Review of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) by Xou X — 10 Aug 2009

A new reality.

Final Fantasy brought a whole new bar to computer animation. It designed a beautiful world in which is impossible to do without technology. Hironobu Sakaguchi is a game creator that has been loved by millions. His 80 million sales of Final Fantasy games speak for themselves. I think he made a great film. More then meets the eye and more then a few a words.

The story revolves dead planets infested with spirits known as phantoms. Aki Ross(Ming Na) travels into a dead world to retrieve a life form, only to be intervened by special forces. It is known to be a spirit. She must collect all 7 to finally destroy the phantom and bring Earth to its old form.

This film has no true comparison to the games exept with VII. It has its thematic elements and the life force between this and VII are quite the same. Its honest to say that there isnt enough action that you might see in a Final Fantasy game. There are no summons, no cool swords, or dazzling magic. Instead Hironobu turned it into a much different world. A world where its devastated yet still carries its natural form, with it..its life. He made it into a beautiful yet still not safe galaxy. There is where its human element stands.

You see Aki' pain and have front row seats to Aki and Gray's(Alec Baldwin) romance. In the end to my belief was the strongest. Human sacrafice for the better good. Where love beats all. Is that not human enough to you? This isnt "Oliver Twist" for crying out loud. It has its own originality and brings forth a human concept. "For the better good". Its not trying to make you cry the entire movie. It tries to entertain you, make you laugh, and maybe shred a few tears. Its not a straight genre but has elements of every other. It can scare you and at the same time give enough action for the crazy fans to enjoy. Video game lovers would not like this film because it doesnt have any strong relevence to the games.

To any other viewer, its a sight to see. It dwells in a fantasy world that is content with spirits. More importantly, earth. It doesnt need to explain itself as it lets you wonder. Theres both comedic and dramatic effect and enough for it to become understandable. The story isnt dull. Its simple. You gather seven spirits and use it to kill the red phantom guys. How hard is it to follow and How is it dull. How many twists do we need until this whole thing breaks out and becomes more confusing then ever. Not a whole lot is wrong with this movie.

Its a great picture and could possibly be a cult classic. Its beautifully animated and it draws out its subjects enough for us to care for. This isnt boring or dull. Its creative, well crafted, and well drawn piece of work that lets us imagine. I for one enjoyed this movie. I liked how it looked, how it sounds, how it ended. Its a great story that can be told to centuries of generations.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits within is more then just a video game adaption, its a endearing story about a group of people that saved earth.

3/4.