Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

"Intended for fans of the game, not fans of movies"

The fan of Final Fantasy VII will get something from this movie, no doubt. Indeed Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a fast-paced trip through memories of one of the greatest games ever made. And no doubt there is some intent on the part of the director, cinematographers, and writers to exploit that soft spot the viewer may have. Unfortunately, the film that they have created falls short of producing an experience that does justice to the original title.

This is an action film. While the game still used the often criticized (and dated) battle-driven story, the extent of action in the plot was very minimal. There was the occasional escape with Little Bruno, and there was battle after battle with Jenova – but the actual drama of the plot was created by being in the ruins of a Centra capitol. A good potion of the game's story was in the dialog of a few polygonated characters standing around talking in Cosmo Canyon. Or in the infamous and unmentionable scene at the end of disc 1. It was a surprisingly slow plot, that, while advanced via battle, consisted of little action.

The movie is very similar – there is a lot of fighting with the center of the story told in brief moments of stillness – however, the film fails to acknowledge fundamental differences between the two mediums. The methodology behind battle-driven plots in RPGs is to keep some semblance of a game and to keep the player actively participating (thus “role-playing”) in the events. This is not required nor possible in a film setting, yet the battle-driven plot progression was not dropped from the screen sequel.

The action sequences in the film draw much inspiration from films like The Matrix and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Fighting, as you will learn quickly, does not obey most laws of physics. To those who have played the game, there are certain attack cameos (Cloud will use a few of his Limit breaks, for example) that may make battles entertaining – but as a whole they are mostly a lot of fast jumping, slow motion, followed by some ridiculously powerful attack that destroys half a building. Many of these fights seem unprovoked and pointless. By the end, you will become so desensitized to the ninja-like abilities of the characters, that fight scenes will lose their novelty.

The slow (and all too small) periods of plot between fights feels as though it could be placed seamlessly into the game's already complex story. Many characters that you will recognize, from Tifa to the Turks to Cid, make appearances. Unfortunately some of these appearances, such as the later, seem like a forced icon of nostalgia rather than an important element of the plot. If you have not played the game, or did not pay particularly close attention to its story, some of the subtle and clever references and symbols will be lost. There is a lot there for the fan. Unfortunately, the game is so heavy on action that these moments are few and far between.

The music is a mixed bag. There are quite a few melodies and medleys from the game. Unfortunately, the music is often repetitive or highly inappropriate for the situation on the screen. There is a lot of heavy, fast-paced rock-techno hybrid material here. Sometimes the scene will call for some fear on the part of the viewer, but the music will do the opposite of this. Imagine if the music that played during the final boss of Final Fantasy VII was Nirvana instead of the brilliant orchestral masterpiece, One Winged Angel. This is the type of inappropriate disharmony you will sometimes encounter.

As a whole, Advent Children is clearly a movie intended for fans of the game. And it is worth seeing simply to see all your favorite personalities again. It is filmed with beautiful rendering and artwork. Unfortunately this movie is hindered by a poorly constructed narrative and an overall lack of emotional dialog that made the game the canonized masterpiece that it is. If you are an avid fan of Final Fantasy VII you will no doubt find, as I did, some pleasure in seeing this film. Unfortunately, it will fail to deliver the same experience Square produced back in 1997.

Overall: 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/21/05