Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children [Complete] – Review

Let me note that this is a movie review of Advent Children but it focuses more on the more relevant, Advent Children Complete [ACC]. Final Fantasy VII: ACC is a director’s cut. This means that quite a few of the original film’s scenes have been tweaked and improved, and entirely new scenes have been added.

Two years after fighting the villain Sephiroth and restoring the balance of Lifestream in their world, Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart have retreated to a simpler life, running a delivery business. However, the Lifestream rumbles once again when the Geostigma infection breaks out, which trigger the remaining members of the infamous Shinra Corporation to call on Cloud to deal with this massive obstacle.

The sentimental favorite of an entire generation comes back with cutting-edge animation, resulting in dramatic imagery and eye-popping fights that raise the bar and blow it away. Underneath that glossy exterior, however, is a superficial quest that barely lives up to the original. Not only that, but knowing the key plot points of the original game is a prerequisite for understanding the movie in full. Biting into this piece of eye candy may be a delight, but watch out for the hollow core.

That aside, if you are familiar with the Final Fantasy world, then you should be right at home.  Favorites of the series return for cameo appearances ranging from Red XIII to Cid to even Vincent Valentine. Vincent just oozes cool in this movie, in fact, he’s the Samuel L. Jackson of Advent Children. Some of the action in Advent Children is so ridiculous it makes for good popcorn fun.

In the end, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children can be judged on so many different merits, both pro and con, but the bottom line is that it’s thrilling entertainment for people who like Final Fantasy. It’s fan service 101: Give the people what they want, and then give them some more. Yes even I am guilty of this as I am a huge Final Fantasy Fanboy, as FF7 for playstation ranks up in my top 10 games of all time.  Even if the film was awful I still would have been mesmorized by seeing all my old videogame characters on the small screen. Coming from a team that’s used to making CG cinemas less than five minutes long, Advent Children is a surprisingly auspicious debut. The Blu-ray disc for [ACC] due out stateside in early June ’09. If you can’t wait, the original release has been available for roughly two years.  Recommended.