Not my fantasy at all! (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (DVD))

Member Name: Judgee

Product:	Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (DVD)
Date:	20/02/02 (84 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good Generated graphics

Disadvantages: Weak, confusing plot, Bad script

Slammed for having less plot than an Alan Titchmarsh novel, it was not all plain sailing for Final Fantasy when it finally arrived at the cinema screens. Years in the making, it was supposedly set to push the boundaries of computer generated movies into the next level. Did it achieve this ambitious goal? Was it a landmark film? Well, no, not quite but it still made an impact, albeit a smaller one than the film producers would have liked. Here's what I thought of of it, of course opinions differ!


Cast/Characters(voiceovers)

Ming-Na - Dr Aki Ross
Donald Sutherland - Dr Sid
Alec Baldwin - Captain Gray Edwards
James Woods - General Hein
Steve Buscemi - Neil
Peri Gilpin - Jane
Ving Rhames - Ryan


Earth 2065, ghost-like aliens roam the earth leaving devastation and death in their wake. The aliens arrived on a comet that crashed on earth and ever since the human survivors have cowered behind shielded cities, desperately seeking a way to rid the planet of the deadly invaders.

One person in particular seeks to find a way to destroy these unwanted guests, Dr Aki Ross. Having been infected by the creatures herself, time is running out for Aki, as she desperately scours the land in search of answers.

Spurred on by her mentor Dr Sid, and aided in her quest by an old acquaintance, Captain Gray Edwards, Aki takes risks knowing full well that she has nothing to lose. Ever since becoming infected, Aki has been receiving strange dreams, could these be the key to her survival and that of the world?

Analysing Aki's dreams, Dr Sid believes these aliens are a kind of spirit and has a theory that all things have a spirit, including the Earth itself and that in time he can find a way to destroy the aliens without harming the planet. Unfortunately for Dr Sid (and the rest of the planet it would seem!) one man seeks a quicker solution to the problem, that man is General Hein.


General Hein, hell bent on revenge for the death of his family caused by the aliens, seeks to destroy the invaders with a super-weapon, but in doing so will destroy the spirit of the Earth also. Aki, Dr Sid and Captain Edwards find themselves not only battling against the aliens, but against the madness of the enemy within, General Hein.

Will General Hein succeed in destroying the invaders and in the process ruin the Earth? Will Aki find a cure for her infection? Will Dr Sid find a way to destroy the invaders without harming the Earth spirit? Or will the aliens take over, wiping out the humans from the face of the planet altogether? Well, I will say no more on the plot, watch the film if you want to know more!


It was clear from the start that a majority of the work on this film would be pushed towards the Computer Generated graphics and indeed they are impressive. Although I am perhaps not the best person to judge the quality (I thought the Thunderbirds puppets were real people for years! Stupid boy!) There are many entertaining facts behind the animation, the most interesting of which (at least I thought it was!) was the fact that Aki's hair involved 64,000 strands being individually animated and drawn in each shot. Hence, more hair flicks from the leading character than a shampoo advertisement!

Perhaps this one sided approach from the makers of the film was its downfall. It is all well and good trying to push the boundaries of a relatively new (in film terms) technology. But people want a whole package and in focusing in one area, the rest of the film misses out. The storyline is often confusing and disjointed, bearing more resemblance to anime films than a main stream movie. Visually appealing yes but then so is Britney Spears, yet I would struggle to sit through one of her concerts!

As for the actors, well it is hard to judge an actors performance as a whole when they are only using their voices. The lead vocalist
was Ming-na. As you would expect from an actress better known for her voice in animated films rather than as an overall actress, she performs well. As does Buscemi, albeit in a relatively minor role. This is probably down to the fact that he is an extremely talented vocal actor anyway (just think of Reservoir Dogs!) James woods was pretty good as the mad General hell bent on blowing up anything that moves. Donald Sutherland and Alec Baldwin were a bit disappointing, breaking the golden voice over rule of reading the parts rather than trying to act them. Overall, a mixed bag in the voice over department, some good, some not so good. Again this may have a lot to do with the fact that the story was badly written and therefore the script lacked any depth for the cast to work with. Oh and watch out for the character called Jane voiced by Peri Gilpin, better known as Ros from Frasure!

The sound effects were pretty average also. It left me with visions of one man in his shed, beating a tin bath with a loo brush. Uninspiring and dull would probably be the best way to sum it up!

Did I like it? Yes, as an attempt to push the boundaries forward it managed a minor step rather than a giant leap. Too much effort went into the computer generated graphics, leaving a poor script and storyline flapping in the wind. The main cast try to make the most of the material that they are given but you can't make an omlette without eggs! Children will be baffled by it, adults unimpressed by it, but hopefully the team behind it will learn something from their mistakes and if they do so then thier next project will be very good. If you want to see how to produce a good Computer generated film then check out Shrek. Entertaining and funny, it is how a CG movie should be made, giving a good balance to all aspects unlike Final Fantasy which lacked in sooooo many areas! A for effort and a D for overall package I'm afraid! Another rainy day movie that you should get out on
video, ONLY if you have seen all the other good films in the rack!





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