Review of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) by Elisa L — 01 Nov 2008

Visually awe-inspiring and groundbreaking, with breathtaking battle sequences that nearly put live-action to shame.

People no doubtedly will be divided, however, over the quality of the story (oh, yeah, that) about Aki Ross and Dr. Sid gathering spirits to defeat Earth's invaders. Though the characters are a bit, well, Spirit-less at times, the tricky tale relishes in its Japanese-style storytelling and will leave patient and focused hardcore anime and sci-fi fans drooling on their Akira T-shirts. I personally found it to be a gorgeous, surprisingly meditative look at the beauty of life and the mysteries of death.