Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

"While this is little more than fanservice, it was great to see the crew on the big screen."

Please keep in mind that since this is further in the timeline of Final Fantasy VII than the PSX classic, there are some huge spoilers. If you do not wish to have part of FFVII spoiled for you, please stop reading and play FFVII. Now.

Introduction
Final Fantasy: Advent Children is one of the four sequels of the legendary PlayStation classic, Final Fantasy VII (FFVII). The mentioned sequels are part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII project. This project's intent was to give a wider audience a taste of the world of FFVII, which explains why all of the four sequels are on individual mediums of enjoyment which is not limited to consoles. Indeed, one sequel even made it to the big screen. That said offshoot of FFVII is this extension of the world of Cloud and his acquaintances, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Even though more than a few fans wet their pants when they heard they were going to witness Cloud in all of his FMV glory, some fans worried about how Square Enix was going to direct this. It doesn't help that their previous film was a massive flop.

Story
It has been two years since the near catastrophic results of Meteor, and the world has begun to recover. Since Meteor 's impact was so close to Midgar, the once bustling metropolis has transformed to a no man's land filled with debris and other detrimental objects that render the city uninhabitable. Its residents fled the city and constructed a town near their former home, dubbed Edge. It is in this town where Cloud resides with Tifa, Marlene, and a new character, a young orphan named Denzel. With Tifa's help, Cloud opens up the Strife Delivery Service.

So, basically, Cloud has become a delivery boy. As a result of this, he is rarely at home. With a phone as his only means of communication with his friends, it is apparent that Cloud is the same introverted protagonist he was two years ago. Unfortunately, even after the defeat of Sephiroth, Cloud is still troubled by his past.

Although the world is recovering from Sephiroth's shenanigans, a mysterious ailment known as 'Geostigma' is hindering its residents' efforts. Some have already been infected or even died from it. To further complicate matters, three strange men have begun stalking Cloud and calling him 'Big Brother'. That might imply that they're allies-but that's quite the opposite. Those three silver haired men are the antagonists of this movie. Their leader, in particular. Kadaj, who claims to have something to do with Geostigma, seems to be at the core of the whole affair.

All in all, the plot of this movie steps down to let the main aspect of the storyline take priority. This aspect I speak of is the action. Indeed, the majority of the movie consists of beautifully choreographed action scenes. The choreography is followed up by the ridiculous gravity of this world. I won't mince any words in this one. Quite simply...The gravity has gone to hell. Jumping to incredible heights, feats of superhuman brawn, the works. So this movie will most likely appeal to two different kinds of audiences. Those action movie enthusiasts, and those who played Final Fantasy VII and enjoyed it-perhaps more the former than the latter. Even so, Advent Children proves to be a movie any Final Fantasy VII fan should watch, if only for the nostalgia.

While only 100 minutes long, Advent Children doesn't feel like a rush job (except in the action scenes-and the haste is necessary in any action movie, but more of that later). Even so, there is little in the way of plot development-ironically enough, as FFVII is known for it's plot-heavy story.

Graphics
It is laughable to even think that the animations would be anything short of sublime. After all, Square Enix is the king of CG animation. And they display that flair gorgeously in this movie. All of the animations in this movie look real as can be-not counting the ridiculous gravity in the combat scenes, of course. With this new installment to the Final Fantasy VII franchise, there have been changes from the original masterpiece.

One such alteration would be some of the costume designs-they have been completely redesigned by Tetsuya Nomura. Instead of Cloud's plain purple outfit, he has been graced with a black outfit that fits his image to a T. The weapon designs have been redone as well. Instead of going into detail, it would be much easier to see for yourself and just watch the movie. Once again, I feel the need to compliment Square Enix on their flagrant mastery of CG graphics.

Summary
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children turns out to be a competent movie that you will want to watch again and again just to experience the beauty that the scenes have to offer. Once again, the lack in overall plot and character development is disappointing. Overall, I liked this movie, and will rewatch it several more times to get a better grip on the storyline and for the sheer value of the film as a whole. Therefore, even if you are saddened to hear that this movie has little in terms of storyline, the graphical standards this movie sets will be enough to raise more than just a few eyebrows and drop jaws. So really, this movie targets a specific audience, and if you're not part of it, it's very likely that you won't be a big fan of this movie.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/08

Game Release: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (US, 04/25/06)