Rating: 
Summary: Animation is Super! 4 1/2 stars!
Review: Ok, here is a honest, easy to understand review. The movie was done very well and the animation will blow you away. Although, the story plot was hard to understand the first time around. The writers combined religion and sci-fi which may not have been a good thing. The plot got too deep in certain points and those who were there strictly for the sci-fi part of it, just didn't get it. There is a civil war on the martian planet. The planet burns up and explodes ejecting the "Guy-ah" (The soul) of the martian planet to earth. When it lands, the dead souls of the martians take over the earth. Although, the humans don't understand this yet. Aki tried to find the 7 Guyahs of the universe. if she can do this, she can save the world and put the lost souls to rest. The story is a little deep for kids and those who expected a Shoot-em-up sci-fi movie. It digs deeper into faith and religion and it uses some of the japanese beliefs that all things, especially the Earth, has a soul. Very good movie with excellent animation. Although, it did take me two times to see it to really figure out what happened. Once i caught on to understanding where they were taking me, I enjoyedthe graphics and animation even more. Super movie as it is the Pioneer of this type of animation.
Rating: 
Summary: Final Fantasy The Earth Falls!!!!!
Review: I like this film because it's great. I like how they did close similarities to Final Fantasy 7. General Hein is a pretty cool character. I like how his erigants lead to catastrophy. I also like how Captain Edwards's courage leads to triumph. I also like how Square Soft directed this wonderful film. Now for those of you who think Final Fantasy The Spirits Within is like the Final Fantasy video games. If you're going to watch this movie, and before you do! I suggest you watch the movies of Legend Of The Christols. That way! when you watch the film of The Spirits Within! you won't be confused, and you won't end up thinking that the movie is like the games.
The characters are different! yes, but If you watch Legend of the christols! Then you'll understand the plot of this movie. ... I highly recommend this film to future Sci-fi fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Well, the animation was great...
Review: The selling point of this film was it's amazingly real animated people, and there are times you forget your watching a computer generated scene. Sadly, the story behind the movie is poor at best. It seems to have been unabashidly written by members of the green party, mixing "mother earth" enviro-speak into a pseudo-religion background, than cranked to "beat you over the head" volume. It's unfortuanate, as the characters seem to have at least reasonable deapth, and the rest of the story has some potential. I can only wish it had been givin a chance to use it. Everyone should at least see this film for the graphics, but know what your getting into.
Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional animation displaying a nerdy script
Review: The only thing saving this "movie?" is all the extra goodies on the DVD's. However those goodies can only count for so much. The animation is impressive, maybe not as impressive as advertised but impressive none the less. The characters look like they must have sucked their thumbs as children. Unfortunately the story is not so impressive. It looks like it was contrived just for the graphics.
What was the buzzing in the background? On it was someone's idea of background music that played over and over (sort of cartoonish its self). I would be more elaborate but there is not too much to elaborate on. A better title would have been "Gag me Gia" or "Ghost Toasties"
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, but boresome too!
Review: Beautiful to look at and listen to and very much a landmark
in its own right. Unfortunately, Final Fantasy lacks interesting
characters or an involving story or a convincing sense of dread,
drama, excitement.... In other words, all the classic elements that would have elevated this story to the magnificent heights
of its technical achievment are MISSING.
Better luck next time -- and I am sure there will be a next time.
Note to creators: skip the video-game expansion and take advantage of some REAL science fiction. It's out there just
waiting for someone smart enough to find it and use it.
I understand Ringworld is in the works. Imagine how that would
have looked in place of this knock-off of so many other SciFi
knock-offs?
Want real CGI storytelling? Check out the Roughnecks Chronicles.
Rating:
Summary: Future phantom fiction film
Review: When I watched Final Fantasy , I knew why my brother liked it. The only thing I was disapointed with was that the comic relief, Neil was killed off. The thing that upsets me is that the directors are upsessed with Aki's hair movement.The CG is good and the phantom design is great. It needs more shooting and less talking. The plot takes some time to figure out but once you do it all comes together. The way that the phantoms kill people makes you think why the soldiers need those big space suits. Overall the tital probably has nothing to do with the games For PS and PS2 but the movie itself would make a good game. For those of you who don't read the credits of movies you would have noticed the number of Japanese people who worked on this film. Unfourtunelty not the best thing to come out of japen since Godzilla (Im a G fan myself) But still worth your time watching it.
Rating:
Summary: Revolutionary!
Review: Despite the somewhat static storyline, this film deserved far greater recognition than it got. Technically speaking, this was the most incredibly stunning film that I have ever seen. The financial losses suffered by this revolutionary masterpiece of film making were so great that Squaresoft had to close down their computer animation studio in Hawaii, laying off some of the most technically talented individuals ever assembled (from both USA and Japan). Although Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was not the first fully computer animated feature, it was the first to have such near photo-realistic CGI's - a degree of realism that approached 90%. The level of attention and care when it came to simulating light and shadow, human facial expressions, skin tone (including flecks), and individual strands of hair (with hair follicles) were extraordinary! Although I can understand the complaints voiced by the likes of Hollywood stars such as Tom Hanks about the possible threat to their livelihoods from photo-realistic CGI characters, I still feel their paranoia is unwarranted. CGI offers people yet another alternative in entertainment. People have the right to be entertained by whatever art forms they choose - the more diversity, the better. I mean let's not forget, you could forever admire a stunning CGI character (who never ages), but you can't ask it for it's autograph or shake its hand! Although I gotta admit, Aki Ross is THE hottest girl who never lived......
Rating:
Summary: Not A Disaster, Technically Speaking
Review: CGI ... you've come a long way, baby! From your humble conception in the often-overlooked closet classic, YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES, where the stained glass image of a knight in an old English church comes to life, to FINAL FANTASY, where everything about the film is computer generated ... you've surely grown up. Sadly, FINAL FANTASY isn't exactly a wonderful testament to all of your potential. Disney's Pixar outings (TOY STORY, A BUG'S LIFE, etc.) prove that, perhaps, CGI is best left to the realm of the humorous. Heck, even SHREK broke box office records telling the tale of a CGI ogre who gets the chance to save the princess from the evils of capitalism. However, FINAL FANTASY is an all CGI production that's filled with good intentions and flawed executions. Example 1: We're told Dr. Aki Ross, the heroine of the film, is a scientist who's 43 years old. However, her CGI creation makes her look not a day over 16. Example 2: While the visions of the aliens are dazzling, colorful creations, we later learn that they're little more than ghosts, mixing the horror and the scifi genres in a way that more often than not fails miserably. Example 3: CGI comedies draw attention to the laughs; however, dramas (CGI or not) tend to draw attention to the facial expressions of the actors. Here, most of the CGI characters appear expressionless, lessening the impact of what could have been highly emotional moments. This is not to say that FINAL FANTASY isn't worth a single viewing for no other reason to witness once more the potential behind a film comprised entirely of CGI images; on one level, it's frightening to see what can be achieved digitally these days. However, somewhere out there in Cinemaland, I can only hope that the creative folks behind FINAL FANTASY are planning an "Exclusive Director's Cut" that promises to make sense from the nonsense this film succumbs to in the last 30 minutes.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, this is ANIMATED? Silly me...
Review: First off, let's have a moment of silence for Square Pictures...
Okay, that's enough. This first and only offering from the all-CG studio comes to me with mixed emotions as I eject the disc from my laptop. I want to say that this movie is superb, wonderful, awe-inspiring, etc., etc...but, past the animation itself, I just can't.
Of course, the computer-generated animation is breathtaking; it's the most realistic CG I've ever seen anywhere. I'll admit, there were a few moments where I actually forgot I was watching an animated film. The characters move as fluidly across the screen as real human beings, and everything down to the last strand of hair is lifelike enough to reach out and touch. The voice-actors complement the characters very nicely as well; but a cast with the likes of James Woods, Alec Baldwin, and Donald Sutherland would make the dialogue from "The Teletubbies" worthy of an Oscar. The only thing I saw that could've used just a little polish was in the facial expressions. To me, that was the only quality that brought the animation back down to earth. Too bad Square won't have the chance to improve.
As far as the movie itself goes...hm. The story is pretty unoriginal; nothing I haven't seen in sci-fi movies a dozen times before. The pace of the story, while full of CG-rific action and cool futuristic toys, did little to hold my attention. I found myself too far lost in the sheer visual beauty of it all. Even during the movie's climax, which tries really hard to be heart-rending, all I could say was, "Man, this is awesome animation." That was disappointing.
What all but saved the whole package, though, was the DVD extras. I actually went through Disc 2 (several times) before even watching the movie, and that disc alone made it almost worth the purchase. The "joke outtakes" split my sides, and of course seeing how the film was put together is neat-o in any book. And the "Thriller" video...it takes a little "digging" to find, but it's just as good as everyone says it is, and just as funny.
For a CG movie that took over 3 years to make, yeah, the animation is great, but apart from that and the extras, I can't really recommend buying this DVD with a clear conscience. Beauty's only skin deep in this case.
Rating:
Summary: Computer Animated Films Are Better Than Real
Review: I Just Recently watched Final Fantasy. And I Have to say it was one helluva ride.The Characters looked so real and the actors behind the voices were fantastic. Even Though the story is a little hard to follow its the action that keeps people glued to their seats.The critics put this down when it was first released but hey what do critics know they only praise Art House .... I would definitely recommend this great groundbreaking film to any fan of The Video Game Final Fantasy
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