Final Fantasy is a legendary video game series that just about every gaming fan has heard of. Whenever you think of an RPG, Final Fantasy will be the first series that pops into your head. The series practically defines the genre and has had many excellent games in the past. (With more coming in the future) After the…interesting Final Fantasy film that had come out earlier, Advent Children was definitely a welcomed surprise. This time the film was going to be set in the VII continuity. (While we still struggle to find out where they got the Spirits Within plot from!) The movie is set after the Final Fantasy VII game so it is definitely exciting to see what the characters have done with their lives after the game ended.

Immediately you can tell that this won’t be your average CGI film (Not usually a big fan of those) and the animation is very well done. A battle scene happens almost immediately between Cloud and a gang of newcomers. The fight scene is definitely intense and a nice foreshadowing of what is to come. It effortlessly blows away just about any other CGI film and we’re just at the opening scene! After the fight, we find out that Cloud is now part of a mail delivery service. After some discussions between Cloud and a character that may surprise some people, we go to another scene.

Tifa and Denzel are waiting for Cloud, but it’s been a while since he returned. They are attacked by one of the new villains and it’s the only pure hand to hand fight in the movie. I like hand to hand fights (Almost as much as sword fights) and it was pretty good. Cloud heads to the Forgotten City and takes on the three villains. Of course the battle did feature hostages and interference from another character so the conclusion wasn’t completely satisfactory.

The climax happens soon after and the villains summon the legendary Bahamut SIN! From there on, the rest of the film is really just one large action scene. We get to see many cameos from the VII cast and they all pitch in to help. Cloud’s big battle against the three adversaries is epic and they’re battling while atop motorcycles and moving at high speeds. (Cloud will always be the strongest Final Fantasy protagonist!)

The soundtrack in this film was incredible and I like just about every one of the tracks. Sephiroth’s new remix was great and it definitely made his scenes have a very grand scale effect. During the last battle we also get a pretty good track by the name of J-E-N-O-V-A which is pretty fast paced and fun to listen too.

Once again I’ve got to say that the fight scenes were spectacular. They’re the best that I’ve ever seen from a CGI film and I doubt that it will be surpassed anytime soon. The fight scenes were very fast paced, but you could still follow along and really feel every blow.

Cloud reprises his role as the main character from the games and he’s a solid lead. He’s definitely not as happy in this film, but he still proves himself as a hero. Sometimes he may appear uncaring, but when he knows that someone’s in danger, he’ll head off right away. He’s battling through a sickness the whole time, but he never complains about it and fights to his last breath. His swordsmanship is definitely excellent and while he’s constantly outnumbered, he always holds his own.

Denzel is a boy that gets some decent screentime. I wouldn’t call him a bad character, but he wasn’t that necessary to the film. He was just there to be there I suppose. Aside from Cloud, Tifa was really the only hero to have her own fight. It was a good battle and she got to show off her super strength, but I would have liked the fight to be a little longer. It was still a pretty good role overall and while I think that she could have helped in the climax (Make it 2-3 odds) at least she helped against the Bahamut. Cloud’s other friends get cameos to help, but they’re really too small to be mentioned that much. Vincent had one critical scene, but I would have liked him to fight some more. (If you’ve played Dirge of Cerberus then you will know just how much he could have helped)

The three villains are all right. I definitely don’t like them as characters, but they’re good as villains. Kadaj is pretty much the leader of the trio and he tends to call the shots. His skills are definitely not as good as Cloud’s and in a one on one fight, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Not to say that he’s weak. He’s a very powerful fighter and he would do good in many other franchises, but against Cloud he never stood a chance. Luckily for him, he’s got his two backup members. The three of them tend to gang up on Cloud during their fights. Loz has super speed, which is pretty cool to watch, Yazoo is the group’s long range fighter, and Kadaj is the close combat fighter. Together they make a very dangerous fighting force. The monster known as the Bahamut SIN also appears and he has a decently cool design. It was a good way to bring in the whole cast together to fight him, but he’s definitely not one of the stronger characters in the film. Still, he’s a decent addition if you like seeing monsters battle.

Sephiroth is naturally the villain that sticks out from the rest. His first scene set the tone immediately. (Catching Cloud’s powerful slash with his bare hands) He is leagues ahead of any other villain in terms of power and speed. His skills even seem to surpass Cloud’s by a considerable margin and it feels like he’s toying with him the whole time. Sephiroth is pretty awesome and I can see why he’s a fan favorite. I agree that he’s one of the best Final Fantasy characters out there. All of his scenes are extremely epic and he knows how to be dramatic.

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children is currently my favorite CGI film and one of the greatest films of all time. The action scenes are very good and the animation is definitely excellent. Cloud’s ultimate attack is stunning and it’s an attack that you will remember for a long time. I highly recommend this film to all viewers and Final Fantasy fans will get a kick out of it. Even if you haven’t played Final Fantasy before and you don’t recognize the references to the past, don’t worry about it! It’s still a very enjoyable film and you’ll end up liking Cloud by the end. If you want a little extra action I recommend buying the Blu Ray version. It’s uncut and features some additional scenes that help you enjoy the overall experience even more. I’ve watched this film many times over the years and I’ll continue to watch it at least once a year.

Overall 9/10

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