Hironobu Sakaguchi's film is taken from the popular Final Fantasy video game franchise, which is particularly well suited to film adaptation with its series of original stories, but the movie features entirely new characters and settings. And like Toy Story and Shrek, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is completely computer generated. Unlike those cartoon comedies, though, The Spirits Within is a serious science fiction drama with astonishingly human digital actors. Aki, the female lead, appeared in a full-page spread in Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list--and was indistinguishable from the real-life models. The setting and conflict make for incredible action, but it's the larger issues, character interaction, and human elements that really make the movie shine. The Spirits Within is not simply a science fiction movie, in the same way that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is not simply a kung fu flick. The result is a fantastic summer movie with better action and more emotion than Pearl Harbor, and actors more lifelike than those in that other video game movie, Tomb Raider. --Mike Fehlauer

The plot is simple. An asteroid falling to earth carries within it a host of phantom creatures that seem hell bent on destroying earthly life. Civilization has been reduced to living in shielded enclaves, and it is only a matter of time before the planet becomes a haunted wasteland. Aki Ross and her mentor, Dr. Sid, are working on the creation of a neutralizing 'wave' based on the eight basic phantom life forms. General Hein does not trust Dr. Sid's theories about a Gaia, or planetary spirit, and wants to use a huge orbital laser cannon to destroy the original meteor, possible destroying the earth in the process. The conflict between these points of view and their shattering effects on the planet are the meat of the film.

Captain Gray Edwards, once Aki's lover, crystallizes this struggle between the material world of violent reaction and the spiritual world of growth and synthesis. The film plays a bit like an evolved 'Starship Troopers.' In many ways, it presents the same visual image, and deals with the same issues. The problem for the director and the viewer is to get past the magnificent graphic work to experience the abiding spiritual faith that is its meaning. Ironically, the film itself is a metaphor for the issues it expresses.

It is almost futile to discuss the film's animation and design. They are so far above what we are used to that the required superlatives sound trite. In essence, the animation staff set out to create something that is even more real than life, and to a great extent, they have succeeded. This hyperrealism, combined with an almost ballet like feeling of choreography create a sense of moment that makes this seem far more than an action film. The overall animation is carefully balanced so as to keep the focus on the characters. Even so, this film has such a sensory effect that the viewer is tempted to forget the plot and simply observe the screen.

The primary DVD provides the film and a whole set of commentaries (directing crew, animation and staging, composer, and production staff), plus the usual trailers, etc. In the special edition, a second disk adds an extensive 'Making of...' segment, the entire screenplay and some analysis of character, vehicle, and prop design. Technically, this is an important film, despite its simplistic plot and characters. For the first time, the definition of what is acting and what is animation is being challenged in a thought provoking fashion.


An under-appreciated, and totally underrated movie   August 1, 2004
 31 out of 39 found this review helpful

One of the best computer generated films I have ever seen. Final Fantasy - the Spirits Within was a joy to watch.

It was exciting, funny, poignant, exciting, romantic, joyful, future hopeful and totally mesmerising from start to finish.

With great actors voicing the animated heroes, we are treated to a state of the art adventure in which earth has been decimated by alien phantoms and the only hope for the survival of the human race are eight earth bound energy-spirits that can stop what only be described as Armageddon.

The exquisite Dr Aki Ross along with cynical but mostly good hearted Captain Edwards and his band of disparate marines set out to find these spirits before the megalomaniac General Hein can ruin any chance Earth has for survival.

The graphics are absolutely stunning, the animated characters look so life like you find yourself doing a double take all the time. Aki Ross is especially life like and Captain Edwards positively smoulders on screen but then his character is voiced over by the sexy Alec Baldwin who can still make any red blood female go weak at the knees!

The ending is superb as well as being heart breaking; no one can forget the scene when Captain Edwards lays down his life for the woman he loves and not just to save the world. Romance at its best in my opinion, animated or not!

I also just love the combining of philosophy, nature, science and technology together and the musical score gets a ten out of ten too.

I wish I could have seen this film on the big screen but I only got to see it when it came out on DVD.

A much underrated, under appreciated film that is yet again far too intelligent for your average moronic movie goer.




Why Final Fantasy = Fantastic Failure...   October 23, 2001
 29 out of 42 found this review helpful

In the promotional posters and commercials for this film, it's one liner was "Fantasy becomes reality on Jully 11, 2001." That's where the problems started. I personaly believe that fantasy should never be mistaken for reality and that the two should never cross over or meet. That basic principle is what has made the Final Fantasy video games (yes, all ten of them) such a tremendous succes. The video games all had different stories with different characters and different worlds, but one thing always stayed the same... the stories and setting were always pure fantasy. Magic, dragons, and wizards were common place in each new Fianl Fantasy world that came with every new game. But you see, Square (the makers of the games and the movie) assumed that in order to get the general public (or anyone who's never played a Final Fantasy game) into the theaters to see this movie that they had to ground this new story in a level of reality that all people could easily come to accept and understand. So they placed thier story on Earth. Instead of main characters runing around with tails (F.F.9) we have main characters who work for the United States Military and who live in the city of New York. Instead of characters casting lighting spells to dispose of enemys (as in almost all F.F. games) we have people firing guns, cannons, and other assorted weaponry. This angle could have worked if the story could have stayed within the boundries of it's set reality, but instead it ends up going places that it really has no right to go. The story takes a mystical if not magical approach to the human spirit, the earth on which we live, what happens after we die, and the real reason we're even alive. Square has been writing stories about these themes ever sence Final Fantasy 1 on the Nintendo Entertianment System but has never tried to place such a story right in the middle of the reality in which you and I both live and exsist. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within ended up costing Square over 150 million dollars to make. The film only made about 30 million in the U.S. and only made a little better than 25 million over seas. The technology of photo-realistic computer-generated people and settings was not enough to tempt people into the theaters to see this movie. Sure, all the Final Fantasy fans and fanatics were there opening day and opening weekend but after that it was pretty much over. People who did go to see it for the computer graphics accomplishments didn't like or couldn't understand the story and message the film was trying to communicate to the audiance. The game fans got the message because they have experianced this kind of story many times before in the many Final Fantasy video games, but no one else understood what was happening... all they could do was sit back and watch the computer-generated magic on the screen and say, "Wow." You see, I'm a Final Fantasy fanatic and have played the games for a very long time. I loved the movie. In fact, I personally think it's the greatest film achivement ever accomplished (other that Citizen Kane). That still doesn't change the fact that the movie was a failure and that it caused the end of Square's dream of becoming a major movie making studio. Square Pictures was already planing a second Final Fantasy film along with a computer-generated film about the Transformers (you remeber them... the vehicals that changed into robots to save the world), but those projects won't happen now. I suppose you could say that the world of Final Fantasy is better represented by video games than it is by movies (at least, that's what I think). In early 2002, Square will realese Final Fantasy 10 for the PlayStation 2. That will get Square back on it's feet and back to doing what it does best... creating fantastic fantasy video games. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was a dream that Square had... it's sad to say that it will be the final Final Fantasy we'll ever see on the silver screen. It is a true shame because Final Fantasy is truely the greatest movie ever made. Don't beleive me? Well, I guess you'll just have to cheack it out yourself. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on this movie and I look forward to reading your thoughts about this film in this consumer review section. God bless.


So much potential, but wasted...   October 10, 2001
 22 out of 27 found this review helpful

There have been many reviews about this movie that have ranged from excellent to shoddy, but mine will fall in the middle for a couple of reasons I will get to. I'll tell you what I found cool and what I found to be lacking. First off, I saw this movie in a digital projection theater. The colors were mind-blowing to say the least. I was constantly losing track of the story because I couldn't take my focus off the spectacular animation. The animation is so rich and textured...let's just say that you have never seen anything like it-real or fabricated. It truly is amazing. The voice casting is perfect. No slackers anywhere. The idea for the story is very innovative, not just some traditional sci-fi retread. But (and there always is a but), the actual dialogue and character development are lacking. Baldwin sometimes seems like a romantic distraction for Ming Na. Is Woods' character supposed to be a sympathetic bad guy because he talks about his family before he commits his bad deeds? Come on, I know 13-year-olds who don't fall for that. The question I was left with was: "Why invest all this money in voice talent, if you give them nothing to work with?" It's a testament to the actors that they were able to pull so much out of the dialogue considering what they had to work with. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, so I won't say anything else about it. ...I enjoyed all the characters for the most part, but I wish there was more to enjoy. I know sometimes that character development is lost because the studios want to get to the next big action event, but when people don't have anything invested in the characters, it just becomes a lot noise. It's too bad because, like I said, there was plenty of sources to draw upon.

Bottom line: The best animation to date, but sorely lacking character and plot development.


Absolutley amazing!   August 28, 2001
 18 out of 19 found this review helpful

This was one of the best films I have seen in along time. The computer animation is breathtaking, and shows you that it can only get better. The story is a wonderful combination of eastern and western philosophies. This movie never dragged and had a great soundtrack.