Review of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016) by Andy E — 28 Aug 2016

I'm not surprised to see critics pan this movie, but then again, it's been a long time since they had their fingers on the pulse of what the fans like. To them this is just another video game movie, and that's good enough to give it a low starting score.

All I can say is the story clearly wasn't told clearly enough for some people who have become lazy when it comes to movie scripts being formulaic and holding your hand the whole way through. While the story revolves around Nix Ulrich of the Kingsglaive, he is our window into this world and a sense of moral anchor. He is motivated by a sense of doing what is right, regardless of orders and other peoples opinions. This gets Nix in trouble, but also shows his caliber as a moral human being. The plot of the movie isn't character driven however, and is instead the story of the fall of a nation, a last bastion of freedom in a world being over powered by the might of Niflheim, a cold mechanical world devoid of magic.

This movie evokes feelings of Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII and in a round about way Final Fantasy X, but in reverse, and the references are plenty. This is like a Final Fantasy Greatest Hits album!

The biggest compliment I can give it though, is that this is the first movie in a long time that isn't afraid or ashamed of it's theme and lineage. So many video game movies try to tone down the campness, making a strong distinction between what works in a game and what works in a movie. The Spirits within suffered from that, even Advent Children had that problem, but Kingsglaive didn't care, it was a Final Fantasy and it was proud of that!

The magic, the monsters, the weapons, absolutely perfect.

A number of critics are saying this movie is more like a video game cut scene, like that's a bad thing. I suppose they just see it as a lesser art form, but in reality this movie was unapologetically true to the world from which it draws, and I strongly recommend it.

For people not experienced in Final Fantasy lore, get a sense of what this movie is going to be so you aren't blindsided. Watch the trailers for the movie and the game.