Re-establishing the Final Fantasy VII Connection
The story picks up after the events of Final Fantasy VII, two years after to be
more precise. When the movie starts, we are presented with a scene depicting the
ending of Final Fantasy VII, a view into the future 500 years after the final battle
with Sephiroth, where Red XIII and his cubs still roam the planet. This scene helps
to draw the viewer back into the world of Final Fantasy VII. With the help of emotionally
powerful music, and a glimpse of a ruined Midgar seen as Red XIII let's out a howl
whilst sitting atop a rocky cliff, I believe this is achieved successfully. I know
that for myself, entry back into the Final Fantasy VII world was easy, and welcoming.
Connection Established: 9/10
The Storyline of Advent Children
Taking the story of Final Fantasy VII two years into the future isn't an easy
task. The only thing I found as a weak point about taking it two years into the
future were that there wasn't a lot of explanation as to what Cloud and the others
were up to for those two years. There is a reference to Cloud working as a delivery
boy, and some of the other information is implied by visuals, for instance, Tifa
having opened a new bar in Edge. That brings me to another point. Unless one has
read "Way to a Smile", which has not been released in the United States or other
countries besides Japan, it's not clearly pointed out that the story does not take
place in Midgar. Edge is the city in which the story takes place. There are ways
of figuring this out, but it's not presented clearly in the movie. To one who has
picked up the game, played it through, and simply started on the movie, they could
be at a disadvantage in terms of the setting.
Another beef I had with the story was the fact that it took two years for Yazoo,
Loz, and Kadaj to show up. Why so long? They seem to have come from the crater,
as remnants of the failed Sephiroth clones which gathered there around the time
of the final battle. But why are there only three of them? Where did they actually
come from, for those out there that may not have had a clue, or may not have been
familiar with the story anymore? There leaves a lot to be explained about these
three characters, even now.
Besides those points, everything else was decently presented and explained, even
if there were still a few holes left through-out here are there. I believe the story
was sufficient to capture the interest of the viewers, and provide the entertainment
to the fans that it was meant to do.
The Story: 7.5/10
Sounds/Musical Effects
The sound effects in the movie were fantastic. If you've ever sat and watched
this movie with Dolby Surround Sound in a friend's basement with it cranked up almost
to max, you know what I'm talking about. It made me feel like I was actually in
the movie, especially after watching it on the big screen. All the little details
from the bullet ricochets to the revving of the bikes was done to a superb degree.
Kudos to the sound engineers.
The music was mostly a mix of original Final Fantasy VII tracks, digitally remastered
for the movie, with some little tweaks here and there. There were also a few new
tracks to accommodate the new movie, which fit right in with the old tracks. Transitions
were flawless, and fit the scenes perfectly, to help supply a wonderful musical
experience.
Sound Effects and Music: 10/10
Voice Acting
The voice acting was actually better than I had initially anticipated. Most every
character was acceptable, very good, or excellent. I won't speak individually for
all the characters, as overall I thought them to be quite good as a whole.
The only characters I didn't like the English voices for were Cait Sith, Tifa, and
Cloud (partially).
Cait Sith sounded Scottish. That's all I have to say. I was rather disappointed,
as I expected his voice to sound around the same tone as it was, but what was with
that accent? There really is nothing more to say, I was disappointed.
Tifa was good, except for in a couple of scenes where her voice was "raspy". I was
expecting a somewhat more solid, confident voice to fit the ass-kicking character
we all know and love. She was *almost* there, but it was enough for me to notice.
I'm happy with her overall, but there were a few instances where she could have
used more work.
Cloud. Cloud was alright, except that he sounded too... Slack. He was too laid back,
and didn't annunciate words like I imagined him to while playing through the game.
I expected him to be more precise, clear, and confident, as he was the leader after-all.
Besides that, his tone was fine, it was in the right pitch-area, and I was satisfied.
Extra points to Barret for opening his lines with "Yo, what up Foo?".
Voice Acting: 8.5/10
Graphics/Animation
Nothing more to say. Outstanding. Even better on a big, widescreen TV.
Graphics/Animation: 10/10
The Verdict: The Non-Averaged Review
I thought this movie was great the first time I saw it, I really did. After a couple
of times, the effect wears off, but it's the same with any movie. While watching
this, I really felt it was doing Final Fantasy VII justice. The movie gave me that
same feeling of bond between the characters and myself, and the old emotion I encountered
through-out the course of the game came back to me. I felt I was back in that world
I left behind when I last played the game a few months ago.
My thanks goes out to all those who participated in making this movie possible.
It's companies like you, Square-Enix that keep the fans coming back for more. Please
continue your hard work, and you will always get the support of fans like us!
The Verdict: 9.5/10 - Absolutely Fantastic
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