Review of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) by Andrew G — 04 Sep 2009

"On your knees. I want you to beg for forgiveness." Sephiroth -- George Newbern.

Final Fantasy is a hugely successful and popular series in the USA, with Japanese magazine Famitsu deeming Final Fantasy X as the single best and most popular game in Japan. What Star Trek is to the American geekdom; Final Fantasy is to the Japanese. The game Final Fantasy VII (though it was actually the fourth Final Fantasy game to be released in the USA and UK) for the PlayStation 1 is widely regarded among Gamers, Critics and hardcore Final Fantasy nuts as one of the greatest video games in history: a perfect blend of RPG Action as well as a great story and one hell of a sad moment towards the end. When it comes to Video Games, I'm more into the Mario, Metroid, Ratchet & Clank and Legend of Zelda franchises. This is a fully CGI continuation of the story in the seventh game, which I felt unnecessary. Nonetheless, it was released on DVD and I watched it. It's not that satisfying a film, but it's got elements that make it a decent one.

The summary for this film is pretty long and complicated. If you want to fully understand the film, you need to have played the game beforehand. Otherwise, the names and events seem a little confusing. It's set 2 years after the events of Final Fantasy Video Game. Life seems to be normal again, even after Sephiroth's attempts at Mass Genocide. A new city, called the Edge, has thrived; at its centre lies a monument. Cloud Strife, the hero who defeated Sephiroth, is a delivery boy now who is not interested in fighting wars or taking part in rebellions any more. All of Cloud's friends have moved on to helping the world: looking after orphans and working for a better place. Even in this fantastic haven of peace, Sephiroth's legacy reigns strong. A disease that makes your body destroy itself has become apparent. As well, a mysterious silver haired band resembling Sephiroth has appeared, but why are they here? Long summary isn't it? Advent Children is one of those films that if you ask me to recall what happened in the film or request me to give you details of key events in the film, I can't do it. That's because the film is really boring. Though there are lots of action scenes, which I will describe later on, the times where the film tries to tell a story are awful. The main thing is that it's hard to follow with the English dub, because the dialogue makes absolutely no sense at times. I know people are going to ask why I didn't just use the Japanese Audio Track, but when I want to review an animated film, I'll use the English dub. I'm one to read subtitles when I watch the film, even though I can hear perfectly, but the ones that accompany the English dub either make no sense, or don't match up with the spoken words. I presume one is the exact translation of the Japanese Script and another is just an English version, but it's really distracting. The number 1 problem with the film is that the story isn't too well expanded. It's uninteresting and really lacking in good substance. It makes the film bad in that sense, because if you're bored through most of the film, then it's not doing the job it's meant to be, especially considering that this is a film intended to be entertainment, not a real film to appeal to the Critics.

The animation in this film is completely incredible. I had a hard time believing that this wasn't motion capture, because the movements and character models are so detailed and realistic looking. True the physics aren't there, but you almost believe that it's live action after about half an hour into the film. It's in the same league as PIXAR as far as animation is concerned. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's worth watching just for the animation. Here's what I say you do; have your iPod or MP3 player handy during the film, but still keep your eyes on the film. As soon as it's an action scene, Pause your music and watch it. I guarantee you it works out well; I did it myself.

The action scenes are brilliant, perfectly animated. The detailed fighting is intense, and it's just really entertaining to watch. Picture the confrontation scenes in the Video Game, but even more detailed when it comes to the visual elements. You get pumped, and they're the best parts of the film. What I did while I watched it a second time to see if it would improve, was play the best AC/DC songs to accompany it. It makes the scenes even better. Try it for yourself.

The voice acting in this film wasn't bad, but it suffered because of the writing. I'm talking specifically about the English dub. The voices perfectly fit the characters and their personalities. The problem is that they have to give god awful lines, and that's the problem. They sound ridiculous delivering lines, and it's almost laughable. Still, the cast do as good a job as they could possibly do with what they're given.

If you're a huge fan of the Final Fantasy Video Games, I can't speak for you. As someone who casually liked the games, I can say that there were major parts of the film that hit, and ones that missed. As far as Animated Action is concerned, this is perfection, but the film lacks in story, something that I normally need to really enjoy a film. It kept me uninterested, but I still say see it just to marvel at the animation and action scenes; just have your iPod with you when you watch it.

Andrew's rating: 6.5 out of 10.