Rating: 
Summary: This movie is awesome. Way beyond awesome.
Review: I'm going to start by getting a few things straight. First of all, those of you who came to see this movie thinking it would be like the game have got it all wrong. This isn't a video game just put on the big screen, this is a REAL MOVIE. If you were expecting a game, you'll be sadly disappointed. Now, I'm sure all you FF fans out there are scratching your heads and thinking, "Then why in the world is it called Final Fantasy?" Why? Well, because it's got the same basic elements that everyone finds in the FF games. It's got mind-blowing graphics, and a story that is out of this world. The story's a lot like anime. It asks deep questions, questions you would never think to ask yourself; it has that feeling of reality when you know that there's no way this story could be true; it gives you characters who you can really cheer for, not just a bunch of cardboard cut-outs. These are characters who stand out and seem like real people. They make you feel like you really know who they are and just what they're dealing with. When I saw this movie at Blockbuster, I didn't rent it for the game factor. I rented it because I knew that it would turn out to have the story elements FF fans thrive on: Action, adventure, mystery, romance, comic relief, morals, answers to questions, 3D characters, suspense. . . you get the picture. Aaaaaanyway, I'd better get on to reviewing the movie, although anyone who doesn't have an empty flower pot for a head should've realized by now that I really liked it(no offense intended towards any empty flowerpots). Brief summary-The setting is in 2065 AD on planet Earth. A meteor crash-landed 34 years ago, loosing a scourge of alien creatures upon humanity. These creatures, or Phantoms, suck the life force out of humans simply by touching them. The human survivors dwell in barrier cities built to keep out the aliens and are now comtemplating how to best destroy the invaders. Army commander General Hein believes the best route lies in destroying the meteor using a mega-cannon called the Zeus cannon. But, it has the oh-so-unfortunate possible side affect of destroying Earth in the process. Oops. Sorry about that. A group of scientists believe that by collecting eight unique spirits of plants and animals from around the world they can create an energy wave capable of destroying the aliens without harming the Earth. The main character, Dr. Aki Ross, is one of those scientists, and her mentor, Dr. Sid, is the founder of the group. In a struggle to save not only humanity but also herself, Aki fights both the devious general and an alien infection that threatens to kill her. Aki is aided by the valiant Deep Eyes squadron, which is led by Captain Gray Edwards, who Aki takes a liking to. This is a must see for Sci-fi fans anywhere. The graphics are . . .wow. Just wow. Sometimes they make you forget that the movie is a computer animation, and you think that there are real people being filmed. There is an incredible attention to detail as well. The storyline, as before mentioned, is fantastic. Soundtrack is pretty good as well, and all-in-all, this movie leaves you asking yourself a lot of questions while you can't help the grin that is spreading across your face from seeing such a terrific movie. The Special Edition DVD has loads of neat features including the original opening sequence, a hilarious reel of bloopers, and character files that make the characters seem all the more real. My faves have to be Aki and Neil, a member of the Deep Eyes squadron. Aki, because she's a rebel willing to risk it all, and Neil simply because he provides a sometimes much needed comic relief. Two thumbs way up for this film. I'd give it about 10 stars out of 5 if I could, but Amazon hasn't installed that little feature yet. Hope this has been helpful!
Rating:
Summary: Final Fantasy : The grapihcs within
Review: I think that this movie is such a great accompalishment as it has never been attempted before its release to computer generate humans into a film .Well done to all those who worked on it . The storyline was exellent and the emotions of the characters were bang on !I thoroughly enjoyed it and it has definotely become a part of my DVD collection ! Amazing ,truly Amazing !
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: I give this movie 5 stars for incredible special effects and a great story. I was never a big fan of the video games, so i don't know if this follows the story that they did. However any sci fi fan can enjoy this one. A must see if only for the ultra realistic animation. SEQUAL SEQUAL SEQUAL!
Rating:
Summary: Stunning, Mythic Storyline Delivers in Final Fantasy Style
Review: For most critics, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was a technical success but little else. As these same critics have had neither the degree of exposure to the epic storylines of anime nor the Final Fantasy series of games that the indended audience did, their reaction was somewhat to be expected but entirely off the mark.Set in a near future on our own earth, the dystopian world of Final Fantasy is the result of an asteroid impact--but entirely unlike the scenarios of films like Armageddon or Deep Impact. Instead, said asteroid carried with it invisible alien entities called "Phantoms" whose very touch is lethal to all life. The last holdouts of humanity must find a way to defeat the Phantoms without sacrificing the earth itself. This is where the film likely lost most critics unfamiliar with the Gaia concept of a living earth, though most fans of the game series should be well inured to the idea. For those familiar with the plots of anime and Japanese mythic video games, the film is quite fulfilling and entertaining. The film's visuals are indeed stunning, featuring ultra-realistic computer animation that makes every other CG film look like poorly-drawn cartoons. The voice cast, too, is of superior caliber, from Donald Sutherland to Alec Baldwin. Steve Buschemi's acting may leave some audience members groaning--but that certainly didn't seem to affect fans of any of his other films! The DVD includes a number of outstanding special features, from a series of additional audio tracks that range from an isolated score and commentary by the composer to directors' and even Japanese production staff. Various proofing tests of the ultra-realistic animation are included, from a music video set to Michael Jackson's Thriller to models and wireframes. The DVD-ROM includes the screenplay and much more as well. This is one of the few DVD's that I have actually explored every single special feature--and the makers of the discs certainly don't think "menus" and "scene selection" are special features like so many DVD authors today. One could only ask that Nobuo Uematsu had done the score--yet Elliot Goldenthal delivers with a superb soundtrack accentuated by vocal tracks by Laura Fabian and Japanese pop group L'Arc en Ciel. Overall, I am exceptionally pleased by the result of this film and its DVD transfer. Give the movie a try if you enjoy Final Fantasy games, anime, or simply want to experience the most realistic computer animation ever made as a full-length picture.
Rating: 
Summary: CGI supasses Walt Disney Productions this time around.
Review: Just a couple years ago, it was said that with the new computer effects, it would be possible to, for example, have a computer-digital Bruce Lee appear in a film (even though the actor died years ago) and look so realistic, you almost could not tell the difference. Well, the future is here! A CGI film has created a film totally by computer and the people do look realistic, you swear sometimes the people are actually human. They claim no photographs or scanners were used. With all due respect to Disney, this CGI film even supasses Walt Disney Productions. The plot really isn't that meaty and I felt no emotion towards the end. But I was surprised that the voices were of Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods and Jean Simmons. Suggestion to the CGI Company: Make The Teeth Bright White!
Rating: 
Summary: Some shining moments, but very flawed.
Review: Final Fantasy is a visual marvel, but the folks at Square have been doing what they've done since (the video game) Final Fantasy 9 - they haven't focused enough on the story. Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within has some interesting concepts, but they are better explored in other films. However, it is stunning to watch, but this doesn't make up for obvious deficiencies. My fellow Final Fantasy geeks would probably agree that this movie would've been great if it was based on Final Fantasy 7 or Final Fantasy 6 (the games) - aka 3 in America.
Rating:
Summary: Really Enjoyed it
Review: I was very impressed with this movie. It coming on the heels of having seen the Matrix: The Osiris thing with Dreamcatcher in theaters. There were of course technical/graphic image things that were similar to the advanced displays of the Matrix short, made years later.
But this actually went into having a plot and humanization (if such a word exists). The main deficit to this form of design seems to be the effort to make younger people appear perfect. Dr. Sid tends to look the best because he has wrinkles and frown lines. Thats mainly my visual critique. Its apparent that this computer rendering is much cheaper than physically trying to create these images and can be done on a much grander scale.
The plot, was pretty good too. Though I still don't get the Spirit Hunt----that part of the metaphysical science is left a little vague. And the fact that their hypothesis is doubted, is honestly right. How the spirits of some animals and vegetation on Earth are special versuses saythose of other living people is not fully answered so that this group of people can risk their lives. The concept of teh Phantoms being a cosmic accident and not an invasion was original but I thought it a little slow that no on eelse thought of them as ghosts beforehand. What I'm mainly saying is that a lot of these plot points took a back stage to the computer elements and most importantly there being a sense that more than a handful of people on the entire planet had the ability to think. That made the overall plot a little simplistic to me but I still enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: This movie does have the original story line of the games!!!
Review: I like this movie because it does have the original story line of the games. Think about the energy wave that they're making to destroy the alian phantoms. That's right. That's magic. Think about how General Hein relates to Sephiroth. That's right. Shinra Corporation. Think about the Zeus Cannon and how it's used to supposedly destroy the phantoms. That's right. It's The Mako Cannon. Think about the good guys that want to save the earth from the phantoms. That's right. The Avalanche. Whether it's like the games or not, it doesn't matter. It's a good movie. Yes, it does have the original story line of the games even if it doesn't have power ups. The soundtrack is beautiful. It's a good Final Fantasy movie. The bad reviewers who say that it's not like the games have completely missed the point. They've also not payed attention to the movie. I have this along with Legend of the Crystals Volumes one and two. I suggest you watch Legend of the Crystals first before you watch this movie. That way, you'll understand what I'm talking about. I highly recommend this movie to future fans.
Rating:
Summary: Eye candy but not brain food
Review: My perspective on this film is that of someone who has never played any of the video games, so I came to it prepared for a sci-fi film, and nothing more. The plot concerns a future where "phantoms" have decimated the earth, making it uninhabitable except to humans living inside shielded cities. A scientist, Dr. Aki Ross, and her mentor Dr. Sid, have developed an energy-based theory of how to rid the world of the phantoms. The ruling government wants to see hard facts, though, and so Aki and Sid must gather life-forms to put together a wave that will cancel out the wavelength of the phantoms' energy. Or something like that. What follows is a surreal, psychdelic journey to destroy the transparent phantom spirits and find the heart of the phantom planet's Gaia. "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" is a treat to watch. The landscapes are stunning, imaginative, and visionary, while still looking recognizable enough that one of your dreams might happen in them. The computer-generated people are slightly lacking, but they are still amazingly lifelike. The main problem I had with watching the people is that their movements are too fluid and regular. Watching the characters move is like watching a film composed of live actors who have all had thirty years of ballet training. But the movements of hair and the size of skin pores have obviously been well thought out, and the result is gorgeous to see. That said, maybe your eyes will be too busy with this one for your brain to pay attention to the quasi-new-age speeches some characters give. A live actor might have been embarrassed by a line such as, "With the hope of new life has Gaia changed the phantom within." Fortunately, the computer-generated Aki can deliver that line sincerely and earnestly, perhaps putting off some who might otherwise snicker at such ideas. The Steve Buscemi-voiced Neil has some humorous lines, but he is obviously meant to be comic relief in a film whose main concern is themes of Cosmic Significance. The script does a rather tired, cliched job of expressing those themes, however. But that's not really the point of a film like this; it was obviously made to be looked at more than analyzed, and on that level it succeeds fully. This would make a great film for lightly altered states of mind, though perhaps some of the darker imagery would be too intense for very strong intoxicants ;) ! Notes re the DVD version: Watching the "Boards and Blasts" version of the film with the "subtitled factoids" on is pretty interesting. It really shows how much work went into making these characters, as you can see how rough they looked at some points in the animation process. However, at times the factoids are going so fast that you have to rewind to be able to read them all. The info about the characters provided on the second disc, such as all of their astrological signs, is intriguing if you get really into the world of the movie and want to know more. I recommend going to dvdeastereggs.com and looking up this movie, as there are ways to access a spoof of the "Thriller" video featuring the characters, pictures of Aki in a bikini, and more.
Rating: 
Summary: The future of movies,,,No Thanks....
Review: There are some who say that all CGI features are the future of movies. No more actors or sound stages. Everything will be computer-generated. No Thanks. If this movie is supposed to be the future of all film making, then I say "Forget It". It is not a future of going to the movies that I want to be a part of. I will stay with the films that were made in the past.
|
