Directed By: Tetsuya Nomura
Studio: Visual Works
Original Release: September 14, 2005
Runtime: 101 minutes
From the moment “Final Fantasy VII” collided with the video game world like a meteor to the planet (pun intended), everyone wondered if and when we’d see a sequel following the rather open ending. Rumors ran rampant for years until the turn of the millennium struck and eventual script writer Kazushige Nojima came up with a story about Cloud, Tifa, and orphans. Not long after, pieces started falling into place and the long process of creating a sequel to one of the most influential games of all time began.
After an opening dedication to the fans who supported the series for so long (thus inspiring the movie to come into fruition) the first faces we see are not of Cloud or his band of not-so-merry renegade, but a CGI rendering of the final moment from “Final Fantasy VII” the video game – an aged Red XIII running with two cubs before roaring over a now forested Midgar. But the story isn’t about what occurred fifty decades following the events of “Final Fantasy VII”. Instead, the movie’s events take place 498 years before this revelation of Midgar’s fall – two years after the original’s story’s conclusion. With the help of Marlene’s (the adopted daughter of Avalanche hero Barrett who was involved in the biggest moments of “Final Fantasy VII”) narration, uninformed viewers who never played the game or researched the lore leading into this movie are given an abridge version of the game’s rather complicated story.
Though the world was saved thanks to the Lifestream and the seemingly supernatural actions of a deceased flower girl, things are not right in the world of “Final Fantasy VII”. A new disease of unknown origin – Geostigma – has attacked the population and left people both young and old struggling to live; including Marlene’s best friend, Denzel. While humanity is starting to fade away, “Final Fantasy VII’s” protagonist and pseudo-bad boy Cloud Strife suffers not only from the disease, but also his grief following the events of “Final Fantasy VII”. With the help of Tifa Lockheart, Cloud is able to run from his past by working for Tifa’s delivery service.
And like most people with sorted pasts, Cloud’s struggles he once thought were behind him come roaring back in the form of three men who oddly look like miniature versions of “Final Fantasy VII’s” main antagonist, Sephiroth. This trio – Kadaj, Loz & Yazoo – are on the search for a maternal figure and feel Cloud and his friends – as well as the former Shinra Corporation’s president – know where to find “Mother” and begin “The Reunion”.
Absolutely Stunning: While “Final Fantasy VII” the video game hasn’t aged well at all (in reality, it looked relatively dated by the time “Final Fantasy VIII” was announced a year following “VII’s” release), “Advent Children” is a stunning piece of eye candy that still looks incredible even with some many advances in technology & visuals since its release. Thanks to the mixture of motion capture and an incredible attention to detail in hopes of making this movie feel as lifelike as possible, “Advent Children” feels and looks exactly as you’d hope for an expansion on such a revered series.
A Dub Worthy of the Gil: I’m not one to debate about subbing versus dubbing for the simple fact a lot of people will prefer one or the other no matter what anyone says. There are times when I’d like to give credit to the masterful capturing of certain characters through dubbing. The standouts Steve Burton (Cloud), Rachel Cook (Tifa), Beau Billingslea (Barrett), George Newbern (Sephiroth), Steven Blum (Vincent), Quinton Flynn (Reno), Crispin Freeman (Rude) and Steve Staley (Kadaj) really become one with the characters and give an English voice that matches the ones I heard in my head every time I read a text box in the game (minus Kadaj as he was not in the original game).
Action Overload: Seriously, the action scenes are as incredible as they are exhausting. Every battle flows naturally and rarely has a break until the very end. Like the animation, the fight scenes are top notch and make the experience more enjoyable.
Cue the Successful “Battle Theme” Ring Tone: Nobuo Uematsu reprises his roles as the “Final Fantasy” series’ master musician by not only remixing some of the “Final Fantasy VII’s” most famous tunes (“One Winged Angel” with a hard rock edge for example), but also creates some hauntingly beautiful new pieces. It shouldn’t be shocking that picking up a copy of the original soundtrack isn’t out of the question.
Shinra Drained the Plot, Too: Originally, “Advent Children” was meant to be an hour-long movie. The original version went over 100 minutes while the Director’s Cut ended up passing the two-hour mark. But watching the movie for its story you see why it would’ve worked better as a sixty-minute experience. The plot becomes nothing more than a component to get us to the next fight scene. The topics & questions that “Final Fantasy VII” the video game raised (using terrorism to help the downtrodden and the world; genetic manipulation for the sake of empowering governments and/or corporations; environmental abuse; sacrificing oneself for the greater good) are nowhere to be found in this movie; though there is some emphasis on the idea of “grand actions reaping grand consequences” in regards to Cloud’s personality and the disease itself. In several ways, this feels like the plot of a fan-fiction written in 1999 rather than something crafted by its creators and minds.
Lacking Fan Service: Many people have called “Advent Children” an exercise in fan service that gives long-time supporters steak, but leaves people not in the loop feeling like they’ve experienced nothing but sizzle. While in some ways those people are right, “Advent Children” doesn’t give us long-time fans everything they would want. One of the best examples is a lack of screen time for some of “Final Fantasy VII’s” main characters. The characters players grew attached to not named “Cloud” or “Tifa” are relegated to the background for a majority of the movie. Seriously, Reno and Rude of the Turks (minor characters in the original game) get more screen time than Vincent, Yuffie, Barrett, Red XII (with Cait Sith riding his back), and Cid combined. One epic battle scene brings everyone together, but it happens too little too late.
In truth, “Advent Children” accomplishes what it sets out to be – a “Thank you” to all the fans who kept “Final Fantasy VII” relevant and profitable after two-plus decades. Those of you, like myself, who have a deep connection with the game will mostly enjoy this action-oriented piece of CGI cinema while being dumbfounded by some of the movie’s glaring flaws. For others, you might have a hard time appreciating this reunion unless impressive graphics & lacking storytelling is your thing.
