Anime UK News :: Review of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Anime Quick Information

Title:	Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
UK publisher:	Columbia Tristar
Genre:	Action, Sci-Fi
Studio:	Square Enix
Type:	Movie
Director:	Tetsuya Nomura
Year:	2005
Running Time:	1hr 40mins

Average Rating: 7.68

Paul's review

Paul scored this with 5/10. Disagree?

"Reunion" is a word used through out Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and that's exactly what this movie is; a reunion of old friends on screen and a reunion for old fans off it. Disappointingly that leaves Final Fantasy newbies like me out in the cold; for a movie animated with such lavish detail, it's such a shame that Square Enix decided to so narrow the scope of Advent Children, ultimately reducing it to little more than fan service and eye candy. This could have been so much more.

Set two years after the events of the Final Fantasy VII video game, Planet Earth is a mixture of barren wasteland and half shattered cities. An emotionally crippled Cloud Strife is haunted by the death of his beloved old friend Aerith and the rest of humanity is dogged by a strange plague known as the Geo-stigma.

Early on we also meet a grey haired trio of villains lead by an obviously insane young man called Kadaj. They are searching for their "mother", other wise known as the "Calamity from the Sky"; Jenova.

So now the race is on; Kadaj and his comrades are looking to again grasp the power of Jenova and destroy Earth and Cloud, mired in emotional turmoil, is our only savoir- but first he must overcome his grief and once again embrace his compassion for life.

We may as well confirm what you should already know; Advent Children looks fantastic. Square Enix deserves an amount of praise just for the sheer detail that has gone into this; every character design, every fabric and every texture is a considered work of art, full of natural fluidity and shaded with an intense detail. It still looks undeniably like Japanese anime, but I think this is the first time I've seen human characters so expensively depicted in CG with such a serious, realistic spin. The first 10 minutes of Advent Children are an education in mind blowing animation, but then the story (or lack there of) kicks in.

To be honest, the plot isn't nearly half as cryptic as I had expected it to be. Sure, there were a few technical terms that flew over my head, but any crippling confusion was put to rest by an early narration sequence that essentially summarised what happened two years prior. The themes of the movie itself aren't too hard to grasp either; feeling the pain of losing a loved one, learning to get over said loss and approach life with renewed enthusiasm.

My real disappointment in Advent Children is just that it's a generic action movie; we are told the villains hate Earth, but no compelling reasons are provided. The entire story seems based on the whim of a madman; "I just woke up today and decided that I hated everything". Characters like Vincent Valentine and Reno flit in and out of the story, often muttering a few lines for their fans but basically adding nothing to the story. It's a cliché plot, sprinkled with flashy, slow-mo action scenes, in which good takes on evil and I shouldn't need to tell you how it all ends; a Hollywood movie star like Arnold Schwarzenegger could (and possibly should) have voiced Cloud. This whole movie is just an excuse to see the Final Fantasy characters do stuff; an unambitious and empty example of fan pandering.

In Summary

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is another example of an anime movie that looks stunning but suffers badly from a cliché and frankly dull story. It's such a shame because had Square Enix had dared to take a chance here, Advent Children could well have gone on to global success- but as it stands, this has limited appeal; one for the avid Final Fantasy fans, Advent Children is merely an average action movie notable only for it's visual splendour and nothing more.

Screenshots (click to pop out)

Review Information

Score:	5 out of 10
Review By:	Paul
Date Published:	Sun, 23 Apr 2006

30 responses to our review of "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children"

1. Comment by ssxpro

As the reviewer says, the movie is made for fans of the final fantasy series, but that's fine for those of us who've played through Final Fantasy VII. I had my expectations a little high when I saw this the first time and I also made the mistake of watching it in English which really wasn't as good as I'd been told. However, the next day, I gave the movie another try and put the original Japanese language on. This did the trick - it really went down well the second time and moved from a possible 7 or 8 out of 10 to a definite 10. I just had to give it a chance and let myself drift back into the world of FFVII.

I agree with the reviewer above though that for newcomers its not all that and also for those with very firm expectations of what a sequel to FFVII should be it can feel a bit weird, but for a small group of people, including myself, this movie just hits the spot and I'm happy to rate it so highly.

Posted on Mon, 24 Apr 2006. ssxpro rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

2. Comment by kupoartist

A movie that epitomises style over substance, but for the fact that the style itself is severely lacking. One and a half hours of silly back-flipping-action-scenes with a Pritt-Stick degree of story-cement make this film a swaying tower of crap waiting to come crashing down upon you. Like spectating a game of Unreal Tournament 2004 for 1 1/2 hours, with better graphics, but below-par design work. Even hardcore FF fans will be disillusioned, but the FF name has sold turd before and it will now. And don't worry: all your favourite characters are back for some pointless cameo. Or worse; they're the ones speaking the bull-shit plot.

Posted on Mon, 24 Apr 2006. kupoartist rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 4 out of 10.

3. Comment by Dai

Advent Children lays its cards on the table in its opening seconds by literally stating that this is for the fans of FFVII. If you've never played FFVII, this film will leave you cold. If you're one of those people who claim to be an FF fan but bitch about every entry in the series besides 6, you will hate this film. But if you loved FFVII and have just been longing for another glimpse back into that world, this Reunion is for you.

It's the antithesis of The Spirits Within. That film eschewed the Final Fantasy trademark style for the kind of cold realism that Square thought would garner mainstream appeal. Advent Children swings totally the other way, relishing in all the stylistic flourishes of the games to the exclusion of all else. It's blatant, unambitious, unabashed fan serive in a concentrated state. As someone who has played through FFVII seven times, it's exactly what I wanted. My only regret is that this won't be the film to legitimise Square's cinematic endeavours because it leaves so many potential viewers out of the party.

Posted on Mon, 24 Apr 2006. Dai rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 8 out of 10.

4. Comment by The Always Manic Foz

If you have never played the game then fair enough it won't mean anything, but if thats the case why are you watching it in the first place?

I have to complain about the comment made in the review that the events of the game are "essentially summarised" because they really aren't, the is a world of depth and complexity not mentioned in the film, including why the villians hate the planet, so I emplore everyone to PLAY THE GAME before they see the film.

In the end the film was exactly what the fans wanted so it is a fantastic in that it does what it was supposed to do!

Overall I thought it was brilliant!

Posted on Mon, 24 Apr 2006. The Always Manic Foz rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 9 out of 10.

5. Comment by Paul

"The Always Manic Foz wrote:
If you have never played the game then fair enough it won't mean anything, but if thats the case why are you watching it in the first place?"

Because I'm an anime fan and this is one of the most hyped movies of the last few years. Although I agree Advent Children is aimed purely at the fans, that shouldn't mean the rest of us are left out in the cold. And besides, I'm sure even for the fans, this wasn't the epic spectacle they were hoping for. Even if I was familiar with the characters and their back-stories, I doubt this would hide what is essentially a generic, limp action movie.

If you want a good example of a movie/OVA series that takes a group of established characters and makes them appealing for both new and old fans, look no further than the Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal OVAs.

Posted on Mon, 24 Apr 2006. Paul rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 5 out of 10.

6. Comment by aniki

I agree with pretty much everything here... if Advent Children had taken a couple of minutes at the start to give some background on who the characters were - we don't need their entire life stories - instead of slapping a half-hearted and thoroughly confusing recap of in-game sequences on the DVD, I'd have been much more comfortable with it as a whole.

The number of assumptions the movie made about what I knew was pretty unforgivable, though.

Posted on Mon, 24 Apr 2006. aniki rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 6 out of 10.

7. Comment by cell21

One for ff fans, but if you havn't played it you would find it confusing for story,character but some kickass animation.

Posted on Tue, 25 Apr 2006. cell21 rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 5 out of 10.

8. Comment by Tessai

Love FF7
Didn't expect much (due to terrible reviews) but was pleasantly surprised.

Posted on Tue, 25 Apr 2006. Tessai rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 8 out of 10.

9. Comment by Red XIII

Yes, it's aimed at the fans but that doesn't mean all fans will necessarily enjoy it- I still have a soft spot for FF7 as the first proper RPG I played, but even so I can find little good to say about this film. The graphics are impressive, but the plot is so nonsensical and paper thin that the film would have been better off without it, the action scenes are so over the top that I found it hard to suspend my disbelief, and the music takes perfectly good tracks from the game and comes up with inferior remixed versions. I couldn't sit through all of this in one sitting first time around, and it has only decreased in my estimation since.

Posted on Tue, 25 Apr 2006. Red XIII rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 2 out of 10.

10. Comment by Ramen89

Im a big FF fan (7 in particular) and this was exactly what i was expecting, a feature length movie of cloud and co beating the crap out of various people, the animation was astounding and the music was great, yes there was practically no story but I couldnt care less, I dont think i would have been able to take my eyes off the gorgeous graphics to actually take in a complex story.

Posted on Wed, 26 Apr 2006. Ramen89 rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 8 out of 10.

11. Comment by t0ffe3m4n

I thought that it was a decent movie, considering im not really a fan of the Final Fantasy franchise. Having said that, I do believe that it is grossly overrated by certain groups of people in the community..

Posted on Wed, 26 Apr 2006. t0ffe3m4n rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 7 out of 10.

12. Comment by Martin

The animation is absolutely fantastic (next best thing to live action in terms of realism) and there are some well-choreographed action scenes but for those of us who aren't familiar with the original game the character cameos and paper-thin plot won't have much to offer beyond the visual 'wow' factor - as a result it's a treat for the eyes but that's as far as it goes.

Definitely one for the fans.

Posted on Sun, 30 Apr 2006. Martin rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 6 out of 10.

13. Comment by red head

question: Does "Final Fantasy 7: Advent Candle" come in an english version?

Posted on Sun, 14 May 2006. red head rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

14. Comment by Paul

red head wrote:
question: Does "Final Fantasy 7: Advent Candle" come in an english version?

Yes, the DVD comes with an English dub as well as the original Japanese track.

Posted on Sun, 14 May 2006. Paul rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 5 out of 10.

15. Comment by KK

Do not believe what is written in the comments here. Fair enough the story is not one of the strongest but that does not stop this film from being one of the most impressive things you will have ever seen if you give it a chance. Highly recommended.

Posted on Wed, 17 May 2006. KK rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

16. Comment by Nightmare of the Baten Kaitos Forums

This anime is awome it's what Final Fantasy 7 fans have been waiting years for it has an excelent plot that finishes the Final Fantasy 7 story off with a great end. It lots of action and a great graphics especially in the japanese credits. To call it a cliche would be wrong in my opinion, I loved this film. Even people my freinds that have never watched a 3D anime before who gave this film 10 out of 10. So If you like Final Fantasy or have just started watching anime. I'd advise you to get this film It's cool.

Posted on Sun, 28 May 2006. Nightmare of the Baten Kaitos Forums rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

17. Comment by Thousand Sword

This is best film ever, which I say because FFVII is the best game ever. But seriously the site review is stupid because the badguys didn't just wake up one morning and hate everything as you said. Such plot details were explained in the original game, so we already know the plot. Advent Children isn't just a stand alone film, but a rather a sequel. As with most multi-part stories, you need to see the previous parts to understand the plot. Also there is more to the plot than you might first think. There is a plot analysis on gamefaqs.com if ya wanna look. There's only so much story you can fit in a film. If you thought you would get a thorough explanation of 40+ hours of gaming then you're mistaken.

Posted on Mon, 29 May 2006. Thousand Sword rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

18. Comment by Cornixt

Have to agree with the reviewer. It looks absolutely fantastic, but the plot was complete nonsense to me since I haven't played the game. watching the 30 minute bonus sequence, which was basically highlights of the game, explained everything so much better than anything in the film. Oh, so that's why that guy is a moody idiot. Ah, so that's why a load of random people just turned up out of the blue. The character motivations are still rather silly though.

The action sequences were often so quick that you couldn't tell who was hitting who. The crowd scene is a bit silly where everyone just runs around in circles for 10 minutes - leave the town square and you won't be killed, for krissakes!

A completely wasted opportunity. If you haven't paly FF then you might as well watch it in Japanese without any subtitles, it will make no difference.

Posted on Tue, 30 May 2006. Cornixt rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 3 out of 10.

19. Comment by Catalyst

It's an ok movie for the graphics and music, but when you find a plot please do inform me. ;-[

Posted on Wed, 31 May 2006. Catalyst rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 5 out of 10.

20. Comment by Sigil

Quite simply a movie not meant for the idiotic masses or final fantasy 7 ignorant. The movie has e respectable plot mostly short due to the fact that the game itself was the main arch for the development of the plot and the movie is just about the reunion of the characters. Even if the movie was 3 hours long the Square Enix team would have been hard pressed to create an entirely new and captivating plot out of an already extremely complicated one (from the game) have all the fights which are neccesary for all the fans to see how their fave characters move and react and finally make it dumbed down to suit those who haven't played the game.

Quite simply if you haven't played the game then why watch the movie? I wouldn't give an anime series 3 or 4 out of ten because i decided it was cheaper to buy the last volume and then complain the story didn't make sense. The story has to be viewed in its entirity. And for everyone who complains about the action not looking realistic enough watch the damn extras, it clearly states they were going for an all out less realistic approach where what looks cool is ok. Final fantasy advent children was also modelled off a game (not life) so doesn't have to abide by realistic constraints and that should be taken into account.

Posted on Thu, 1 Jun 2006. Sigil rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 9 out of 10.

21. Comment by Ron

To be fair, even for someone like me who knows the story, the story they used in the film is rather silly, the script even worse.

There is nothing on the sleeve to indicate that it is so dependent on knowing the game, so it is understandable that people could think they'd get a stand alone film like the Spirits Within. Pretty much any Hollywood sequel has enough to satisfy people who didn't see the previous films or tv series, so why should the only people to understand it be the ones who spent 50+ hours playing a computer game? It wouldn't have been that hard to add a little more explanation for those new to the story (just another 30 seconds could have done it) , and it would have widened the market considerably (and stop your friends from saying "What the hell was that all about?"), paving the way for more films that look this good.

Posted on Tue, 6 Jun 2006. Ron rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 4 out of 10.

22. Comment by Sigil

50+ hours in a game does not convert to 30 seconds in a movie, i found the plot to be decen if not slightly simple you must have just not understood it. Either way its not the plot of the movie but the plot of the game that counts this was known as a format switch sequel, a sequel to the game in another format because fans wanted a remake or sequel but it would have took too long so they gave them this instead to try and quench their thirst. It failed we all still want a game sequel but i'm rambling so quite simply its not for everyone, think of it as an expansion pack on a PC don't play it till you played the original.

Posted on Mon, 19 Jun 2006. Sigil rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 1 out of 10.

23. Comment by Sigil

ignore my above rating of one i love the movie and that was an accident SorrySorrySorrySorry

Posted on Mon, 19 Jun 2006. Sigil rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 9 out of 10.

24. Comment by ShihouinVann

anyway, having the back story about sepiroth and how he was stopped at nuimblem(excuse my spelling) basicly fills in most of the plot since the rest of the story of the game is filler so you dun get bored(even tho quite a bit is so you get to understand the little things). however they didnt go into detail about how speiroth was REALLY defeated or how arith died with all the drama surrounding her
overall its a great movie(even with its loose story plot from after the numbilem incident) it desurves at lest a 8 or more, i like it more so im giving it a 10^^
and plus ITS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE A SEQUAL NOT AN ENTIRLY NEW MOVIE! its not really for people who didnt play the game but they can watch it to show them the wonders of animation^^

Posted on Thu, 17 Aug 2006. ShihouinVann rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

25. Comment by ShihouinVann

also i bet all the reviews that are lower than 6/10 are from people who havent played the game so that tells you PLAY THE GAME FIRST! but beware it takes well over 50+ hours of gameplay which makes it wothwhile in the end
you would be able tto understand what the villains are about, the charaters and also what the hell is going on with genova:P

Posted on Thu, 17 Aug 2006. ShihouinVann rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

26. Comment by ShihouinVann

and if the reviewer ever reads this again.... u completely suck>_>

Posted on Thu, 17 Aug 2006. ShihouinVann rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

27. Comment by CitizenGeek

A true masterpiece from Square Enix. I've played FFVII and I loved it - it's world, characters and story are unparalled so seeing it in this way, in Advent Children, is a brilliant experience. The music and visuals were, of course, astounding. Advent Children has all I wanted in a movie sequel and concludes Cloud's story very well. There are some very powerful moments in AC and all this is why I give it a ten. I simply can't review this film objectively - believe me, I tried.

Posted on Mon, 19 Mar 2007. CitizenGeek rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

28. Comment by nonFanboi

It seems that only FF fanboys give it high marks, so maybe only they should watch it. 3 points for the visuals, 0 points for everything else.

Posted on Mon, 26 Mar 2007. nonFanboi rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 3 out of 10.

29. Comment by Vicent Valantine

well i just have to say your all full of crap this was a excellent film for fans and people who have never seen it before but come on who hasnt played ff7 its perhaps the greatest RPG out there and if you watch the bonus features you can see what happened in the game

Posted on Thu, 12 Apr 2007. Vicent Valantine rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 10 out of 10.

30. Comment by Randomer

Felt a little hollow to me since I never played the game (it realy is for the fans). However, considering I approached it with grave expectations I walked away surprisingly entertained

Posted on Sat, 8 Dec 2007. Randomer rated "Final Fantasy VII: Advent...": 6 out of 10.

Post your response to our review of "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children"

Name:

Your rating of "Final Fantasy VII: Advent..."?:
out of 10
Your Comment:

Word Verfication:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.

Editorial Spotlight

A moment of stillness: the appeal of iyashikei
	After being lured into anime fandom through hard-edged science fiction and edge-of-your-seat action-fests I've always wondered how exactly I started to gravitate towards the.. Read more (1 comments)
Great Artwork, Clear Storytelling, An Involving Cast of..
	Great Artwork, Clear Storytelling, An Involving Cast of Characters… Del Rey Manga Round-Up Spring 2008 I really love the.. Read more (1 comments)
Review of Fairy Tail #1
	Spanking new from Del Rey comes ‘Fairy Tale’, the eagerly anticipated new manga by Hiro Mashima ( www.delreymanga.com ) . Mashima is already known in the west as the.. Read more
Review of Ergo Proxy #5
	The story of Ergo Proxy had always split its attention between the events within the domed city of Romdo, a cold, mechanical dystopia closed off from the world, and the bleak.. Read more (0 comments)

Latest Reviews

Ergo Proxy #5 (0)

Ergo Proxy #4 (2)

Fantastic Children #4 (0)

Manga Reviews

The Enigma of Amigara Fault

[View ALL manga reviews]

Nakama Britannica

Nakama Britannica is a blog aggregator populated by the Anime UK News communty.

Divine 70% Dark Chocolate Bar by Doberman Pharaoh

qwerty by Espy

the GazettE: Music, drama and.. by Manga Girls

View all posts at Nakama Britannica

Latest Updates

Wednesday, 14 May

FUNimation get Gunslinger Girl 2, plus much more

Speed Racer flops at box-office; woe for live-ac anime films

Pick up a free copy of highly rated UK fanzine MAMEzine

[News Archive]

Got news?

Got some news? E-mail it to news@AUKN

Upcoming UK Releases

[View Full Schedule]
Mon, 19 May 2008
Hell Girl #2	Revelation Films
Mushishi #4	Revelation Films
Negima: Complete Box Set	Revelation Films
Mon, 26 May 2008
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya #1	Beez
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya #1 Special Edition	Beez
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Box Set 2	Beez
Mon, 2 Jun 2008
Appleseed Ex Machina	Warner Home Video UK
Bleach: Series 1 Box Set	Manga Ent.
Voltron: Defenders of the Universe Collection 1: Blue Lion	Manga Ent.
Mon, 9 Jun 2008
Black Cat #5	MVM Films