Rating: 
Summary: This is something more original
Review: There is something to be said for when a movie makes a giant step in a direction that no one has taken before. Final Fantasy takes that step. On the surface this movie may seem like a typical Sci Fi action movie, but when examined, there is a definite effort to make something more original. The creators are more akin to making movies in the Japanese anime arena, this makes the movie different on two levels. The first is the ground breaking animation. Never before has computer animation looked so real and so textured. The close ups of the actors, excuse me, the characters, allow you to see the texture of the skin. It's flawless skin, but flawless in a way that any actor wearing makeup on camera would look. The second way is in the nature of the story. Fans of the game will probably already know the origin of the creatures that have invaded the Earth, so there won't be any surprises for them, but the action and technological effects will keep their attention anyway. The story is about a ravaged Earth, nearly destroyed by an invading group of aliens. Humans have grouped together in high tech cities protected by force fields to keep the invaders out. In an effort to stop the creatures, two initiatives have been taken. A military project, led by a domineering and hateful General, voiced by James Woods (excellent as always) whose wife and child were killed by the aliens, and a scientific project led by two scientists, the lead character Dr. Aki Ross, a beautifully animated woman voiced by the equally beautiful Ming Na, and her mentor, voiced by Donald Sutherland. The scientists are looking for a more passive solution because the Superlaser the military wants to use from orbit could hurt the Earths own spiritforce, plus they believe there is another reason for these creatures being on Earth rather than the popular belief of invasion. As mystical as all this sounds, it is done very subtly. As Aki tries to acquire the spirits of the earth creatures that will support her theory, time is running out. The intertwined love story is not really necessary but it does add an emotional element. The combination of mysticism and technology are common in many Japanimation films and this movie seems to want to make those themes seem more mature. They do a very good job. The movie is very entertaining, and deadly serious. After a while, you tend to forget you are watching animated people though. In all, Final Fantasy is an extremely impressive piece of work and will no doubt pave the way for future CGI movies. The pace is a bit slow but it seems to be done on purpose in order to maintain it's seriousness. Other than that, the combination of these elements make for a very different Science fiction adventure. Hopefully, this will not be last time full CGI is used, if ever there is a serious Science Fiction movie that requires sets that are too large to build, or creatures to hard to interact with, we will see this kind of work done again.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The scope of the story was vast, but maybe a little TOO vast. Square is used to making stories for 60-hour games, not 1.5-hour movies. If it wasn't so rushed (I don't mean production time, I mean running time), there would have been more room for character development, and I would've definitely given it 5 stars. As for the DVD version, Square will most certainly not disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: Why great technology does not equal great film.
Review: Being an avid film viewer, I have seen many a movie. I own 150+ plus DVD's and go to the theaters as much as possible. When I went to this highly anticipated film (at least by me and my brother), I was suprised to find it not so great (to say the least). Sure the CG is fantastic and the production values are spectacular, but does that make up for a confused cliched script and emotionally hollow voice acting? I think not. If you wish to see great CG and a great movie, watch Toy Story or The Abyss. When watching those movies in a theater or on a 8 inch black and white TV, they will still make great film.When reading other reviews on this site, keep in mind that the people giving 5 stars to movies like these are essentially claiming that this film is as good as other _truly deserving_ 5 star films. Is "The Spirits Within" as good of a film as Star Wars or The Matrix? Ponder this when you watch this movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Head-Trip!
Review: This movie (along with The Mummy Returns) is the ultimate head trip. The animation is mind-blowing and the action is fast and furious. It is lacking in plot and character development though. The plot is basically this: Aliens crash-land on earth. Aliens Bad. Aliens [cause destruction]. Aliens must be destroyed. The good/evil conflict in this movie comes from how to [destroy] the aliens. The Gestapo-like General Hien (James Woods) wants to do what every [typical] general wants to.. Blow 'em up with the massive Zeus Cannon in orbit. The (also [typical]) Tree-hugger good guys want to make a more organic way to destroy them. Collecting 7 "spirits" (AKA bird, plant) and using them to create a wavelength to destroy the bad, bad aliens. There is a lot of talk about spirits in this movie, and the earth's spirit. Gia. Just sit down and enjoy, but don't expect a thought-provoking, inspirational movie. [Turn] up the volume, turn out the lights, and put your brain on the back-burner. P.S. There is a complaint i have with this movie, however, is the EXTREMELY corny dialogue, you were warned.
Rating:
Summary: the real reason you would get this: features
Review: i am not a very big fan of science-fiction movies, unless it has a specific twist (use Event Horizon as an example; the action/horror hybrid). however, for some reason, this movie captivated some of the audiences during the most lively summer at the box office in a few years. now that it's at home, and now that dvd technology has become way more prominent, it has the best execution on this format than lots of packages this year. tons of bonus features accompany the first dvd alone, including the audio and subtitled commentary. the digital-digital transfer is flawless. there's even a teaser trailer for final fantasy x for the ps2. disc two is what really shines, though. an excellent documentary with bonus segments IN the middle (at the push of a button, you find out more about specific techniques), the edit-a-scene suite (simple but cool), and a few easter eggs that pay off (especially the artist's funny homage to "thriller"). i'm not discounting the movie, because it was a very exciting thing to experience. however, if you were to purchase it, you'd be best to buy this dvd (unless, of course, you have a playstation 2; they're making a separate release with more techniques). all in all, the combination of flawless special features, cool special effects, and a relatively decent movie makes for one of the best dvd purchases this year. that is, until shrek comes out... ;)
Rating: 
Summary: Best Movie Ever
Review: The movie is about 8 spirits. The city council is against the scientists and think what they think is wrong. The main city council member wants to get them thrown in jail.
The main character is infected by phantoms.The phantoms came from a planet that blew up. A chunk of it flew through space to Earth. In the end the eighth spirit is in Gaia. Gaia is the planets spirit. The officer gives his life to help and save her. I think that this is the best movie i've ever seen. People who haven't played Final Fantasy and don't understand it didn't like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not even visually as great as they say...
Review: Some of us HATED this movie, some of us LOVED it, as is the way with all movies I suppose, but most of us here agree that visually it is stunning. I won't deny that when it was released it was the most realistic example of CGI artwork to date. Still, there were no points in this film that I forgot that it was animation instead of live action. True, most of the graphics are excellent, but they still are not quite perfect. I mean, don't believe people who say you can't tell! And one of the aspects that made this film so difficult to watch was the fact that, while it was very well done in terms of detail and look, the actual animation was extremely fake! I'm talking about the movement of the human characters! It was terrible! People just don't move that way, and it made me cringe. I recall about two scenes that were VERY well animated, probably done by the same people, and the rest of the film looked incredibly unnatural, like the worst overacting you've ever seen. The sad part is, this film had no redeeming qualities aside from the detailed, extremely realistic, yet overrated, artwork. It's a shame that James Woods' wonderful voice was wasted on this poor, poooor plot. A straight to video Hercules sequel would have been a more entertaining use of his talents. A few other reviewers hit the nail right on the head by saying that we simply did not "feel" for the characters! I didn't care if they lived or died, because they were so serious and BORING! Even the ones that were supposed to be comic relief! Throughout this film I was praying for it to end, but it never did. I can't believe one reviewer wished it was longer! Since the plot was largely about saving these people's lives, it would have been nice if we cared whether they were saved or not. Amazing how wonderful a stylized movie like Toy Story, and it's equally good sequal can be, and something as visually amazing as this film turns out to be garbage. I'm not familiar with the games very well, but from what I DO know about them, most of them looked like they'd have been more interesting in movie form than this "original" story. There were ideas here that weren't bad, like the whole alien ghosts thing, but it was just torture to sit through. Just TOO BORING! Oh, and one last comment about this rash of Alien-scifi-action-horror films, they're not scary, they're not interesting, they're too serious, and all TOO TOO similar! Stop making them! I can't tell you how many of these type of films I've seen recently, all garbage. It's amazing that they decided to waste a Final Fantasy movie on the same type of film. And it's tragic too.
Rating:
Summary: Don't forget the second DVD disc
Review: I'm getting this dvd really for the second disc. Stuff you won't see in the movie theater, and especially the out takes....
Rating: 
Summary: Almost good.
Review: You've got to admire how even the most intricate detail is catered to. The glimmer in a character's eye; the freckles on the left cheek; the tapping of a finger against a hip; the raised eybrow while in the midst of sexual tension. But "Final Fantasy", while solid in its sci-fi storyline, lacks something. And this reviewer just can't put his finger on it. This is a story about the phantoms in a lost world that invade another, searching for life---in death. Through cohesive action, a group of scientists and military men (coupled with an evil control freak who ultimately destroys himself) try to find out what these spirits want and how to end the destruction that they are inflicting to so many. Throw in a weak love story and the value of friendship, trust, and science, and you've got the basic gist of the movie. But to be honest, I found too much drama in the plot. Or was that the slowness of plot and movement in character speech? While I admired the good "acting" that displays so much human emotion and allows the viewer to respect the friendships and sacrifice that revolve in this story, I did, however, find it a bit morbid and somber---something that the playful sci-fi fan in me did not really hope to encounter in viewing the first digital animated movie. It could have been more upbeat. But perhaps it is the themes of the movie: science, war, and loyalty. I guess these are serious themes in themselves. But all in all, though I only give it three stars, see the movie. It's a new experience, and I can't wait for another movie of its kind.
Rating:
Summary: A Must See...for the visuals only.
Review: There is a certain literary phrase called "suspension of disbelief." Anyone who has ever seen a film, read a book, or witnessed some other artistic expression has no doubt had to "suspend disbelief" in some way. In The Spirits Within, it is hard, and that happens NOT as a result of the subject matter. Instead, the screenwriters never give us any reason to "suspend disbelief." Instead they fill a promising plot--one that COULD have extensive moral and environmental implications--with a tale that revitalizes an aspect of Roman Mythology, but fails repeatedly to provide any explanation for all of these supposed "scientific and mythological" conclusions. Most movies AT LEAST provide this; it helps the audience to believe, regardless of scientific untruths and other fantastical circumstances. There are a lot of truly good plot twists that fall through cracks because the script doesn't take the time to explain them even a little. On the subject of visuals, it is the best yet, but that is not to say it is perfect. Ignoring some inconsistent speech-with-lip movement, are the mannerisms. Yes, I believe this is the first time that I have decided that animated characters needed an acting coach. The voices are no doubt done as well as they are able, but the characters motions and emotions belong on daytime television or worse yet CABLE! But, aside from this, The Spirits within will probably own the prestige of best visuals in a fully CGI film, because in all other respects, it is perfect, a near exact replica of exitence. In conclusion, The Spirits Within is a good movie to see in the theatre--preferably second run--but not something that warrents repeat viewings or even a place in one's collection. There are many times when the film COULD be quite brilliant, but then along comes poor "acting," plot that isn't reinforced, and to top it all off, dialogue that would make a child cringe--or laugh! A simple note, in the theatre, perhaps even at the most serious and emotional times, the audience couldn't restrain laughter on account of the absurdness of the characters, dialogue, and plot. Square gave a good first try, but they could have done a lot better.
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