FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN
Starring the voices talents of: Ming-Na, Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin and Donald Sutherland
Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi
Running Time: 111 mins
Available to buy on DVD 21st January 2002
2065, 40 years earlier Earth had been hit by a large meteor. Soon after people started dying for unexplained reasons until Dr Sid (Sutherland) discovered that the giant rock contained invisible life forms. These Phantoms then spread across the earth killing two thirds of the population. Humans had struggled to fight back but they now than two plans of attack, the Military option under the command of General Hein (Woods) or the scientific approach pioneered by Dr. Sid and Dr. Aki Ross (Ming-Na) However, the Phantom threat is escalating and they are running out of time to save the Earth.
The movie that is supposed to herald the end of the live-action actor is here but does it live up to the hype, simply no. The computer graphics are the best yet seen on the big screen, with the backgrounds and lead character designs setting a new standard for any future production. The problem comes when you look at the supporting characters, they seem to have had far less time and development placed upon them than the main protagonists of the picture. What also let’s the whole thing down is the simplicity of the story, while the premise itself is very good, the complete lack of any back-story means you never really have any understanding of how many of the on-screen relationships came to be. This is a shame because what we have here is good Sci-Fi movie that will only ever be talked about in relation to its visuals and nothing else.
What you are left with is a highly enjoyable visual spectacle that in the long-run, probably won’t have the staying power of the other computer-generated movies, like Toy Story and Shrek, because its lack of a really good script and character development.
3D Interactive Documentary with Linkouts. Featuring a 30 minute documentary covering 'The Making of Final Fantasy'; 'Hironobu Sakaguchi's Spiritual Vision; the 'Technology of Square Pictures'; and the 'World of Final Fantasy' with an additional 60 minutes of link outs to 17 information pods which include Face Wraps, Concepts, Pre-concept Art, Sets & Props and Compositing Demos
Final Fantasy "Shuffler" - Become the filmmaker by re-editing a pivotal scene from the film. Complete the edit and play back your final cut
Further featurettes including 'The Gray Project', 'Matte Art Explorations', 'Compositing Builds' and 'Boards and Blasts'
Joke Outtakes
Final Fantasy Thriller Music Video (Kelly's Thriller)
Mini-Movie: Aki's Dream
Alternative Opening Sequence
7 in-depth character files
Three vehicle scale comparisons (Bandit, Quatro, Black Boa)
DVD Rom Features which include an Interactive Film Exploration, a virtual tour of Square pictures, screen savers and a complete draft of the screenplay
Interactive menu & Scene access
5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
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