And so, Grasshopper...

After Googling "Advent Children" and "reviews," I had a totally zen experience. Everyone has an opinion, and none match mine, or anyone else's! One hand clapping. I don't know if it validates all of them, or negates all of us.

Or are we just a figment of SquareSoft's imagination? I'm beginning to think so. What we think doesn't matter: the movie is what it is, and it's all deliberate, no doubt.

Verdict for now:

Final Fantasy Fanatics absolutely should buy the movie. RPG fans who have played FFVII should rent the movie once. Video game fans, maybe ditto. Everyone else, give it a miss.

Advent Children: Some Negative Conclusions

The absolute nadir of the movie was Bahamat. Maybe I understand the why (maybe not at all), but I think there are times when friends shouldn't let friends go nuts on cels. This Bahamat was out of place, totally jarring, and unfortunately, it was in a comical way. Yes, yes; I realize that it was some sort of classical style, and for all I know it reflected the true mythic origin of Bahamat. And I did watch the extras on the second disk. Not convinced. Frankly, the stylistics just plain lost me.

Almost in the way SteamPunk looks on just about anything but Wild, Wild West. Visually interesting, but time spent studying the details gives me the impression someone was trying way too hard. And the little horsey (or were they human?) teeth made me laugh out loud, wondering if it could be defeated with some Oral B Superfloss.

That said, the fight sequences were pretty convincing, but only if the viewer was completely informed as to the limit breaks involved. Otherwise, my guess is the usual reaction would be "Huh?" It seemed somewhat off-handed. Lots of buildup with little action effects.

Another gripe (they are just gripes... you know, warmed brandy snifter in hand) is the minimalist treatment of Cait Sith. What did he do, besides make a lot of comical noises? In the last scene, my first impression was that he was a toy hanging from Marlene's arm. No matter how many scenes I slowed and froze, he just seemed to be there "for the record." If something was cut, why not include it on the extra disc?

I loved the expanded characterizations of the Turks. Buddy films always amuse me, and Reno and Rude were a lot of fun. Rather heavy-handed on the slapstick, though. That said, both Rude and Reno were slamming, perfect ringers for my impression of them in the game. Given the number of shrines to them on the Internet, it was obviously a very good move to include them. Still, I am not too sanguine about the faintly homosexual undertones. Perhaps a gay reader could set me straight on this, no pun intended.

Ditto for the enemy gang. Was one a female? And if she was, why wasn't this clarified? What about the "crying" thing? How old were the mutants, if Cloud was their "Big Brother?" Does all that make HoJo their "Father?" Like Jenova being their Mother? Were they formerly Cloaked Clones? What did I miss, since I can't place how, or where they came about?

Now that I've had my say, I would like some more views (and reviews) on this important first: A Final Fantasy Game Movie. Yeah, it's that historic: everyone should own a copy. And if you don't yet have The Spirits Within, you should. The comparisons? To me it seems there is no comparison: NOT apples and oranges. More like pineapples and hand grenades.

pb
Little Pond

Advent Children Followup

Got the first negative reaction to FFVII/AC. From a real video game nut, who thought it was a lousy movie. This was a very strange moment for me. Movie? What Movie?

Advent Children is not a movie. It is a video game that plays itself. It is full of battles and motorcycle races and motorcycle racing battles. It is an extension, an adjunct if you will, to the original video game itself. The goal was a followup to the video game, so how could it be anything else?

It was wonderful to check in with all the old characters and to see the connections with the new ones. The only major ones missing could surely come together in a sequel game. Anything is possible in Final Fantasy.

It never occurred to me that some people were waiting for a movie. That was Final Fantasy: The Spiritis Within. And I am sure they complained about that one, too.

Get over it.

pb
Little Pond

Advent Children!

Love it!

Seen it three times now, not counting times I skipped through it.

So much gratification. And some surprises. SquareEnix is amazing.

Definitely more to come.

pb
Little Pond