Rating: 
Summary: Superb!!
Review: The animation and detail are phenomenal. There are moments where it is possible to forget that the entire film is computer generated. The story is not exactly Braveheart but at least it's not Armageddon.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Movie of Summer 01
Review: I cannot see why people didn't like this movie more. It has all the elements the the FF games have. To all of you who hated the movie, you probably never played any of the games either did you. The story is very good one and the voice talent in the movie is wonderful, especially Donald Sutherland and Ving Rhames. Visually the movie is amazing. As I watched the movie, I sometimes forgot that the characters were not real. The special features on the discs are great. The ability to reedit and recut a scene feature and then play it back it particullary entertaining. All in all this is a great DVD to add to your collection, so stop reading my review and go out and buy your own copy of Final Fantasy right now.
Rating:
Summary: Great animation and an intriguing storyline
Review: Ok, I just watched Final Fantasy for the second time, and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more the second time around. From the trailers that were originally promoting the film I sort of expected a slam-bam action film and so was a bit disappointed the first time I saw it, I thought too much dialogue and a plot that had been spliced from various anime. But on second viewing, knowing what to expect I found it to be a much more enjoyable movie. The animation as has been said countless times, is nothing short of amazing, the characters are fairly well fleshed-out (no pun intended) and it has an interesting storyline. The little extra with the characters dancing to Michael Jacksons "Thriller" is hilarious too. All in all, an enjoyable movie that's definitely worth the time to see, there's times you'll be watching and even forget that these aren't real actors, as a matter of fact they act better than some of the so-called superstar actors out there today!
Rating:
Summary: What a shame, quality lets down an excellent movie!
Review: I had to write something down to complain about this DVD. I saw the movie in Leicester Square in London where they used a digital projector. It was astounding, I fell in love with the movie and couldn't wait for it's dvd release. I thought that dvd being a digital format, that the movie would play as a dream. How wrong could I have been? I would have given a rating of 3 except the movie is a classic and deserves 5 stars but is let down by awful picture quality. The sound and extras are amazing, but I cannot forgive poor picture, one thing I hate is blotchy colors. Next time less features more picture quality. That all aside, as a digital projection this movie is a classic!
Rating:
Summary: Why Final Fantasy = Fantastic Failure...
Review: In the promotional posters and commercials for this film, it's one liner was "Fantasy becomes reality on Jully 11, 2001." That's where the problems started. I personaly believe that fantasy should never be mistaken for reality and that the two should never cross over or meet. That basic principle is what has made the Final Fantasy video games (yes, all ten of them) such a tremendous succes. The video games all had different stories with different characters and different worlds, but one thing always stayed the same... the stories and setting were always pure fantasy. Magic, dragons, and wizards were common place in each new Fianl Fantasy world that came with every new game. But you see, Square (the makers of the games and the movie) assumed that in order to get the general public (or anyone who's never played a Final Fantasy game) into the theaters to see this movie that they had to ground this new story in a level of reality that all people could easily come to accept and understand. So they placed thier story on Earth. Instead of main characters runing around with tails (F.F.9) we have main characters who work for the United States Military and who live in the city of New York. Instead of characters casting lighting spells to dispose of enemys (as in almost all F.F. games) we have people firing guns, cannons, and other assorted weaponry. This angle could have worked if the story could have stayed within the boundries of it's set reality, but instead it ends up going places that it really has no right to go. The story takes a mystical if not magical approach to the human spirit, the earth on which we live, what happens after we die, and the real reason we're even alive. Square has been writing stories about these themes ever sence Final Fantasy 1 on the Nintendo Entertianment System but has never tried to place such a story right in the middle of the reality in which you and I both live and exsist. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within ended up costing Square over 150 million dollars to make. The film only made about 30 million in the U.S. and only made a little better than 25 million over seas. The technology of photo-realistic computer-generated people and settings was not enough to tempt people into the theaters to see this movie. Sure, all the Final Fantasy fans and fanatics were there opening day and opening weekend but after that it was pretty much over. People who did go to see it for the computer graphics accomplishments didn't like or couldn't understand the story and message the film was trying to communicate to the audiance. The game fans got the message because they have experianced this kind of story many times before in the many Final Fantasy video games, but no one else understood what was happening... all they could do was sit back and watch the computer-generated magic on the screen and say, "Wow." You see, I'm a Final Fantasy fanatic and have played the games for a very long time. I loved the movie. In fact, I personally think it's the greatest film achivement ever accomplished (other that Citizen Kane). That still doesn't change the fact that the movie was a failure and that it caused the end of Square's dream of becoming a major movie making studio. Square Pictures was already planing a second Final Fantasy film along with a computer-generated film about the Transformers (you remeber them... the vehicals that changed into robots to save the world), but those projects won't happen now. I suppose you could say that the world of Final Fantasy is better represented by video games than it is by movies (at least, that's what I think). In early 2002, Square will realese Final Fantasy 10 for the PlayStation 2. That will get Square back on it's feet and back to doing what it does best... creating fantastic fantasy video games. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was a dream that Square had... it's sad to say that it will be the final Final Fantasy we'll ever see on the silver screen. It is a true shame because Final Fantasy is truely the greatest movie ever made. Don't beleive me? Well, I guess you'll just have to cheack it out yourself. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on this movie and I look forward to reading your thoughts about this film in this consumer review section. God bless.
Rating: 
Summary: Tomb Raider is much better!
Review: One of the most dissapointing movies of this year, are 'Final Fantasy', the animation and the confusing story could have been done better, and something is missing in this 'from console to movie' event, that i thought should be the biggest computer animated movie of this year, don't waste money and time on this underrated movie, go for 'Tomb Raider' instead, even if this movie ain't 100% computer animated!
Rating:
Summary: A truly superb movie - definitely one to keep!
Review: This is a wonderful movie.It goes without saying that the visuals (and sounds) are stunning - almost (but not quite!) faultless. The many extras on the two DVDs are a bonus - two commentary tracks, a documentary, outtakes, etc, etc. Some people seem to dislike it, possibly because they can't understand the admittedly convoluted plot. Don't let that put you off though, it makes perfect sense if you sit back, pay attention, get rid of any distractions and immerse yourself in this fulfilling movie. A superb film and a DVD set that is excellent value for money. Buy it or regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Overall, it's great
Review: This movie was packed with CGI goodness, and I'm not just talking about the characters. The many gadgets in this film were very cool and were obviously well thought-out and designed. For eye candy, this flick does not disappoint. But as for plot? It can get a little confusing if you don't closely follow it.. and that's hard, considering all the great visuals that tend to draw your attention away from the storyline. The plot is not particularly complicated, but the wording and terminology can throw people off. The acting is decent.. nothing great, but nothing -too- terrible. The music is great if you, again, notice it over the rest of the movie. Unfortunately, this looks like it will be the first and last movie from Square Pictures.
Rating: 
Summary: Final Fantasy just a fantasy for R2 players?
Review: WARNING: Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE) has been added by Warner and Columbia to certain Region 1 DVD's. FINAL FANTASY IS AFFECTED. RCE will prevent the DVD from playing on some "Multi-Region" DVD players. If you are in any doubt that your player may not be able to play RCE DVD's, I recommend that you do not order this title. The film itself is fantastic and the second of the two DVDS is not RCE - but non R1 players will want the film disc to work as well as the docu. disc.
Rating:
Summary: Final Fantasy (literally)
Review: The CG movie in the world, and its the last for Square as Square Pictures recently and tragically shut its doors after losing around a 9 digit figure in theatres. The movie cost an estimated 130+ million dollars to make and only made around 38 million in the theatre in the US. The DVD is a showcase of the processes used to make the film as well as a digital to digital transfer for the best possible picture and sound quality. There are lots of extras and a really neat interface. If you even thought it was so-so in the theatre then it is worth the 20 bucks for this DVD because it is the last one they will make and a remarkable achievement in computer animation. Disney and Dreamworks cant hold a candle to this films quality and level of detail. This movie is geared towards the teen to adult crowd for realistic violence. Literally every single frame is beautiful and so real looking that you might forget you were watching digital actors. Yes it really is that good. The only sign of CG is in mouth movement during certain dialogue sequences where the lips dont seem to be animated enough. A small and trivial complaint when you consider the fact that the movie took almost 5 years to make from start to end and is 106 minutes and each frame was created individually and there is around 40 frames per second or so. Imagine painting a picture 40 times for just one second of animation. Now think about 40 pictures times 60 for a minute and then so on and so on for 106 minutes of grade A choice animation. If you have not seen this movie then at least rent it as it truly is something everyone should see for the artisitic aspect if nothing else. These people put it all on the line and lost it for this movie and at the same time set a standard so high for animation that it will be years before we see Disney or another studio even attempt the level of detail in this film. Go ahead open your mind to new types of entertainment and if your not the biggest sci-fi nut then see it just to see how hard they worked on a story that is really sci-fi/fantasy.
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