Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (2009)

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete

Two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, the inhabits of Gaia are slowly beginning to rebuild their lives. The world seems peaceful but the appearance of a disease called Geostigma is infecting the people, many of whom are children. Afflicted with the fatal disease himself, Cloud has cut himself off from the rest of the team. Working as a courier, he is merely counting the days until he dies. Even going through what he believes will be his final days, he finds that there is little escape from the battlefield.  The coming of Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo signal the beginning of the Reunion and the return of Sephiroth himself.  Faced with three new enemies and the eventual return of his most powerful foe, Cloud must take sword in hand one last time.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete provides a much different experience from the games in the FFVII Compilation as it places an audience which would normally be participants in this story, as something of an observer. It's quite a change of pace from the games because we have no control over the events that are taking place but it's still effective nonetheless for several reasons. First and foremost, unlike in the games the characters are given a voice in Advent Children which really adds to their autonomy. The viewer never has to wonder how an event is affecting a character nor is there any ambiguity with regards to their emotions, motivations, or intentions. Secondly, we're provided with the unique opportunity to see how these characters operate when they have autonomy which makes them feel more lifelike and also gives each scene a more organic feel.

Yazoo, Kadaj, and Loz - Les Efants Terribles

From computer modelling to motion capture to voice work, a lot of effort went into making these characters seem as human as possible and it shows. The way the characters move, interact with one another, and simple motions from answering a phone to holding another persons hand are all realistic but to the film's credit, never crosses over into the area of the uncanny valley. The characters are all well-designed, realistically proportioned, and the environments have a spectacular level of detail not seen anywhere else in a film of this kind.

The voice acting is a mixed bag and perhaps the only area where Advent Children stumbles, but this largely depends on if you're watching it subbed or dubbed. I imported the Japanese version before the American version was released and I admit that at the time I was worried about the Japanese voice acting, but after watching the film I was thoroughly impressed. This is due to two factors: the Japanese seiyu actually took the time to learn about their characters and the game as they were unfamiliar with the source material, they also tried to express the nature of the characters' relationships through their performance rather than read words from a script. The time and attention the seiyu put into their performances shows.

Redefining the girl next door.

Tifa was voiced by Ayumi Ito who did a phenomenal job showing the emotional diversity of this fan favorite female. Tifa has a very large and nurturing side and cares deeply for those closest to her, and a sizable amount of pain has grown within her due to Cloud’s departure from her life. She tries to keep up a brave face despite everything that is happening around her and she more than succeeds. Tifa has this quiet strength about her but she is by no means subdued. Ayumi Ito not only brought out these traits in Tifa but she also provided the character with an emotional context, a weight to all of her actions that really made me appreciate the character even more than I already did.

Oh yes. Things are about to get real.

Takahiro Sakurai did an excellent job conveying Cloud’s moods and personality. Sakurai brought an interesting take on Cloud by portraying him as a character whose weaknesses are every bit a part of him as his strengths. The highs and lows of Cloud's life and the emotional context of those events shaped Cloud into the character he is, a character who has found himself alone and unhappy despite saving the world. Of course we learn that Cloud has a very good reason for his slump. Cloud has dealt with neglect, PTSD, and he's still carrying the weight of Aeris' death. Sakurai really shows his understanding of Cloud's character because despite everything he is going through, he doesn't open up to his friends or even complain about the fact that he's dying. He's a private character who expresses his emotions in a very subtle way and we see this time and again throughout the film.

Correction. THIS is the abyss starting back at you.

Shotaro Morikubo was simply amazing as Kadaj.  He had that whole tortured, confused, destructive youth thing going on and had this unique ability to go from one emotional extreme to the other in one line of dialogue. Interesting to note that Kadaj's lines were written and performed before the character was finished, and was largely based off Morikubo's own appearance and the image of the character he conveyed through his dialogue.

The nightmare returns.

Toshiyuki Morikawa  almost steals the show as Sephiroth. His take on the character is equally as cold and calculated as Sephiroth is himself. Morikawa's performance gives the sense that there is something unsettling about Sephiroth's perpetual control of any given situation. On top of that, he has the perfect cadence for a character who has so much depth yet remains enigmatic.

Even with little or no knowledge of the game, the Japanese cast put in a lot of hard work and effort for the fans, themselves, and the characters and they shined beautifully. On the contrary, the English voice actors did a horrendously half-assed job.  It was clear that most of, if not the entire cast had absolutely no knowledge of Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, or its characters. Not only did the cast not have a handle of the characters' personalities, but they even went so far as to distort them. Rachel Leigh Cook as Tifa and Dakota Fanning as Marlene were among the myriad of casting debacles. Cook's performance doesn't make Tifa sound the least bit patient or understanding of Cloud's situation and it is so devoid of emotional weight that when Tifa interacts with Cloud they seem more like acquaintances than childhood friends who have loved each other for a very long time. Fanning portrays Marlene as a "type" - i.e. the bratty child character who sort of just tags along, rather than the young girl whose heart is something that holds everyone together.

The Turks - Stylin and Profilin. WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

There are a few bright spots in the English voice acting.  Reno and Rude were actually voiced better here than in the Japanese version. In the Japanese version, Reno sounded a bit too comical and Rude was a bit too rigid. The English voice actors did a better job in this respect, but what else would you expect from Crispin Freeman (Rude) and Quinton Flynn (Reno). Rude sounded tough but flexible and Reno was a bit more laid-back than hot headed. Steven Jay Blum lent his voice to Vincent, as a result Vincent’s voice is a bit too deep but it will grow on you. Though these are a few bright spots, I prefer the Japanese as it was more effective as a whole.

Soldier. Hero. Dad.

Advent Children's characterization is fairly rich given its format and this is in part because of its focus on Cloud. Normally when a film focuses on a single character it can often hinder character development as a whole but this isn't the case here because as the story centers on Cloud, we learn a lot about the other characters through their interaction with him. We see the exploration of Tifa's compassionate nature partially through the lens of the family she and Cloud have built since Final Fantasy VII. This also gives us a different view of Cloud who despite his messed up childhood and even worse teenage years, has grown into a mostly well-adjusted adult who is not only capable of providing for Marlene in Barrett's absence, but also taking care of the emotional needs of Denzel, a child who but recently experienced trauma in his own right.

Rufus Shinra wishes to make up for his past mistakes and believes Cloud to be influential in doing that, and even the Turks have begun to look out for Cloud's best interests from time-to-time. We also get snippets of Cloud and Vincent's relationship as the two have a bond built on privacy and understanding. Cloud and Vincent have had similar pasts and both of them often deal with their emotions in the least healthy manner i.e. burying it within themselves. However, there is an empathetic bond here as Vincent and Cloud know themselves well enough to know each other, and not pry into each others affairs when that kind of attention is neither wanted nor welcome.

The two meet one final time.

Despite being a sci-fi fantasy movie based on a game, Advent Children briefly explores several issues including trauma, environmental degradation, and using children as a means to an end. Kadaj's gang for example is planning to sacrifice children to bring about the Reunion. From lying to children, kidnapping them, and poisoning them, and using them as human shields, Kadaj and his gang clearly have little regard for their well-being. This is also where Cloud serves as something similar to an inverse of Kadaj. In addition to having opened something of an orphanage, Cloud places the well-being of the children before his own and even sets off to save them while knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against Kadaj's group. Advent Children reminds us that our children are important because the future depends on them.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is one of the finest cinematic spectacles I've ever seen and it is easily the best CG film ever made. The settings are extremely detailed and Square-Enix did not cut a single corner. The environments and the characters look so real, it's easy to forget that you’re watching a movie. The action scenes are refreshingly over the top, the soundtrack is solid, and while the original movie was already a testament to Japanese CG films, the additions that were made to this "complete" version made it even better. I highly recommend this film even if you've already seen the original Advent Children.