Blu-Ray Review Final Fantasy VII Advent Children
Sony Releases Square Enix Film Based on Video Game
Jun 12, 2009
Console game fans are more than familiar with the popular Final Fantasy series. In 1997, Final Fantasy VII was released to great acclaim and mammoth sales. Indeed the response was so great that developers Square Enix decided to develop an anime based on the game, following the further adventures of Cloud Strife and his merry band of hack-and-slash misfits.
That 2005 movie came out to mixed reviews (33% on Rotten Tomatoes) but monster sales, selling over 10.5 million copies as of 2006.
Given those numbers, it wasn't surprising that Final Fantasy VII would get its debut on Blu-Ray, with the addition of 26 minutes of brand-new footage. It's an action-packed flick, but the plot has no interest for anyone who isn't already familiar with the game.
Tetsuya Nomura and Takeshi Nozue Direct Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
The flick takes place 2 years after the events of the 1997 game. Main character Cloud Strife is once again called out of retirement (and appalling amounts of self-pity) to figure out a cure for a mysterious illness, called Geostigma, that's laying waste to the population.
There's also believed to be a link between the illness and a trio of ne'er-do-wells named Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo, who seek their "mother" (the remains of a mysterious artifact called Jenova). With their "mother" and a horde of infected children that they've brainwashed, the three plan to bring about the resurrection of the villainous Sephiroth, who Cloud took down in the 1997 game.
Are you confused yet? You're not alone.
But let's face it: any plot this flick has is merely an excuse to get a bunch of animated characters running around shooting, kung fu-ing, motorbiking, slicing, dicing and generally wreaking computer-generated havoc on each other. Despite the fact that this is technically a post-apocalyptic world, everyone wears tight leather and salon-fresh hairstyles, burning gas and rubber like there's no tomorrow and single-handedly waving impossibly huge swords (overcompensating, much?) in gravity-defying combat.
Admittedly, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children handles that part extremely well. The CGI animation is stunning, and the fight sequences are brutally fast-paced, even if the Laws of Physics are merely suggestions. Fans of The Matrix will recognize a lot of the filmic gestures on display here (not surprising since The Matrix was heavily influenced by anime to begin with).
The major problem for newbies is this film requires detailed knowledge of the Final Fantasy universe if the viewer wants to hit the ground running. Otherwise, you're going to spend half your time wondering, "Who the **** is this person, and why did they show up just now?"
It doesn't help that terms like Jenova, Sephiroth, Shinra, and Bahamut whiz past your ears with precious little in the way of context, and characters arrive via Amazing Coincidental Machine™ – and with no introduction – just in time to drop some precious wisdom then disappear (just like in a video game . . . hmmm . . .).
Blu-Ray Extras
This extras on this disc aren't as fancy as other Blu-Ray releases, but here goes.
"On the Way to a Smile - Episode: Denzel" is a more traditionally animated retelling of the flick through the eyes of a minor character: the infected boy called Denzel. One gets the feeling that there was too much story for the episode. Things go by way too fast, and it's hard to maintain one's interest.
The "Legacy of Final Fantasy VII" featurette charts the series from the original 1987 Final Fantasy game through to Advent Children's re-release on Blu-Ray. It's mostly a rather self-congratulatory look at the impact the game has had on the popular consciousness.
"The Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII" and "Final Fantasy VII Compilation" featurettes essentially take the story bits from the video games and put them together in two featurettes. A trip down Memory Lane for some, a gigantic yawn for others (especially at the outdated graphics).
Finally, there's an exclusive sneak peak at the new game, Final Fantasy XIII. Not surprisingly, the thing looks freakin' good but only time will tell if the game play lives up to the graphics.
Final Analysis
This film is definitely geared towards fans of the popular video game series: anyone else is going to be left floundering, trying to figure out what the frakk is going on while the on-screen characters start whipping over-sized swords around.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children gets a 6/10 for the awesome action sequences. Other than that, there's not much else to excite non-fans of the console game.
 |
