Movie review: Final Fantasy: Advent Children - Complete
Viewed on: Blu-Ray
Released: 2009
Originally released: 2005
Back then, I was younger and very impressed by Advent Children. After all, we hadn’t had a good movie capturing the gamer in us yet. We’d received Final Fantasy Spirits Within, read my thoughts about that here, but it didn’t hit the high notes when conveying what the franchise was about. Plus, we were starved for FFVII content, so I recall the movie as being quite a hit.
It’s safe to say it’s been years since I last saw this. I decided to give it a rewatch, hoping I'd still enjoy it, but in the back of my mind I knew the reunion might be a disappointment. I upgraded from my original DVD release to a Blu-Ray, for better quality, but also a director’s cut of sorts. Titled the “Complete” version, this re-release adds more, but rather tame, scenes. Others are extended, yet it doesn't really help the plot from making more sense. It’s visually upgraded, even adding in questionable blood in certain scenes.
Just as I remember, I was charmed by seeing some of my favourite FFVII characters again, seeing them go about their daily lives in memorable locations in Midgar. Rewatching it, the first part once again gives me a warm feeling of nostalgia. However, I’ve grown a little tired of Clouds modern design and the fanservice direction FFVII has gone, since this movie released.
While it captures the characters well, modernising them from their simple game originals to a more mature style, the main story is a journey of nothing. It displays spectacular action scenes, tons of fighting, with energetic and visually chaotic camera work, but as the end credits roll, you realise: did it really add anything of significance to the lore? Yet alone, make much sense?!
In hindsight, it's easy to see that Advent Children is where art direction of what we perceive as typical FFVII today, derives from. While the original game had a less tech influenced world than our own, and old-school JRPG styled Chibi characters, Advent Children changed into the mature style that's been used right up to modern times. Through titles like Crisis Core and the recent FFVII remake.
Each character has been turned into a mature, highly stylised version of themselves and this appearance has since become de facto for the franchise. A contrast compared to what I remember as the original FFVII. Weird, typical early 2000s, influences have become part of the lore too. Dated things like flip-lid mobile phones, text messages, emails on desktop computers and a fascination for Black Hawk inspired helicopters, has strangely enough locked the series into an alternative, early 2000s, niche. Which, may I remind young viewers, never was a thing in the original 1997 game.
This movie was a welcome release back in 2005, starved for a throwback to the incredibly popular entry in Squaresofts massive RPG franchise, it was indeed cool seeing the beloved FFVII heroes on a big screen in such quality CGI. It's main problem though, is the lack of making a story with substance to follow after the monumental one in the game.
It’s like a teaser movie, playing on beloved memories of nostalgia, yet delivers nothing substantial. There's a reunion scene at the church where Aerith lived, there's a highway car chase. It even goes as far as to give Sephiroth life again, for only to see him killed off again. If they wanted so badly to relive the game, couldn't they've just made a CGI movie of that?!
Sure, it has some lovely shots of Midgars familiar places, which are appreciated, but it’s not enough to hide the extremely shallow plot. For a younger FFVII audience, it’s visually cohesive of the recent remakes of both FFVII and Crisis Core, more so than the original game. It’s worth a watch if you want to see more of this world. Just don't expect anything more than hectic action and a confusing story, adding nothing to the lore.
For FFVII veterans though, it feels like an alternate reality and far cry from the lower paced, industrial science fiction fantasy world of the original release. I went from being impressed back then, to realise I really gained nothing from watching it. The CGI, admittedly, holds up well since 2005 though.
Sure, it has some lovely shots of Midgars familiar places, which are appreciated, but it’s not enough to hide the extremely shallow plot. For a younger FFVII audience, it’s visually cohesive of the recent remakes of both FFVII and Crisis Core, more so than the original game. It’s worth a watch if you want to see more of this world. Just don't expect anything more than hectic action and a confusing story, adding nothing to the lore.
For FFVII veterans though, it feels like an alternate reality and far cry from the lower paced, industrial science fiction fantasy world of the original release. I went from being impressed back then, to realise I really gained nothing from watching it. The CGI, admittedly, holds up well since 2005 though.
