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I remember the first entry in this series from a few years ago.  It stands alone, encompassing a story that did not depend on foreknowledge of the game upon which it was based.  It included some aspect of mysticism, suggesting that our planet has consciousness, the Gaia Earth Spirit.  But the basis of the plot was firmly in the science fiction realm.  The film was the first attempt to create photo-realistic CGI character, and for that it was moderately successful.  I enjoyed the film and looked forward to the release of this second installment of the series.  Unfortunately, Advent Children is very different film indeed.

Since I’m not familiar with the evolution of the game, I was completely unfamiliar with the current characters and concepts.  And since this film seems to have been structured so closely to existing game plotlines and associated back-story, I found the plot to be all but incomprehensible.  The filmmakers thoughtfully provided about three minutes of exposition early in the film, but it isn’t enough.  And since the rest of the film is about 93% action and 7% plot, I found myself quickly over my head.

Now, I consider myself somewhat astute, able to glean plot and character motivation within the most labyrinthine nonlinear structure.  Not so much here.  This is what I was able to deduce (with no guarantee that I’m getting it right).  There seem to be four forces at work.  The first is the human race and the aware Earth, championed by the second force, a small cadre of elite fighters dedicated to the preservation of life.  The third seems to be a disgruntled band of miscreants who are intent on the destruction of life on the planet.  A fourth force has influenced them: a remnant of an alien consciousness.

Unlike the characters in the first film, these beings have extraordinary abilities, power, and strength.  The hero wields a vast sword so swiftly that it seems utterly without mass and consequential momentum; yet a normal mortal would be hard pressed to lift it.  The principal characters also seem to have the ability to absorb and project destructive energies.  And they can either levitate or fly.  Sometimes.

There is a subplot concerning the Shinra Electric Power Company’s ability to tap into the planet’s life stream to power technology.  That misguided concept is hastening the planet’s demise.  And there is a fatal infection - geostigma - that is attacking human life.  But these are simply mechanisms to raise the stakes as the antagonists duel to the death.

There is much impossible physicality, including hand-to-hand combat and maneuvering on high tech motorcycles.  The compositions and editing resemble a music video on steroids, with fast pans and quick cuts that make following the action almost impossible.  Perhaps the visuals would be easier to comprehend on a display smaller than my eight-foot wide projection screen; I simply found the experience overwhelming and disorienting.  All I can be certain about is that the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil resolve all the threats to life as we know it.

Highly imaginative and visually intriguing, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children may be too narrowly focused on a gaming audience.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Clearly, this film is a CGI creation, and the transfer is most assuredly direct digital.  Regardless of any misgivings I may have about the content, the visuals are quite impressive.  The 1.78:1 film is presented in anamorphic video without the flaws I find most objectionable in DVDs.  Edge halos have been completely eliminated; this may be a consequence of a slight softness in the video, but that softness could be an illusion due to the absence of halos.  I prefer this more film-like visual approach.  Based on the sometimes visible interference patterns between moving hair and the images’ pixel structure, I don’t think the video was filtered too much.  Colors are a bit muted, perhaps to evoke the feeling that life energies are being sucked out the life stream.  Shadow detail is excellent, revealing the folds of the black costumes worn by several of the characters, and facial features hidden in the shadow of a hood.  Rare pixelization is visible; take a look at the dirt road at approximately 12:20 and you’ll find that the surface dances.  This could have been a superb transfer if it weren’t marred by such occasional visual incongruities.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

There are two Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, English and the original Japanese.  Since the nicely created CGI mouth movements correspond to the Japanese language, lip sync abnormalities will be visible throughout.  This diminishes the effectiveness of the photorealism.  When listening in English, unlike many similar discs that force limited English subtitles when Japanese words appear on the screen either in the form of in-context signage or placards, this disc does not.  So for those of you who may not want to be bothered, here are the three instances as the film opens when such subtitles would have been helpful:

“To those who loved this world and knew friendly company therein: This Reunion is for you.”

“498 years earlier.”

“Northern Cave.”

Sound effects are dynamic and involving.  The surround channels are quite active, encircling the viewer in a barrage of sounds.  Enable EX decoding for a more effective experience.  Deep bass is present, requiring a substantial subwoofer to fully exploit the bottom end.  The score is a very odd mix of cues, some orchestral, some solo piano, some choral, and some hard rock.  I found the inconsistent approach to be annoying at worst, schizophrenic at best.  The fidelity of all the cues - other than the rock sequences - are presented with pleasing fidelity.  The studio recorded dialog is crystal clear throughout.

Subtitles are available in English, Chinese (Mandarin), and Cantonese.  There are also English Closed Captions.

The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The extras are spread across the two discs of the set.  Disc one only offers a bizarre little non-anamorphic widescreen short called Reminiscences of Final Fantasy VII.  As I previously mentioned, I’m not at all familiar with the game, so I assume that these images have been pulled directly from the games.  I suggest “games” because the quality of the computer animation evolves over the course of this 23:54 featurette.  It’s in Japanese with forced English subtitles.  I wish I could report that this short helped me understand the film, but I can’t.

The rest of the supplements can be found on disc two.   We begin with eleven deleted scenes, rather unusual for a CGI production.  Shown in non-anamorphic widescreen, they range from roughly five to thirty seconds in duration.  They have completed dialog, but neither sound effects nor score.  Once again, I wish I could say that they helped clarify the film for me; they did not. 

Next is Venice Film Festival Footage (23:45), not at all what you might expect.  This seems to be an extended preview in the form of the partially completed film.  The footage is almost exclusively completed CGI with accompanying voicework, sound effects, and score.

Distance: The Making of Advent Children (36:21) reveals that all the misgivings I had about the film were due to intentional artistic decisions made by the filmmakers.  Actually, this isn’t a film made by filmmakers; it’s a film made by gamemakers.  That explains the abandonment of anything that resembles our daily experiences of the physics of our world.  The original script accounts for little more than twenty minutes of content, so it’s likely that all the action may have been a direct consequence of a rather thin plotline.  The score was intentionally written as eclectic and inconsistent.  It’s very clear that the people responsible for the film care deeply about their work, but I was left with the impression that they were too close to the source material.  What they instinctively understood remains elusive to the uninitiated.  Also within this featurette you’ll find motion capture sequences, video of the voice actors at work, and a considerable discussion of the nature of the characters and their motivations.  This became helpful, but I still maintain that the film should be able to stand alone.

Advent Children Trailers is a collection of eight non-anamorphic trailers in either Japanese or English.  And the last supplement is a Sneak Peek at Upcoming Final Fanatasy VII Games.  There are five, but the last appears to be a theatrical trailer for the feature film.

The 101-minute feature film is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.

Final Thoughts

A film that was made by gamermakers seemingly for gamers, the general audience might find the viewing wexperience somewhat frustrating.  A very good transfer, a fine audio track, some interesting supplements, and a modest SRP still make this set appealing for the right audience.  In the mood for some unrelenting fantasy action punctuated by a few quiet, contemplative moments?  Then this might be the DVD set for you.