeous, she moves with a fluid, powerful grace that recreates her martial arts skill in stunning detail. Vincent also makes a hell of an impression with his flowing cape, numerous buckles, and gothic demeanour. I loved Barret’s redesigned gun arm  and the detail in Red XII, despite him having the least screen time. The level of detail in the locations is equally stunning, with the game’s pre-rendered backgrounds being brought to life with an impressive attention to detail. We see recognisable locations, such as Aerith’s church and the plate that hung over the Slums, and the finale takes place entirely around and on the remains of a Mako Reactor and the Mako Cannon. The film goes to great lengths to recreate the more bizarre gameplay elements of the Final Fantasy VII in a way that makes some sense. Limit Breaks are largely shown to be physical attributes, though Barret does charge energy through his gun arm and Cloud gains an ethereal aura when he powers up. Everyone defies gravity and endures tremendous punishment, surviving brutal wounds and cutting through the air with ease. This results in some spectacular fights, such as Tifa and Loz beating the hell out of each other in Aerith’s church, a high-speed motorcycle chase down the ruined highways and, of course, the devastating battle against Bahamut SIN. Though more closely resembling the Final Fantasy X’s (Square Product Development Division 1, 2001) version of Bahamut, this creature is an immense, aggressive, biomechanical monstrosity that devours civilians and obliterates everything in sight with Petaflare (10005⁵). Though the team throws everything they have at it, their attacks barely scratch Bahamut SIN’s hide and it takes Cloud’s Climhazzard attack (strengthened by his friend’s support) to finally destroy the creature. While we’re sadly denied seeing the rest of Yuffie’s armful of Materia in action, Kadaj regularly summons Shadow Creepers and the remnants exhibit magical abilities as they fight, with Loz moving at superhuman speed and the characters deflecting bullets with ease.

After Bahamut SIN is destroyed, Kadaj retrieves Jenova’s head from Rufus and makes a run for it. Yazoo and Loz are seemingly killed thanks to Reno and Rude and Cloud desperately battles Kadaj on the remains of the Mako Cannon, only for the Remnant to merge with Jenova’s head and Sephiroth to be reborn. Sprouting his black wing and flying through the air, Sephiroth attacks Cloud with a cold, clinical aggression, taunting him at every turn and mocking both his attachments to his friends and his fractured memories. Though he holds his own, Cloud’s noticeably overwhelmed by his rival, who slashes him to ribbons with a version of Octoslash and once again impales Cloud on his impossibly long sword to torture him. Weakened from blood loss and stunned by Sephiroth’s plot to eradicate all life on the Planet and use it as a vessel to travel to a new world, Cloud’s encouraged by Zack’s spirit and flies at his foe, determined to protect the ones he loves at any cost. In this version of the film, that translates into an all-new version of Omnislash, which sees Cloud fly at Sephiroth with each of his blades before delivering the final blow. Though defeated, Sephiroth vows to “never be a memory” and dissipates, leaving only the exhausted Kadaj, who reconciles with Cloud before rejoining the lifestream. Though victorious, Cloud is mortally wounded by the persistent Yazoo and Loz before that also disappear, though thankfully his life is saved when his friends bring him to Aerith’s church. With Sephiroth and the Remnants gone, Aerith’s spirit conjures a healing rain that cures everyone of their Geostigma and restores Cloud to full health. Surrounded by grateful children and his friends, Cloud spots Aerith and Zack’s spirits as they bid him a final farewell and he realises that he’s not alone, seemingly ready to let go of his guilt and embrace the present rather than dwelling on the past. This is further reinforce din a post-credits scene, which shows the restored Buster Sword how sitting in the flower patch in Aerith’s church.

The Summary:
I was really ass-backwards with Final Fantasy VII. I watched this movie first, a year or so before I got to play the game and have to confess that I had a lot of questions as a result. The film does a decent job of getting audiences up to date and is clearly aimed at fans of the videogame, but it can be a bit overwhelming for those who haven’t played Final Fantasy VII (either ever or for a while). Still, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is an exhilarating and impressive visual rollercoaster, one that holds up incredibly well today and set a new standard for Final Fantasy’s cutscenes and action-orientated battles. While it can get a bit deep with Cloud’s existential crisis and exploring his feelings of guilt and self-doubt, the film never fails to visually impress, and the battle sequences are a real highlight. I love how it translated the Limit Breaks and physical attributes of its characters to the screen, staying faithful to the source material but still keeping things largely grounded so the more elaborate and supernatural elements (such as the Shadow Creepers and Bahamut SIN) make a greater impact. While it’s disappointing that the supporting characters are relegated to glorified cameos, I liked the development of Cloud’s relationship with Rufus, Reno, and Rudo, the depiction of Cloud drawing strength from his friend’s encouragement was spot on, and the emphasis on Cloud’s relationship with Tifa explored his character in interesting ways. Cloud’s a guy whose entire life turned out to be a lie and he’s been wrestling with his identity for years, so it’s gratifying to see him realise he has so much to fight for and throw his all into opposing Sephiroth. This climactic fight, with its infection hard rock remix of “One-Wing Angel” and brutal, intense action, steals the show even from the battle with Bahamut SIN. It’s amazing seeing these two heated rivals clash with such detail, brutality, and grace and this battle alone clearly informed the more modern, action-orientate gameplay seen in the Final fantasy games (to say nothing of its all-action spin-offs). While every version of Advent Children is a blast, Advent Children Complete is the best way to watch the film with its extended scenes and improved visuals. Overall, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is the Final Fantasy movie series fans deserved, being both a loving homage to the source material and a worthy follow-up to perhaps the greatest game in the franchise.

My Rating:

Fantastic

Did you enjoy Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete? What did you think to the additions made to this version? Were you disappointed that some of the supporting cast got less screentime? What did you think to Cloud’s character arc and the guilt that weighed so heavily on him? Were you impressed by the CGI and the high-octane battles? What did you think to the remnants and the final battle with Sephiroth? Which Final Fantasy game would you like to see get a sequel or adaptation like this? Leave your comments down below, go support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Final Fantasy content.

Released: 11 July 2001
Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
Budget: $137 million
Stars: Ming-Na Wen, Alec Baldwin, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Peri Gilpin, and Donald Sutherland

The Plot:
In 2065, alien “Phantoms” have driven humanity behind barricaded cities. When Doctor Aki Ross (Wen) and her mentor, Doctor Sid (Sutherland), discover a way to defeat the Phantoms, she enlists her former flame, Captain Gray Edwards (Baldwin), and his squad to save “Gaia”, the planet’s life force.

The Background:
Back in the mid-1980s, videogame developer Square was primarily known for their simple role-playing games (RPGs), racers, and platformers. Following the success of Dragon Warrior (Chunsoft, 1986), Square allowed Hironobu Sakaguchi and his small team to develop potentially his last chance at success: a complex RPG experience. Luckily for Sakaguchi, Final Fantasy (Square, 1987) was a big hit that popularised the genre and produced loads of sequels and spin-offs in the following the years. In 1994. Square boldly expanded the franchise with Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals (Rintaro, Kanda, and Ohkuda), an original video animation notorious for its obscurity. For their next attempt at multimedia expansion, Square partnered with Columbia Pictures, placing series creator Sakaguchi as the director and writer, and invested four years developing the technology to bring the film to life. Powered by numerous state-of-the-art computers and software and incorporating motion capture technology, significant time and painstaking effort was taken to render the film’s character models. Aki Ross was purposely designed to be an intelligent, realistic character whose model could become a recurring “actor” in subsequent CGI films. Seen as a breakthrough in CGI design, Aki even made the front cover of Maxim. This venture didn’t come cheap, however, and the production budget soon ballooned, leave Square on the verge of bankruptcy when the film tanked at the box office. While reviews raved about the film’s technical achievements and realistic animations, the nonsensical plot, uncomfortable realism of the effects, and lack of fidelity to the source material tarnished its appeal. This, it would be some five years before Square attempted another feature-length Final Fantasy venture.

The Review:
In Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the Earth is a post-apocalyptic wasteland. About forty years before the start of the movie, the planet was hit by a meteor carrying a highly aggressive, largely invisible alien invasion force that swept across the world. People suddenly dropped dead for no reason and, when the reason was discovered, went to war with these invaders (dubbed “Phantoms” since they’re invisible and can pass through solid objects). Battling the Phantoms was no easy task as physical contact with the creatures sees a person’s spirit removed from their body. However, the United States Military Force (USMF) developed semi-effective means to protect from and combat the creatures thanks to the painstaking research of Dr. Sid. Dr. Sid discovered that the Phantoms were comprised of a bio-electric life force that mirrored our own, a tangible power source that the USMF used to power their barriers, weapons and other assorted, suitably sci-fi technology. Thus, the USMF can seemingly kill or dismember the creatures, though their numbers are seemingly endless so humankind has been forced to shelter in “barrier cities”. Unfortunately, the barriers (effectively a form of electrical shielding) aren’t always reliable and can fail, whether due to the technology developing a fault or the Phantoms’ attack being too relentless, resulting in many lives being lost over the many decades and the planet’s surface left a wasteland of discarded vehicles, corpses, and dilapidated cities. Although a man of science, Dr. Sid is a deeply spiritual person. While his research enabled humanity’s survival, his ideas regarding humans have souls (or “spirits”) and the very planet itself having a tangible life force (dubbed “Gaia”) are seen as unpopular, fairy tale stories that don’t aid with defeating the Phantoms. His theories certainly earn him the ire of the hostile General Douglas Hein (Woods), a military man through and through who has a personal grudge against the Phantoms for killing his family and is literally obsessed (thanks in no small part to James Woods’ suitably grandiose voice work) with obliterating the clear and present danger, rather than indulging fantasies about spirits.

Thus, Dr. Sid has been forced to work covertly to scour the planet for eight spirits; life forms with unique energy patterns that directly feed Gaia and enable her to grow. It’s Dr. Sid’s belief that gathering these eight spirits will produce an energy wave that will dissipate the Phantoms. However, since General Hein would rather fire his massive orbital Zeus Cannon and willingly risk damaging the life force of the world, Dr. Sid works in secret. His first major breakthrough in Gaia research was his protégé, Dr. Aki Ross, who was accidentally “infected” by the Phantoms, something that’s normally a death sentence. However, Dr. Sid’s Gaia research saved her, safely containing the Phantom infestation in her chest, and she’s helped him by gathering six of the spirits through unsanctioned trips to the wastelands. These experiences have taken their toll on Aki as she’s encountered animals driven to the brink of extinction, lone weeds, and even a dying child who all contained the necessary spirits. To make matters worse, the infection is slowly killing her and Aki has regular nightmares of a doomed alien civilisation, one stuck in perpetual war, which she regularly records and studies as she believes it’s the Phantom’s way of communicating with her. All this leads her to distance herself from Captain Gray Edwards, commander of USMF’s “Deep Eyes” squad, since she didn’t want to hurt him with her short lifespan. The two cross paths when Aki secures the sixth spirit and she saves him from a similar infection by utilising focused surgical lasers. Although Gray is a sceptic and a pragmatist, he’s not some deluded warmonger like General Hein and at least entertains Aki and Dr. Sid’s theories, even if he doesn’t believe them. A driven and stubborn individual, Aki’s determined to gather the eight spirits and save her world and fully believes in Dr. Sid’s research, even exposing her infection to prove to the command council that there’s an alternative to the Zeus Cannon and merit to Dr. Sid’s beliefs. Naturally, this causes General Hein to become deeply suspicious of her. Believing she poses a threat and may even be manipulated by the Phantoms, he orders Gray and Deep Eyes to watch her for any abnormal behaviour. However, Gray’s feelings for Aki lead him to save her and them all to be branded as traitors, forcing Deep Eyes to team with the doctors in securing the last spirit before it’s too late.

Gray’s a very by-the-book commander. He’s strong and loyal, for sure, and acquits himself well in combat, but he’s a bit of a blank slate. It’s clear that war has taken its toll on him and that he was hurt when Aki pushed him away. When his squad drops off one by one in their mission to save Aki, Gray reacts with anger and grief each time, showing he truly cares for his team. Indeed, Deep Eyes are a very likeable bunch, often bantering and acting like seasoned allies rather than simple grunts who blindly follow orders. Sensing the lingering feelings between Aki and Gray, mechanic and comic relief Neil Fleming (Buscemi) and stoic Corporal Jane Proudfoot (Gilpin) give the two some private time to work through their feelings. It’s abundantly clear that, for all his smart mouth, Neil has a crush on Jane, one he’s too awkward to express out loud and instead resorts to grand gestures to try and win her affections. Unfortunately for him, this results in his death when a gigantic Phantom sneaks up on him during their escape from the barrier city. While she’s largely dismissive of Neil and scolds him like a child at times, Jane’s incensed by Neil’s death and flies into a rage, only to ultimately embrace the same end when it’s clear she can’t defeat the Phantom. They’re joined by surly Master Sergeant Ryan Whittaker (Rhames), a soft-hearted brute who follows his commander out of blind loyalty. After being mortally wounded during the escape from the barrier city, Whittaker demands that they leave him behind with a gun and covers their escape, ultimately dying and leaving Gray fully ready to make his own desperate last stand to cover Aki and Dr. Sid’s journey to the Northern Crater Phantom Crater. Luckily for Gray, Aki won’t let him foolishly throw his life away and Gray joins her in descending into the crater, only finally realising that Dr. Sid’s seemingly mad theories are all-too true and that he, not Aki, holds the key to stabilising the life force of their fractured and doomed world.

The Phantoms come in all shapes and sizes, from humanoid warriors to gigantic, Lovecraftian creatures that defy description. Largely insectile, sporting tentacles and stingers and carrying weapons they never seem to fire, the Phantoms emerge from the ground and pass through walls with ease. Though they can be cut down and seemingly killed, hundreds more rise in their place and, since they’re largely invisible, they easily get the drop on the unprepared. Even when Aki and the Deep Eyes use technology to detect the Phantoms, fighting even one of them is a lost cause as they kill with a touch and just being near them can be infectious. As if their name (“Phantoms”) wasn’t enough of a clue, the creatures turn out to not be an invasion force, but the tortured spirits of a long-dead world who were carried to Earth via a meteor. Having waged war on their world and ultimately destroyed their planet, the restless alien spirits rise again as dangerous ghosts alongside the other creatures that inhabited their world. Their motivation is revealed to not be conquest, but simply that they cannot rest, though they remain no less dangerous after this revelation. As if an endless swarm of ghostly aliens wasn’t bad enough, Aki’s efforts to recover the eight spirits are undermined by General Hein. A brash, delusional, and paranoid military man, General Hein genuinely believes that the only logical course of action is to slaughter the Phantoms at their source using the Zeus Cannon, an orbital laser powered by the same energy emitted by the creatures. Cold and callous, General Hein relishes publicly humiliating Dr. Sid and throws his authority around with reckless abandon, happily branding even his own troops traitors if they dare question his orders. General Hein is so sure that the Zeus Cannon will work and so desperate to avenge his losses that he orders the city’s barrier to be partially lowered to let in some Phantoms, believing his troops can contain them before realising that he’s doomed the entire city. While this seems to bring him to his senses for a moment, it actually tips him over the edge into full on megalomania. Believing Aki is under the influence of the Phantoms, he refuses to entertain her revelation about them or acknowledge her warnings and orders the Zeus Cannon to be fired, even personally re-routing power and ultimately undoing himself due to his obsession.

The Nitty-Gritty:
My advice to any Final Fantasy fans coming into Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is not to expect a movie that reflects the source material. You’re much better off watching the film as a sci-fi alien invasion movie than a Final Fantasy adaptation; doing this makes it much more enjoyable, even if it does tend to drag in the middle. However, while the movie has little resemblance to the videogames, there are some loose familiar elements. Dr. Sid is the most obvious example, taking the recurring name from the games (why Biggs and Wedge weren’t also used is beyond me), a Chocobo gets a brief cameo, and you could even argue that the Zeus Cannon is a technological stand-in for the mythical “Summons” usually seen in the games (though calling it the “Odin Cannon” would’ve been a stronger link). While the film isn’t set in a medieval fantasy land, has no magical Crystals, and features no magic, there are some thematic parallels that mirror the games, specifically Final Fantasy VII (Square, 1997). The planet having a life force, for example, is very similar to the “Lifestream” from that game; the steampunk-like technology is also similar, with the barrier city resembling Midgar; Deep Eyes and their uniforms kind of resemble SOLDIER; and the finale at the Phantom Crater reminds me of the descent into the Northern Crater to confront Sephiroth. The idea of the Phantoms spewing from this singular point isn’t a million miles away from the “Lunar Cry” of Final Fantasy VIII (ibid, 1999) and the planet’s sprit is called Gaia, a recurring name for the planet in Final Fantasy games. Yet, the movie features none of the music from the games, no returning characters, and is as far removed from the source material as Final Fantasy VII was from the first Final Fantasy, so I can understand why long-time fans of the games were disappointed by the film, which changes so much of the source material that it’s almost unrecognisable.

However, put that aside and watch it as a sci-fi alien invasion movie, and it’s not that bad a watch. Sure, there’s a lot of existential musings on the soul, the nature of the planet, and the difference between logic and reason and abject aggression but there’s a fair amount to like here. The Phantoms are very intriguing; I loved how they all looked so different, from flying snakes to massive Eldritch abominations. I liked the sheer hopelessness that was evoked whenever even a handful of the humanoid Phantoms showed up and how desperate the situation was for all involved since humanity is on the brink of extinction. The performances were all solid throughout as well. Steve Buscemi and James Woods, especially, stole every scene they were in with their comical, over the top delivery that was perfectly mirrored in their character’s performances. And this is, naturally, where Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within shines the brightest. It’s a technical marvel, there’s no doubt about it, showcasing dramatic and cinematic camera angles never seen before in CGI animation and providing the most photorealistic CGI “actors” the world had ever seen. The detail put into Aki, especially, is staggering and you can really feel every emotion, doubt, and strength of conviction through her. Gray doesn’t get quite the same nuance, but General Hein is suitably menacing, Dr. Sid fittingly portrayed as a disheartened but no less enthusiastic grandfather, and the technical achievements of the film can’t be understated. It still holds up really well today, even if technology has advanced so far that most modern videogame cutscenes are now technically superior. Unfortunately, everything does come across as very bland and bleak. This makes sense considering the context, but it’s clear that the darkness and griminess was a conscious choice to hide imperfections in the CGI. The Phantoms are the most colourful thing in The Spirits Within, giving them an ethereal presence that’s bolstered by the fear and desperation of the characters and the creatures’ death touch to make them incredibly ominous. I do wonder what a more traditional, medieval fantasy setting would’ve looked like with this same technology and if it would’ve aged as well, but it is impressive to see CGI characters brought to life so realistically, even if they spend most of the film just standing or sitting and debating beliefs.

As Aki’s condition worsens, her visions become more intense and detailed, finally allowing her to figure out what anyone with a brain could’ve told her: the Phantoms are alien ghosts, not an invasion force. Unfortunately for her, she and the Deep Eyes must escape the barrier city, which has been compromised thanks to General Hein’s arrogance, resulting in the loss of Gray’s entire squad. Realising the eight spirit is at the Phantom Crater, Aki, Gray, and Dr. Sid head there to retrieve it, finding the infectious spirit of the Phantom’s world threatening Gaia. Unfortunately, General Hein takes his obsession to its logical conclusion and bombards the site with the Zeus Cannon. Although Aki tries to reason with him, General Hein balks at her words and orders the assault to continue, destroying the eighth spirit and, ultimately, himself when he refuses to let go of his vendetta. To make matters worse, the Zeus Cannon also penetrates Gaia, wounding her and leaving her susceptible to the Phantom Gaia’s influence, which seeps in as a tangled mess of red roots. Left defenceless and with the Phantoms closing in on them, Aki has one last vision that makes her realise that the Phantom particles within her have been changed by her spirit and transformed into the eighth spirit. Though sceptical, Gray allows Aki to take the power node from his weapon and broadcast the energy wave, which pushes back the Phantoms. However, when this proves insufficient in restoring Gaia, Gray makes the ultimate sacrifice and acts as a medium between the planet’s corrupted life force and the spirit resting with Aki, dissipating the Phantoms and returning Gaia to normal at the cost of his life. With the Phantoms having finally been laid to rest and Dr. Sid finally seeing his lifelong beliefs with his own eyes, a despondent Aki returns to the surface cradling Gray’s lifeless body and sees a world finally free from the invading spirits.

The Summary:
I was a SEGA kid growing up, so I didn’t get to play the Final Fantasy games (legitimately, anyway) until I was in my twenties and got a PlayStation 3. I knew of the franchise thanks to gaming magazines and such, but I believe my first real experience of it was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. I think that ignorance, my personal lack of nostalgia for the traditional videogames, and my love of sci-fi films has always contributed to me having a soft spot for this movie. It’s nothing like any of the games; it has none of the characters you know, none of the tropes, and only surface-level similarities in its themes. As an adaptation, it’s very poor and has little fidelity to the source material. However, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad; it just means you have to view it differently. As a sci-fi alien invasion film, it’s pretty decent. The Phantoms are a really interesting twist on the formula (even if the “twist” can be seen from a mile away) and I loved how they were so dangerous and unstoppable. I like the post-apocalyptic setting and the delusional General Hein, who stole the show for me, and the desperation faced by everyone to combat this threat. The existential themes at work were a bit obnoxious at times, the pacing felt very off and it does drag in the middle, and I would agree with arguments that many of the characters were wooden and underdeveloped. Aki gets the most screen time and the most development, which makes sense, but isn’t always the most interesting character, and the Deep Eyes squad quickly descend into one-dimensional (if enjoyable) characterisations. Of course, the most impressive aspect of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is the CGI, which still holds up today. The level of detail in the characters is extraordinary and it’s clear that a lot of time, effort, and money went into the project. Unfortunately, I think it was largely squandered. By being so removed from the source material, the filmmakers alienated their target audience, and bogging the film down with a dull pace didn’t help cover for this decision. I still like it and still defend it, but even I don’t watch it all that much and I can see why both die-hard Final Fantasy fans and even casual audiences would be disappointed as, once you get past the technical achievements of the film, there isn’t much left to sustain your engagement.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within? If so, what did you like and, if not, how annoyed were you by the changes made to the source material? What did you think to the premise, Aki’s character arc, and the characterisation of the Deep Eyes squad? Were you also a fan of James Wood’s performance? What did you think to the Phantoms, and did you also guess their true nature ahead of time? Would you like to see another big screen Final Fantasy movie? Which Final Fantasy game is your favourite? I really want to know everyone’s thoughts on this one so leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Final Fantasy content.