wkoepp - 2015-10-20 02:12:52

Critic’s Log - Earthdate: November 27, 2013. Review #70: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

In 1997, Square Enix released one of the biggest RPG’s for the Sony PlayStation. That game is Final Fantasy VII. To this day, it is a very popular entry in the Final Fantasy series. To me, Final Fantasy VI is my favorite entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. But there is no denying that I was one of the many that enjoyed the seventh installment. This game was so popular that it led to a movie, a sequel game, some prequel games and even a book. Before I talk about the movie, there is something I must do first… *ahem* there will be spoilers about the original video game and ONLY THE VIDEO GAME. The reason for this is so you can understand the movie a little bit better. With that said, Here we go… oh and if you haven't played the game yet, I suggest you skip this upcoming part unless you don't care

Last Time on Final Fantasy VII...Cloud Strife is part of a group called AVALANCHE who is led by Barret Wallace. after the first mission, Cloud meets up with Aerith (or was it Aeris?) who is selling flowers for only 1 gil. Cloud then meets up with the rest of AVALANCHE at the 7th Heaven where we get to see Tifa and her gazongas. Barret then plans the next operation which would turn out almost for the worst when falls down to the church. Cloud then meets up with Aerith once again and she then joins Cloud. Aerith is being pursued by the Turks and Cloud and Aerith escape them and then suddenly they discover that Tifa is being taken somewhere. It turns out that she is being taken to Don Corneo who is pretty much a mix of a Mafia Leader and a pimp. Cloud and Aerith rescue Tifa while this being the only time that Cloud dresses like a woman. President Shinra of the Shinra Electric Corporation sends the Turks to obtain Aerith for specific plans, and they blow up Sector 7. Cloud, Barret, and Tifa set out to rescue Aerith from the Shinra Corporation and they meet up with Red XIII who happens to be a research specimen. Somewhere along that time, Cloud discovers a dark secret known as Jenova, but there isn’t much known about this at that time. President Shinra is seen dead with a long sword still impaled in him and it turns out that the one that murdered him was Sephiroth. After the President’s assassination, his son Rufus assumes the role as President and starts to go with his own plans himself. Cloud and his friends do save Aerith and escape the Shinra building in a crazy yet awesome escape method. Cloud and his companions then set out from Midgar to search for Sephiroth. In a nearby town, Cloud tells his companions about his past and Sephiroth. Along the way, they meet up with Yuffie, who is prone to motion-sickness, a dark and quiet man named Vincent, a (robot?) cat named Cait Sith who is riding a stuffed toy Moogle, and an airship pilot named Cid. Along their journey, Sephiroth as well as the Shinra Corporation are seeking The Promised Land, and Aerith just so happens to be the last surviving Ancient. Aerith heads off to the Forgotten City and Cloud and his companions go there only to witness Aerith getting killed by Sephiroth. Cloud ends up furious after witnessing that shocking death and he and his companions start following shortly after. They end up going to the Northern Cave and they find Sephiroth resting there. Cloud loses control and he ends up giving up the Black Materia they found earlier, After that occurs. Giant Monsters known as the Weapons are unleashed. But it is revealed later that Sephiroth has summoned Meteor which he aims it at the planet. Cloud and his companions then journey some more until everyone discovers Cloud’s true identity. They also discovered that Aerith was summoning Holy before she was killed. Cloud then finds his own self-discovery and resolves to defeat Sephiroth and live his own life. Cloud and his companions then go back to Midgar to stop the Shinra Corporation to end the wrongs they have committed. After they do so, they go to the Northern Crater to prepare for the Final Battle. They go to the planet’s core to confront Sephiroth and they end up victorious. Even though Sephiroth was vanquished, the Meteor was still coming down. Just when all hope was lost, the lifestream pours out and defends the planet. This stops Meteor from destroying the planet. The game ends there.

With all the recap I wanted to bring up has been said, let’s go to the Reunion with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Two years after the end of Final Fantasy VII, the world is starting to get back on its feet after Cloud and his companions stopped the Meteor that was summoned by Sephiroth from destroying the world. The world that has been saved is working towards a new future. However, there is a new threat from a new illness called Geo-stigma, and three men that seem to be seeking Jenova. Cloud and his companions must once again reunite to stop the new threat.

To be technical, this is a Square Enix production and I rarely even talk about Square Enix when it comes to anime. Now, allow me to be perfectly clear. This may be a CGI film and some people may wonder why this is technically an anime. Well, it was from Japan and it is animated…Computer animated to be exact. This is one of those computer-animated films that can be considered as an anime, although I think most people don’t see it as an anime. This is kind of a pointless argument, but it is technically an Anime. It is however not the typical anime that most anime fans (or otakus) are used to. What I can say about this movie is that it looks amazing from start. to. finish. When it comes to animated movies, I am getting really annoyed that the animation I am seeing in theaters is the 3D animation. I really love the 2D animation style that was done for years. I do like some 3D animated films but I do hate it when that seems to be the new running trend. But with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, that is a completely different story. All the scenes are animated gorgeously and I can see there was a lot of effort put into this film. What also is implemented is motion-capture where the characters move realistically… for the most part and it makes the animation more appealing to look at. Just for this movie, the computer-animation is flawless and this movie should be an example to 3D animated movies these days. I don’t mind 3D animation as long as it’s done right.

The music by Nobuo Uematsu is also a real treat, Nobuo Uematsu is obviously well-known for his compositions in the Final Fantasy series as well as other series he may have been involved in a little bit. Since I am talking about Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, expect some nostalgia when it comes to the music. Some of the old themes are back (in a different sound of course). There’s a mix of classical piano, rock, a little electronic, and even orchestral. Nobuo Uematsu is good for mixing things well and the soundtrack does not disappoint because it seriously kicks ass.

In regards to voice acting, the Japanese cast is pretty damn terrific. Takahiro Sakurai is great as Cloud, Ayumi Ito is terrific as Tifa, Kyosuke Ikeda was great as Denzel in the original cut and so was Kazumu Izawa in the Complete version. Showtaro Morikubo is great as Kadaj. and Toshiyuki Morikawa is fantastic… Noteworthy seiyus include Keiji Fujiwara as Reno, Maaya Sakamoto as Aerith, Toru Ohkawa as Rufus, and Shogo Suzuki as Vincent. Suzuki-san doesn’t have a lot of anime roles, in fact,  this is the only anime role he’s played. He’s pretty good. Kenji Nomura is fine as Loz, and Yuuji Kishi was alright as Yazoo. As for Marlene and Denzel, they both have two seiyus. That is because the original seiyus were in fact children, when the movie got the Director’s Cut (Advent Children Complete). These two were re-casted. Kyosuke Ikeda was great as Denzel, and so was Kazumu Izawa when Denzel was re-casted. Miyu Tsuzurahara was pretty good as Marlene, Sumire Morohoshi will take a little getting used to. As with the English Dub, there is one major problem with the dub and it’s not even the cast or its direction. The English Dub suffers with awkward synchronization with the lip flaps in the movie. When I mentioned that there was a great use of motion capture, the lip movements were also implemented. If you can look past this, then the dub should be fine for you. Steve Burton is terrific as Cloud, Rachael Leigh Cook is also terrific as Tifa. Steve Staley is mostly great as Kadaj, but does have a few hiccups. George Newbern is also terrific. As for some noteworthy voice actors and voice actresses. Beau Billingslea is great as Barret, and the casting was perfect too. A black character voiced by a black guy. That sure makes some common sense. Chris Edgerly (even though he doesn’t do much anime roles) is great as Cid. Crispin Freeman is cool as Rude, Quinton Flynn is a lot of fun as Reno. Wally Wingert is great as Rufus, and Mena Suvari is pretty good as Aerith. The only voice I think was over-the-top was Steve Blum as Vincent. Hear me out! Vincent’s Japanese voice was deep, calm, and dark. Steve Blum (as a big name he is to anime and video games) was deep, was dark, but the voice sounds a little too unconvincing for me. I liked Vincent’s Japanese voice because it was just the right balance to make his character sound fitting, Steve Blum sounds like he’s playing a Batman audition. The role is performed well, but the voice itself didn’t sit well for me. Fred Tatasciore is great as Loz, and Dave Wittenberg was alright as Yazoo. As for Denzel and Marlene. Benjamin Bryan was good as Denzel in the original cut as well as Aaron Refven in the Director’s Cut. Grace Rolek is also good as Marlene in the original cut, and Ariel Winter also was good as Marlene in the Director’s Cut. Oh, and even though Red XIII has a good amount of screentime, Masachika Ichimura and Liam O’Brien only got one line. What the hell Square Enix. All the other characters got plenty of lines, you couldn’t give Red XIII more lines than just one? Come on guys! The Japanese cast is great, and so is the English Dub. I already mentioned the synchronization issue with the dub so I don’t need to explain again. Moving on!

Characters like Cloud and his companions are the good same old characters you loved from the game. Except for Aerith, May she rest in peace. Cloud is a pretty good character during the game and this does continue somewhat in the movie. Tifa is like her old self in the game, which is nice and just like the game, her boobs are quite noticeable. Here’s the cool part, she wasn’t reduced to fanservice too much in the movie even and she can kick major ass. Barret makes an appearance and his badassitude is back. Yuffie is not as annoying in the movie compared to the game. Vincent is...well, hell if I know. He does kick some ass but not much. Cait Sith just sits on Red XIII and is just there for the comic relief. Red XIII does kick ass but only says a few words at the very end of the movie. Cid doesn’t do much but at least he contributed in some way.  It is nice that the characters are just like how you remembered them. It was nice to see Marlene develop a bit more since the game.  That is for a few movie-exclusive characters. Denzel was a little one-dimensional and a little uninteresting, that is until the Complete version came out. There were added scenes and these new additions made Denzel more than one-dimensional. Hooray! He actually is a little more sympathetic than the original version. Then there’s Kadaj and his lackeys. Oh Dear God, where do I start with these three brats. There isn’t much explanation to their personality but it isn’t hard to decipher. Yazoo is uninteresting and is pretty much there for the action, Loz is a little more involved and is a little disappointing in terms of development. Kadaj is heavily involved in the movie and he’s also far more interesting. Less in the original but far more understandable in the Complete version. The characters are mostly good, but there are a few characters that should have been taken care of more.

As for the story of this movie, it is a damn mess. I can see why a sequel was to be made (in the form of a movie). The game was really popular, the story ends open-ended and the game was so successful that this movie was possible. The story is the most disappointing part of the whole movie. And you know what? Half of this can be excused. There is a plot going around half of the movie, and then the rest of the movie is all action-packed and it’s insane that it just keeps going and going with a few breaks as well. At least the plot was balanced. My problem with the story is that it centers around Cloud, but also the 3 silver-haired men who only stay in this movie. This movie also brings back an old memory. What does bother me a little bit is that it feels like Cloud’s “Redemption” chapter. If this was going to be built up to that, then the story should’ve been written differently. The major problem with the story is that it was rushed, this was fixed with the Complete version. The story still could’ve been written much better but it is what it is. But there is a very good reason to watch this movie. Despite the disappointing plot as a sequel to a big game. This movie’s computer animation is awesome and the action kicks a lot of ass. This movie is pretty awesome despite a major flaw with the story.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is available from Sony Pictures. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is also available by Sony Pictures but it is only for Blu-ray while the original cut is only on DVD. The Final Fantasy VII video game was available for the Sony PlayStation, but now these days, it can be found in the PlayStation Network and even in Steam. Crisis Core was available for the PlayStation Portable and Dirge of Cerberus was available for the PlayStation 2. To my knowledge, Before Crisis is a mobile game and was never brought into America.

With all that said, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is an animation spectacle with gorgeous, jaw-dropping computer animation. kickass action scenes, an awesome soundtrack, memorable characters, and a plot that is disappointing but can still be enjoyed because of the animation and action scenes. If you haven’t seen this movie, do yourself a favor and do so if you are a Final Fantasy fan. If you are not a fan of Final Fantasy, it wouldn’t hurt to give this movie a try. But you may want to look up the game first to understand because this movie was made for the fans of Final Fantasy VII.

I give the Original Cut of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children a 7 out of 10, it is GOOD! However, I am in more favor of the Complete Version. So with that said…

I give Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children an 8 out of 10, it is VERY GOOD!

Feel free to leave a comment, everything’s alright.

ncremin - 2014-10-06 01:02:41

Sweet, My Chemical Romance, my favorite. Final Fantasy fans will enjoy it. The dub has some translation and westernization issues, sounding odd in some places not in part due to the performances, which are solid. I'd recommend giving it a watch, and if you don't happen to enjoy it, it's feature film length so you're not wasting tens of hours.

von.travis - 2014-06-14 08:38:28

Okay, after the original cut of FF7:AC, I was like :D on the outside, but I felt a little bit O_o on the inside.

If you watch this one, the story makes sense. It explains why Cloud and Tifa are caring for a sickly orphan(?) kid. And why everyone is sick. And they don't randomly teleport to new locations to continue their fight/diologue/angst(Cloud).

Seriously, the pacing is immaculate (comparatively) and the story makes sense. Glad to see they took the time to release the story the right way.

cstoltenberg - 2013-04-18 00:21:52

FINAL FANTASY VII is one of the most beloved and iconic games of the Playstation One era. Unfortunately, this film tends to forget that any character development occurred during the game, and ruins this film.

The one shining spot in this film is the animation, so I'll mention that first. The CG is quite nice. If you are a fan of Square Enix's cutscenes, then you'll love this movie. It's basically one long cutscene. The film is worth at least one watch for it.

Also, the music's not bad. It uses some of Nobuo Uematsu's themes from the original game, but doesn't quite capture all the magic of the original.

The worst thing about this film is the way it completely disregards Cloud's character development throughout the game. Gone is the Cloud who can actually crack jokes and says things like "mosey." He is replaced with a generic, lone wolf character, and it feels out of place. Were this a stand-alone film (not related to FINAL FANTASY VII), I would be okay. However, because this purports to be a sequel, it is not acceptable to throw away all the character development in order to appeal to a certain demographic.

Overall, watch this film at least once for the lovely animation, but forget the plot. It is disjointed and doesn't make a lot of sense in the context of the FINAL FANTASY VII universe. Just remember fondly the good memories from the game and leave it at that. You'll be better off that way.