Final Fantasy Fans: rejoice for new film
One of the most influential video games of the past decade, “Final Fantasy VII” not only revolutionized the RPG genre, it attracted third party support to the fledging Playstation console after the announcement of the game caused thousands of copies of the system to fly off of store shelves. A monumental achievement, both technologically and with regard to the game’s philosophical complexity, “Final Fantasy VII” is often considered the definitive chapter of a franchise that has enjoyed success with numerous sequels, spin-offs, and an enormous fan base. It should come as no surprise, then, that despite past failure with the film medium (the dull, otherworldly box office bomb, “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within”), Square Enix has complied with demands for a resolution to the most beloved storyline of the game series in an unexpected format: a straight-to-DVD movie. While, “Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children” requires sufficient familiarity with the film’s source material, it still offers casual movie-goers the most visually breathtaking barrage of action sequences ever committed to film. Fan service has never looked so good.
Two years after Cloud Strife and his troupe of eco-terrorists defeated Sephiroth and saved the planet from being destroyed by a monolithic meteor spell, Cloud has found employment as an armed-to-the-teeth delivery service for Tifa’s “7th Heaven” tavern. The film reunites the cast of the original game to combat Geostigma, a mysterious disease connected to the Lifestream and the proliferation of Jenova cells, and to confront a trio of silver-haired vigilantes that bare a striking resemblance to the sadistic One-Winged-Angel himself. Fans looking for the same narrative convolution and perennial depth that permeated the original game may be disappointed, but if these same fans don’t jump for joy and shout expletives in excitement during the film’s spectacular action sequences then they simply can’t call themselves fans.
From Tifa’s kinetic throw down with the lumbering Loz in Aerith’s chapel to Cloud’s midair confrontation with the titanic Bahamut Shin, “Advent Children” delivers exhilarating action with peerless visual precision and an unparalleled sense of style. Film director Tetsuya Nomura does with the CG medium what no other director has and expounds the medium’s potential to deliver over-the-top action with seamless, professional flare. Additionally, the film is brimming with references and inside jokes including stuffed Moogles, remixed renditions of battle music from the game, and the usage of character’s Limit Breaks during fight sequences.
Mack Perry is a critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments and questions can be sent to him at
mackp@cc.usu.edu.