[Region ABC Blu-ray] Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge

Mania Grade: C-
* Audio Rating: B+
* Video Rating: B+
* Packaging Rating: B+
* Menus Rating: B
* Extras Rating: A-
* Age Rating: 13 and Up
* Region: A - N. America, S. America, East Asia
* Released By: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
* MSRP: 38.96
* Running time: 126
* Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
* Disc Resolution: 1080p
* Disc Encoding: H.264/AVC
* Series: Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children

In Summary:
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a visual and aural feast in this format, even more so than the already very enticing DVD from 2006. This is the kind of film that should have been made several years ago and put into theaters here instead of the Spirits Within. But even then I think it would have been a critical failure simply due to the way the storytelling is executed here. The film is a big love song to fans of the original game and not something that stands alone. I don't think it can just be jumped into without any real knowledge beforehand without losing a lot of what makes this as powerful a piece as it is for those that it was made for. For that audience, this is almost a once in a life time kind of event and it's easy to see why it generated such hype and love from its fans. Being a casual fan, I can see that appeal but a lot of the weaknesses inherent in the film simply stand out too strongly to make it enjoyable. When I'm checking the countdown timer at the halfway mark – when the feature decides that it wants to be pure action – it’s not a good sign. The narrative simply can’t carry itself and the added footage didn’t change anything, not that I could tell what was added in the three years since I last saw this. Pretty but forgettable, much like many pretty boys in the world of anime and Japanese video games.

[JustThisGuy]

I'm glad someone's willing to call Advent Children out as being a dud. After reading all the "OMG FFVII OMG AWESOME A+" reviews that the original cut got when it came out Stateside on DVD, once I got my copy from Netflix I had to wonder if I was watching the same movie as everyone else.

So it sounds like the Complete cut isn't the massive overhaul that'd be needed to make this even worth another rental, then.

[O-chan]

Well I am a BIG Final Fantasy fanboy and I do love FFVII: Advent Children but Chris' grade is very accurate (then again I would still subject myself to this film repeatedly then one more session of that OTHER video game based anime I had the misfortune of watching). Let us call the film what it is, one big EYE CANDY fest for the fans.

But it doesn't try to be anything more or less. It doesn't try to be a comprehensible feature film nor does it try to dissapoint fans. This is THE film Final Fantasy fans wanted and they got it. Hence the constant re-releases. This is not Spirits Within, or FF:U, of the FF OAV. This is a film directly continuing the story of the most popular RPG game made.

I agree with the grade, but there's also a reason it's so popular.

It's one of the few video game based animated incarnations that actually made a moderate success. (I'm willing to debate Sonic and Street Fighter have accomplished this as well, but not to this level this single movie has).

O-chan