scifi, scifi, scifi, sci-fi,sci-fi,sci-fi,sci fi, sci fi, sci fi, sf, sf, sfFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is possibly the most anticipated anime release in a long time. Many hardcore fans have bought imported versions or (shock-horror) downloaded it from the internet. For all the fans with a conscience, or fear of the law, or only R2 DVD players a local DVD release is about to hit the shops.

The Final Fantasy series of games on PlayStation have been amongst the most popular of RPGs, for both their gameplay and graphics. While the earlier games look positively primitive, with their 2D pixel graphics, each new release has seen the quality jump in leaps and bounds, like its characters. Even on the PS1, the cut scenes where a marvel to behold, and on the PS2 they rival any CGI released in the cinema. For fans of the games, Final Fantasy VII has always been the most popular because of the great characters, storyline and for being the first one in 3D. With this is mind it makes sense it should be chosen for a feature-length film.

Square-Enix's first animated Final Fantasy film, The Spirits Within, met with mixed reception from both critics and fans alike. Personally I found the film astounding, from a technical point of view, and the story was certainly no worse than a lot of other sci-fi with living actors. Square's following film release was the short, Final Flight of the Osiris, on The Animatrix DVD. Again, this was a technically stupendous piece of work. As anyone who has ever tried to animate realistic human movement and facial expressions will tell you, it ain't easy. Being a short, based on a popular and existing story concept, it worked really well. There was also an OAV called Final Fantasy Unlimited that was a mixture of 2D and 3D, but didn't get the sam publicity as the feature animations.

Advent Children seems to be a culmination of everything the creators have learned from their experiences on these movie projects and cut scenes from the newer games, and the animation is stunning. Where The Spirits Within and Animatrix animations tried to make the people as realistic as possible, this film incorporates anime conventions and characterisations that give the animators a little more leeway. But watching a movie just for its stunning visuals is not always a guarantee of good entertainment – unless you have consumed illicit substances beforehand.

For anyone not familiar with the story and characters from the game, this film may be a little hard to follow, or will at least reduce your comprehension of who is who and what is what. For those not familiar with the original story, the DVD has a compilation of scenes from the game to bring the viewer up to speed.

Set two years after the events of the game, Cloud Strife, a former soldier for Shinra, now leads a solitary life travelling the Planet as a transporter, still burdened with emotional scars from his last battle. Weighed down by memories of loved ones he has lost, he is devoid of hope as he ventures to save the children struck down with the deadly disease Geostigma. We follow Cloud on his journey to uncover the truth about the origins of this plague. As destruction reigns in the city and our heroes are locked in battle, a familiar face returns – Sephiroth.

When I watched this for the first time I saw it with my son, a self-declared "huge fan" of the FF7 game, and he was able to keep me informed as to the who, what and where while I enjoyed the spectacle. And what a spectacle! It really is worth seeing just for the visuals, but the story is engaging as well, even though it does not have the depth of spiritual insights that Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within has, but then it is aimed at a generally younger audience and the game's legion of fans. Nonetheless, it doesn't disappoint. The action sequences are stunning and to a certain extent are more believable than those seen in recent wire-fu films.

Apart from the previously mentioned Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII, the two-disc DVD has a 30 minute Making of Advent Children feature and a look at the upcoming Final Fantasy games. The DVD and UMD video are released on April 24 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and is available from Amazon for £13.99.

If you have tickets to the anime all-nighter on the 29th you will get a chance to see it on a big screen. If you simply left it too late (shame on you – you were told to book early), you have a chance to win one of two copies on DVD by answering the following question: What is Materia and how many types are there? E-mail your answer by May 5. DO NOT leave your answer or personal details in the comment box below as you will not be entered in the draw. Only one entry per household. Automated and bulk entries will be deleted.









Click to enlarge these pictures from the film.

just to let you know i DO NOT have a son

there is a all nighter where you can see this on the big screen but you will have to be stuck there watching other animes to bad i cant go cuase i went to the US one allready i had tons of fun for those who want to see it in english GO TO LONDON!!! lol

sorry about the double post

Not supposed to double post

i said i was sorry about it