THE COLD SPOT
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
(2001)

Synopsis

In order to free Earth from the grip of conquering alien ghosts, a brave doctor and several members of the military must free the earth's mystical spirit.

Subgenres: science-fiction, philosophical
Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Moto Sakakibara
Writers: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Al Reinert, Jeff Vintar, Jack Fletcher
Cast: Ming-Na, Alec Baldwin


Reviews

Average Grade
3-5/5
Jack Witzig
Atmosphere
Gore
Humor
Scares
Tension
2-5/5
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is, without a doubt, the movie that is most like a video game. Not like the Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II that I played in my parents' game room in the early nineties; like the cinema graphics of video games five years from now. The characters in this film are practically photorealistic; at times they don't move entirely like humans (ironically, they're too smooth) but they look frighteningly like them. Final Fantasy is marvelous, visually speaking--let's get that out of the way.

Unfortunately, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within also invokes its video game relatives in terms of plot. I still can't figure the damn thing out, and I was a National Merit nominee. The plot is something about the spirit housed in every living thing, and that some of these spirits are extra special--pure, I guess--and within these hold the salvation of an Earth plagued by evil spirits. It's all well-intentioned ecologically-themed nonsense, but it's really just an excuse to show off the CGI and to let James Woods's voice chew scenery. By the time the finale (which reminded me, in an odd way, of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) rolled around, I had aroused myself from sleep at least once. So let's say it's spectacle without enough story. (Jan 8, 2001)

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Information

Based on the Final Fantasy series of games, which is up to ten and counting, not to mention spin-offs.

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