Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)

Directors:

Tetsuya Nomura
Takeshi Nozue (co-director)

Writer:

Kazushige Nojima (event scenario writer)

Release Date:

14 September 2005 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

2 years later...

Plot:

An ex-mercenary is forced out of isolation when three mysterious men kidnap and brainwash the city's children afflicted with the Geostigma disease.

Plot Keywords:

Disease | Brother | Orphan | Fight | Sword Fight

Cast

Takahiro Sakurai	...	Cloud Strife (voice: Japanese version)
Ayumi Ito	...	Tifa Lockhart (voice: Japanese version)
Shotaro Morikubo	...	Kadaj (voice: Japanese version) (as Shoutarou Morikubo)
Maaya Sakamoto	...	Aerith Gainsborough (voice: Japanese version)
Keiji Fujiwara	...	Reno (voice: Japanese version)
Taiten Kusunoki	...	Rude (voice: Japanese version)
Yûji Kishi	...	Yazoo (voice: Japanese version) (as Yuuji Kishi)
Kenji Nomura	...	Loz (voice: Japanese version)
Shogo Suzuki	...	Vincent Valentine (voice: Japanese version) (as Shougo Suzuki)
Masahiro Kobayashi	...	Barret Wallace (voice: Japanese version)
Kazuyuki Yama	...	Cid Highwind (voice: Japanese version) (as Kazuyuki Yamaji)
Yumi Kakazu	...	Yuffie Kisaragi (voice: Japanese version)
Hideo Ishikawa	...	Cait Sith (voice: Japanese version)
Masachika Ichimura	...	Red XIII (voice: Japanese version)
Miyuu Tsuzuhara	...	Marlene Wallace (voice: Japanese version)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action violence.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | UK:PG | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | South Korea:12 | Malaysia:U (DVD) | Brazil:12 (DVD version) | USA:PG-13

Company:

Square Enix Company

Trivia:

Vincent's three-barreled handgun is named Cerberus.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene when Cloud comes to fight Bahamut, while taking the sword from the bike, the sword model is briefly seen passing through the other sword model.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Elena: Tseng! Look at this.
Tseng: Pay dirt.

Movie Connections:

References Final Fantasy VIII: Fainaru fantajî VIII (1999) (VG)

excellent for those well versed in Final Fantasy VII language

I shall begin with a disclaimer: This movie is NOT recommended for anyone who lack interest or have never played FF7 the game before watching. The movie relies on the audience's knowledge of each character in the game to convey story plot elements. And it does so very subtly. Do your homework before watching this wonderful piece of CG film and I promise it'll be that much better.

With that in mind, this film has some of the most spectacular CG sequences I have ever witnessed. The whole experience felt like an extra long FMV sequence from the game, on steroids. Yeah. The attention to detail in each scene, especially in the heavy action oriented ones, is so impeccable it left me with a sense of awe.

I believe the soundtrack is simplified so as to help the audience focus on the animation quality more than the music. Again, for those who are familiar with the FF7 story and background, the music should not surprise anyone (although the timing and placement of each soundtrack from the original accompany each scene and mood to the point where the music simply enhances the animation).

Once again, I myself having only played through FF7 once, thoroughly enjoyed this piece of art from Square Enix. And that is the feel in most scenes, choreographed and organized. Like a dance.

In short, if you enjoyed the music or the game Final Fantasy 7, this film will blow you out of the water. If you're in the unfortunate majority who has not experienced the goodness known as FF7 on Playstation or PC, doing so before watching the movie will allow for an exponentially greater experience.

Finally, I just want to make a note of the quality in animating this film. Characters move with fluidity. Each scene background comes to life and tells its own story. For those who criticize the thinness and dependency of the story plot, I urge you to reexamine the animation. Facial reactions, subtle clues that bring about another level of entertainment above the typical narration method of story plot delivery.

Square Enix and the great Tetsuya Nomura has set a new bar for quality animation and storytelling. Advent Children has ushered in a new era for CG animations, allowing the subtleties that lie in each character to speak volumes in and of themselves.

Thanks Square Enix. The wait was well worth it.