User Reviews

Just watched it then. It is pretty damn awesome. The fights are fantastic and the magic is really cool! It's totally like a video-game in parts, with some amazing hand-to-hand combat in there.

This film is for the fans: "To those who loved this world once before and spent time with its friends, gather again and devote your time..." Besides this ominous opening, the story was not very hard to follow, and Ihave never played a Final Fantasy game. I think it pays to be familiar with Role Playing Games in general; knowledge of the genre kinda helps you grasp some of it better. I think though that if you pay attention, and accept what the film throws at you, it's quite easy to understand. There is a lot that isn't explicitly explained, and if you demand that it should be then you will probably be confused and irritated.

Watching the film is like being dropped into the middle of some grand saga, and having to put as much of the puzzle together as possible. I like that approach; you get caught up in the mystery and confusion that all the characters are going through. But like I said, just be accepting. If a weird red lion thing that talks, turns up and starts kicking ass and taking names, and the other characters just say he's an old friend, accept it and move on; you don't need a biopic flashback, or a tell-all sit-me-down. You are an observer here, of something beyond your experience and undestanding.

So: fantastic graphics and animation, great voice acting, cool video game styled music, involving story and characters, and maybe some of the coolest fights you'll see in a while. It's worth seeing, and while it IS for the fans, it is perfectly accessible for people like me that have never played the games.

Graphics: brilliant, obviously. The most stunning things were definitely NOT given away in the trailers. Fight sequences move extremely fast, but after watching a couple of them your eyes should be used to it and it won't seem so confusing. Cloud has a wide array of swords, and I kinda wish things were moving a LITTLE slower just so we could see them, because they were each incredibly detailed. Oh, and we finally get to see exactly how one equips Materia...

Music: brilliant also. I was a bit nervous about it, since (from what I've seen) Nobuo isn't the best at writing music to go along with action (remember the Steal the Tiny Bronco sequence?), but it's brilliant and it fits perfectly. I'm glad I preordered the OST. They changed the lyrics to One Winged Angel though, so you won't be able to sing along if you know the Carmina Burana Lyrics.

Plot: the first half of the movie sets up things and introduces everyone in a fairly complex tapestry, but the second half is almost entirely fight sequences, once all the players are in place. I wouldn't call it a weak plot, but it's nowhere near as convoluted as the game's plot was. I think this is in an effort to avoid trying to overshadow the game, and I think that's a good thing...the movie is its own entity, and shouldn't try to top the original in terms of sheer plot.

I admit, I was kind of hoping that this movie would bring FF7 to a wider range of people, but this is NOT a mainstream movie. I was going to give it only nine stars, just because it doesn't even really try to explain anything to newcomers...Marlene (at least I think it was Marlene...sounded like her) gives a bit of background at the beginning, but it's more of a refresher than a crash course. But then I realized, for me this movie is a 10/10, so why should I take off points just because other people probably won't like it as well...if you've played the game, or are at least passingly familiar with it, you should see this movie. But you don't need me to tell you that. If you're not familiar with it, go out and buy it, sit there for twenty hours and beat it, and then see the movie...although even without any background, it's still stunningly beautiful. You just won't get any of the inside references...which make up 50% of the movie (that is, everything that ISN'T a fight sequence).

I do not have much to say than this is a great finish to the story. Most people have said that there is not enough plot and its just eye candy.But think about it, everything was explained in FFVII you cannot add more plot to such a grand story it would ruin it. They did the best that they could do and I think that this should be taken more as A Final FMV.. the last fight.

Graphics - 10/10, Absolutely amazing

Story 8.5/10 - don't think they could of expanded it that much more. And the stuff they could put in there was clever enough I thought.

Characters 9/10 - Well most of them have already been explained during the game but still could not fit it all into 90 mins.

Sound - 10/10, since i am a metal fan I loved the fight music.. and piano just reaches right in there..It is a great ST and I was not disappointed.

Tilt/Replay 10/10 - Enjoyable every time.

Overall- 9/10 (FF Fan View 10/10)

I personally think this is what was needed, a fight to end it all.. the plot was already in place. The action was necessary as much as people complained. I loved every second of this movie. It was a pleasure to visit the world of FFVII just one last time.

Just remember this.. most movies that have been made form a game have been directed by movie directors i think this is pretty great for a team of game directors.. Don't think I've seen a better game to movie..

Thankyou Square, I think you did it right!

This movie was absolute garbage. Sure the animation was nicely done, but once you got past the "ooh-ahh" factor of how you can see little details like the characters' reflections in puddles of water, you realize this is a movie with little characterization, choppy editing, gaping plot holes and characters you could care less about. Unless you are a fan of the game of course. This is the main problem with the film: unless you have played or are passingly familiar with the game, none of it makes any earthly sense whatsoever. The viewer is given very little background or motivation for the characters or the plot itself for that matter, so even when there are spectacular battle scenes being staged, they have little or no impact because you don't really care about the outcome. There's no tension, no anticipation, no nothing. Just pretty pictures of people doing the impossible and kicking the crap out of each other or some demon or other. I actually bought this movie after having seen and marginally liked Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and on the recommendation of some friends of mine who are fans of the game. I was assured that, since this one was more faithful to the game than the previous movie, that it would be much better. I beg to disagree. Because it wasn't tied too closely with the Final Fantasy mythology, the first film was infinitely easier to follow. I was at least interested in the plight of the characters and intrigued to see where the story would go, even if I was ultimately disappointed in its conclusion. In all, I found this movie to be terrible and a complete waste of my money. My copy of it is now probably resting comfortably in the discount used DVD bin at some second-hand video store.

The Japanese Film Festival for this year opened with an anime from the wildly popular Final Fantasy series. No, not that atrocity from the USA which premiered almost 5 years ago - the US somehow likes to remake Asian movies, but adds its own 2 cents worth to classics until they become almost unrecognizable, apart from its name. Take Godzilla for instance, that US Godzilla is NOT Godzilla. Doesn't look, move, or act like the big lizard.

If I recall correctly, this movie was recently released on DVD here, and follows the events after those that transpired from the computer game. Back during school days, I had many classmates spending their time with the games and having a field day discussing tactics. My limited knowledge of the game and characters, was just on the lead character Cloud, with his HUGE sword like weapon, which can be combined and combined some more to increase its size and functionality.

Given its heavy and rich history, watching this movie without any prior knowledge will leave you with two options - be totally confused about the plot as it contains plenty of references that cannot be covered in under two hours, or forget about those and concentrate on what is currently the present, and to admire the aesthetics of the graphics.

In a nutshell, the plot contained elements like strange viruses, the recluse hero, a multi- national corporation plundering earth for its minerals to generate power, and those who are against some environmentally unfriendly ways to make profits, super soldiers and their search for a mystical "mother", and moments which parallel Harry Potter and sequences involving his Voldermort. While the opening credits allowed you to enjoy the excellent songs featured in the soundtrack, and endless showing off of Cloud and his custom built bike, credit must be given to attempts to bring an audience up to speed with a quick summary of what had transpired in the games.

Despite its slow introduction and confusing plot, you might opt for the second way to appreciate the movie, and that's the graphics. I will not quibble, they are beautifully rendered. Character movement is extremely fluid, and there are enough moments during battles which are filled with tension, and things kept open ended most times in deciding who will turn out victorious. However, although the action is slick, they are too fast, and if you should blink, you'll probably miss the combo executions that the characters inflict on each other. To slow it down would mean the forgoing of pace, but to keep it as it is, well, depends on your mind's ability to decode images seen by the eye in record time.

Keeping to the theme of friendship, this movie has its share of chest-thumping moments were camaraderie comes alive. However, I would still go for the fact that only true-blue fans will come to enjoy this movie, as primarily, this is made for them.

Now after watching The Advent Children twice, the storyline isn't as shallow as majority has criticized it to be in my opinion. If you haven't played FFVII or disliked it for whatever reason, this movie is most likely not for you. Being familiar to the original story is a prerequisite to understanding AC fully, otherwise you will just see the greatest CG animation in your life so far.

Without actually spoiling the storyline, I must admit that after seeing AC we have been putting pieces together with my friends relying on our knowledge of FFVII. Seeing it second time allowed to actually pay attention to the story more and most of the questions we may have had were answered. Some were not. AC is clearly for FFVII players/fans and doesn't honestly try to be anything else. There is little to none realism in it outside FFVII world which serves the purpose. Music is mostly reconstructed FFVII themes with a heavier touch (TBM team according to end credits) and works well with the eye candy without exceptions. I found the music enhancing the experience added to the visual fireworks in all situations.

We all know you can't put a FFVII in 1.5 hours and keeping that in mind the storyline actually offered more to me than I expected. There are two issues at hand in FFVII : AC and both stories were wrapped up very smoothly between the action sequences. And trust me when I say there's a lot of it. Action that is.

I'm changing my vote from 9 to 10 after watching it the second time because I had missed a few explanatory sequences I couldn't put together the first time that provided some answers. As a warning, it's going to be easy to disregard the story and concentrate on graphics, but try not to judge the Adevent Children because of that. If you don't let the story in, it's no wonder it seems sloppy.

I'm not going to praise the graphics because I assume we all know they are awesome, which might be an understatement. Especially characters talk so much more with their facial expressions than ever before. I hope you pay attention to the storyline for it actually makes sense and works well with the whole. Get ready for the ride of your life, there are no breaks.

I shall begin with a disclaimer: This movie is NOT recommended for anyone who lack interest or have never played FF7 the game before watching. The movie relies on the audience's knowledge of each character in the game to convey story plot elements. And it does so very subtly. Do your homework before watching this wonderful piece of CG film and I promise it'll be that much better.

With that in mind, this film has some of the most spectacular CG sequences I have ever witnessed. The whole experience felt like an extra long FMV sequence from the game, on steroids. Yeah. The attention to detail in each scene, especially in the heavy action oriented ones, is so impeccable it left me with a sense of awe.

I believe the soundtrack is simplified so as to help the audience focus on the animation quality more than the music. Again, for those who are familiar with the FF7 story and background, the music should not surprise anyone (although the timing and placement of each soundtrack from the original accompany each scene and mood to the point where the music simply enhances the animation).

Once again, I myself having only played through FF7 once, thoroughly enjoyed this piece of art from Square Enix. And that is the feel in most scenes, choreographed and organized. Like a dance.

In short, if you enjoyed the music or the game Final Fantasy 7, this film will blow you out of the water. If you're in the unfortunate majority who has not experienced the goodness known as FF7 on Playstation or PC, doing so before watching the movie will allow for an exponentially greater experience.

Finally, I just want to make a note of the quality in animating this film. Characters move with fluidity. Each scene background comes to life and tells its own story. For those who criticize the thinness and dependency of the story plot, I urge you to reexamine the animation. Facial reactions, subtle clues that bring about another level of entertainment above the typical narration method of story plot delivery.

Square Enix and the great Tetsuya Nomura has set a new bar for quality animation and storytelling. Advent Children has ushered in a new era for CG animations, allowing the subtleties that lie in each character to speak volumes in and of themselves.

Thanks Square Enix. The wait was well worth it.

According the the other reviewers, this movie only makes sense to the fans of the original video game. Well, I knew nothing at all about that-I don't play video games, because I have a muscle condition. And I had no problem following what was going on.

It has many of the beats of a superhero movie, but with quite a bit more emotional investment (for the characters) and importance to the plot. The moments of exposition are not especially clumsy-they generally come as various characters are trying to achieve their aims.

The only clumsy thing was the dubbing. This rarely works, as the animation is mapped to the actual words, and the translation has to make compromises. I would look this up with subs instead.

Knowing nothing of the video game, I can say that this is a complete and epic tale with an interesting setting that mashes post-apocalyptic with fantasy, and this setting serves to create the power of the final scenes of the movie.

Yes I AM a FF7 fan, but how many people who watch this movie are NOT going to be? And so, I'm reviewing this movie from a FF7 fan perspective, and with no regret. (I would not know how to adequately review the movie for someone who has not played the FF7 game.)

Visuals - 10/10 I loved Advent Children. It's a sensory delight - a complete audio-video overload. The visuals were breathtaking: some feats were accomplished that I would simply have not quite thought possible with an animated feature. When the action scenes came about, they were, for lack of a more accurate word, a roller-coaster. With dramatic camera movement sweeping across from range to range, to seamlessly integrated bullet-time effects at the crucial moments, to the sheer level of detail - it's all hard to fault. The animation looks big budget, the style and imagery is awesome, and the effects at times made me forget that I was watching animation rather than live action footage. I could ramble on for hours repeating myself on the fantastic quality of the visuals, but it simply wouldn't do it any justice.

Sound - 10/10 The sound was fabulous. The voices for all the characters didn't disappoint (no one sounded silly) and the sound effects were bold and sharp. The music - from the game that (in my opinion) had the best game soundtrack EVER, transfered beautifully to the movie. Most of the memorable themes from the game are present in the movie, albeit often using different instruments to fit in better with what's going on. There was some bolder rock and slight thrash metal music over the really intense action scenes from time to time, but it all fitted in well with the movie's situation at the corresponding time.

Story - 7/10 The story and characters would be the main flaws of the movie. Both aspects were simply not up to par with the game - but then again, the game could spend 40+ hours developing these points - the movie only has about 90 minutes. As far as the story goes, the plot wasn't bad or anything, but just not as ambitious as was expected from someone who played the game through. In effect, the plot seemed rather weak in comparison. The game was so extravagant with the intricate plot twists and story progression/development, that the movie never really stood a chance to compete in the same league. Instead, the movie took the more sensible approach - to expand on the action and try to place as many inside-jokes and themes into itself instead of trying to impossibly recreate the massive story factor, which was originally such a driving force in the game. The lack of Materia usage also caused me some controversy - the story of the movie chose to use little (though not ZERO) Materia, and instead lots of supernatural fighting ability and skill. I would hope that if a sequel was made it would incorporate Materia much much more extravagantly and importantly into the film. There were also many plot holes in the movie - all which can be forgiven if you think of Advent Children as a random anime, but seem ridiculous when you realise how it was based on a game that executed plot tremendously well.

Characters - 7/10 The characters, whilst all being present in one form or another, don't necessarily shine to their true potential. There simply isn't really enough movie-time to spend with all of them. And so, all of their background stories and abilities are not entirely showcased, and in some cases, barely at all (Red and Cait Sith leave absolutely no real lasting impressions). Even Cloud, who is the focal point of the movie, I feel doesn't use enough of his familiar abilities from the game. The Materia issue is a strong reason for this. With that said, it's a joy to see the cast back in action, even if it's in such a role that doesn't utilise them to their fullest. The new characters were the ones that caused me most of the strife however - the Bad Guy Trio and the kid dude Denzel - there was a huge lack of explanation about any of them. Anyone willing to use their imagination can probably fill in the blanks with something reasonable and be done with it, but objectively speaking the issue is still there to be commented on and is therefore a little disappointing.

Value - 10/10 The replay value for this movie is excellent - I personally want to watch it again in a more bigger and louder way - bigger screen, louder volume.

Enjoyment - 10/10 Whatever the flaws of the movie, they simply weren't big enough to hinder my enjoyment of it, and I honestly think that will be the same case for most people. I enjoyed Advent Children tremendously, and encourage fellow FF7 fans to go see it.

OK. I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more. Finally, I was able to see the sequel to my all-time favorite game, Final Fantasy 7.

Final Fantasy Advent Children is a visually superb look at life after we last saw our characters save the Planet from both Sephiroth and the clutches of Shinra, Inc. We see Midgar and its inhabitants up close. Cloud, Tifa and Marlene stand out as great looking characters.

The action is fast paced and wild.

But that's where the movie goes horribly wrong. As excitingly twitchy as the movie was, it greatly lacked the psychological emotion and character development from the game. THIS WASN'T FF7! Barrett, Cid, Yuffie and Red XIII (who has no role whatsoever other than to look badly drawn) just kinda seem to be hanging out together all the time. Fans of FF7 know that this is convenient for a quick action segment, but nonsensical according to the story.

Almost all the fight scenes are attempts at fast whip cam shots as the characters fight on a concrete stage of buildings and a city square.No imagination here whatsoever. Otherwise, the movie borrows from action movies and tries loony fights on motorcycles. It's lame.

Furthermore, where's THE MAGIC?!? No ice, haste, cure, fire, berserk, NOTHING. It was like a bad martial arts movie.

Though the visual effects were beautiful, I was truly disappointed by the "we're in too much of a hurry to tell a story" plot and a complete disregard for the pathos and feel of the original story.

I wouldn't recommend that any F7 fan waste their time with Advent Children. It just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

If you've heard of Advent Children, then you probably have also heard that the movie makes absolutely no attempt to appeal to people who haven't played the game. Well, as someone who hasn't played any of the games, believe me, it's very, very true. I could never get into a video game that has turn-based fighting, but I love anime, video games, sci-fi and action films, etc…so there's no way I would pass up watching a film this good-looking, even if I'm not the intended audience. Luckily, I read a synopsis of the plot of Final Fantasy VII before watching Advent Children, and good thing too, as nothing is introduced – not the setting, not the backstory, not even the characters (there is a short narration at the beginning, but it won't make any sense to newcomers). I only wish that the plot synopsis had mentioned that the characters all have superpowers, capable of the most gargantuan of physical feats, and that in this universe, the laws of physics don't apply. Everyone seems to bounce around like Spider-man. There's a well-circulated image on the 'net of the FFVII cover retitled to "Fanboy Bull$#!% VII", and watching this film, I couldn't help but think of it constantly, because this movie is filled-to-the-brim with anime clichés. If you are attempting to watch this without playing the game, be fully prepared to suspend your disbelief to a degree you probably didn't know you were capable of. I'm a self-confessed nerd, and even I had a very hard time suspending my logic in order to enjoy the fight scenes. Characters jump around so freely, they can practically fly, throw multi-ton objects, like motorcycles, as though they were made of cardboard, and dodge and deflect bullets easily. All this, without any blood! Cloud, the main character, gets shot in the face near the beginning and all he gets is a small cut. This is the only blood in the entire movie from what I remember. In fact, Cloud gets stabbed, shot in the back, and has a building fall on him, and each time, he just shakes it off. Now I'm all for over-the-top action, but this film was so matrix/anime clichéd, that its very hard to take it seriously. See this movie while you're still young, because you won't be so easily impressed for long. Also, the irony of a turn-based game being made into a breakneck-paced action film is probably lost on most fans, but certainly not on me.

Currently, this film has a stellar rating of 7.9/10, which in my book would make it the most overrated film on IMDb. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the fanboys have turned out in record numbers to vote. So for anyone who's not played the game, don't let the rating fool you, (as many have pointed out) Advent Children DOES NOT stand on its own as a film. In fact, it barely stands as much of a sequel to the game, as (again, as many others have pointed out) the story is not continued to any significant degree from the original game. Instead, Advent Children plays more like an epilogue short story that bookends the massive plot of the original epic. It's a 20-50 hour game, followed by a measly 90 minute movie.

Yet I gave it a good rating, primarily because the CGI, animation, visuals, landscapes and action sequences are so well done and beautiful, that they deserve mounds of praise. This is Advent Children's saving grace, like The Spirits Within, it's a damn gorgeous film. And the movie is still a lot of fun, and certainly very entertaining, if not very well written. And I was able to enjoy both films primarily for these reasons. I went in expecting Square Pictures to learn from their mistakes from the first film and write a great script for this film, but I was let down. Leaving us with, now, two films that are style over substance.

And to me that's the real tragedy. To the best of my knowledge, these two Final Fantasy movies are the only feature-length CG films so far that aren't kids movies. Because of the shortcomings of these films, it prevents other serious CG films from being made. This year, you will see a dozen Shreck clones (90 minute fart jokes, marketed as high-quality family entertainment) released in theaters, and yet Advent Children, the most gorgeous CG film ever made, was not released in theaters in the US.

Square really landed this one. They didn't try to please everyone and instead focused exclusively on Final Fantasy 7 fans. And boy, are those going to be happy fans when they see this movie! The story might not be all that interesting or credible but it ties in neatly with the story of the game and has several honest-to-god funny moments!! A total surprise there and a welcome one too

There are lots of cameos and funny references to the game too. And most important of all: The fighting scenes rock so hard they could cut through diamond! They are truly the total awesomeness and would have made the movie worth it even if everything else sucked. I mean, they are some of the best ever created PERIOD.

See this movie. Bye.

PS: I know my review sounds like the ravings of a teenage girl. It was, like, totally what I intended.

8.7 out of 10

Ahh, yet another feat accomplished by Square. Final Fantasy VII :Advent Children has finally been released in Japan. As beautifully designed as it is, the film is flawed in someways. The head spinning graphics and action scenes are just as great as it was in the trailers. Yet the story had several plot-holes. Even though I am a die-hard FFVII fan, i must say even the thrill of seeing my favourite characters in their full glory does not make up for the slow/fast paced plot line. And as many have said before, this is not a movie for the Final Fantasy newbies. The addition of a prologue would have definitely added a whole new audience. Also (dont want to spoil it) some important parts of the story had been skimmed over, and in my opinion, ended too abruptly. However, one must remember that this is a HUMAN feat, and a rather difficult one, for a film thats trying to continue a legend and over come the previous Final Fantasy Movie flop "Spirits Within". For something made entirely though a computer, this was a work of art, with a little polish, that can turn into a masterpiece.

Haven't played the game? Don't bother. This is for the Final Fantasy VII fans out there that beat the game, and no other will appreciate this rare gem of a movie. Want to watch it and love it? Buy the game, beat it and then watch it. When's the last time you've seen an excellent movie based on a video game? Well, this is it.

The story takes place two years after the game and no short summaries are given to refresh your memory (though I doubt many would forget), and goes right into the one hour and forty-one minute adventure.

All your favorite characters are there, even Cait Sith. The voice acting is superb in the Japanese version, every character is cast perfectly. Cloud sounds tough and broody, Tifa sounds kind yet strong...Aeris is also perfect, she sounds exactly as I imagined. Cait Sith sounds less cute than I imagined, but worked very well.

The character models are spectacular, great textures and lighting. The environments are breathtaking and the battles are choreographed in a way to make The Matrix blush. The amazing camera work comes through in the bike chases, for example, where your eyes are just screaming in satisfaction and your lungs breathing heavily without consent.

The music is typical Uematsu quality, which means its top notch. Familiar tunes are remade to accompany Advent Children's graphical leap, which meshes with the visual aspects very well. There's even an inside joke for the fans that involves music, it'll make you smile for sure.

I did not watch it with subtitles since I'm half-Japanese so I can't say that the subtitles are any good. In Japanese, however, the dialogue is very good and every word sounds like it's coming from real living beings, not just actors. Impressive. I'll watch this again someday with subtitles to see the differences since I've played both the Japanese and American release of Final Fantasy VII.

If you are a fan of Final Fantasy VII, buy this movie the day it comes out or pre-order it. If you haven't played the game but want to see this movie very badly, don't waste your time: buy the game, beat it, and then come back for this DVD. I won't tell you to not watch it, but play the game. It'll make the experience a lot better and won't leave you in the dust scratching your heads.

Come back, old friends - it's time to go on an adventure again with your brave comrades!

(For fans of FFVII, you might as well ignore my comments, because you'll want to see AC anyway, and nothing I say should stop you.)

It's been 8 years since the release of the landmark game that has since made FF a household name. Since then FFVII has garnered a legion of fans far outnumbering those of us who were fans pre-FFVII. Square-Enix has finally given those fans what they've been asking for, but was it worth the wait? If you're looking for eye-candy, then look no further. AC is abound with vast amounts of it. So much, in fact, that it becomes one of its greatest detriments. The problem is that Square-Enix overuses the CG and attempts to bring everything to life, so much so that you find yourself looking at the details instead of the whole picture.

The biggest problem with this lies in the voice acting and facial expressions. Square-Enix has come a long way since the original CG in FFVII, but they still have a long way to go with merging CG with recorded voice acting. The voice acting is good, but it doesn't sync perfectly with the emotion of the visuals, so it gives the characters a hollow feel. Words come out of the characters, but they don't seem to come FROM the characters, and so it becomes very distracting.

In addition to that, many of the characters' movements seem unnatural and puppet-like, most notably the children. It seems like great care was taken to animate Cloud, but they just signed off on minor characters to people who didn't have enough time to do it properly, so you get a totally uneven feel.

The other big problem is with direction. Directing a game is different than directing a feature. In games, you need to fill almost all silence with ambient music to keep the player from getting bored. Scenes without music tend to heighten the tone. In features, too much music will drown out any tone set by the characters. Unfortunately, AC was directed from a gaming perspective, so the whole thing is almost completely saturated with music.

In all, AC is an interesting piece of work. Despite feeling let down by the production, I was still entertained. I just can't help but feel that with a movie director and more advances in technology, they could've made something more that wasn't just for the die-hard fans.

To be honest, this is one of my favorite movies. But it's not because of the quality of the story. It's merely because of the sense of longing to see your favorite characters in flawless CGI animation.

I'm a FFVII freak and I gotta admit the animation is superb. The character design (new wardrobe for all of them! yay!), music, background, even the citizens look awesome. But the story is so so. It lacks of grip. It would be a great movie if they added some more materials and twist to the story.

I found the story too floaty (it doesn't stand firmly on the ground, it doesn't fly either. it just floats). Lacks of details and somewhat cliché.

Viewer who never played the game might find this movie a bit confusing.

But IT IS A FEAST FOR THE EYES

If you didn't play Final Fantasy VII, you're not going to know what's going on in this movie.

And if you did play Final Fantasy VII? You're also probably not going to know what's going on in this movie.

Advent Children is two hours of manic fight sequences, innumerable flashbacks, and a plot that looks deep on the surface but is otherwise quite shallow. A new team of bad guys has emerged to finish what Sephiroth started back in the original game, and most of the movie is spent doing battle in order to stop them from bringing about the end of the world.

Why do they want to bring about the end of the world? Because that's what Sephiroth wanted to do, and these guys want to continue his work for... some reason, I guess? Sephiroth had many motives in Final Fantasy VII, but Advent Children's Kadaj and crew don't get any back story. They literally materialize out of thin air, and that's all you get. We're told they are "remnants," as if we're automatically supposed to know what that means. They use "remnants" like it's some kind of group name, or a term for something that existed in the game. As far as I know, it's not. They're just one-dimensional villains for the sake of our heroes having something to fight.

And fight they do. Fight sequences are frequent and long, with the movie's back-to-back-to-back final battles taking up nearly a solid hour of the overall run time. Unfortunately, fights lack any impact -- thin, wispy characters fly around environments totally weightless, somehow punching each other with enough force to send the recipient sailing across city blocks. Mostly, this damages property more than it causes any real physical harm. Anime-style action like this can be done well, but this is like watching a child play with action figures.

The real culprit that destroys this movie is just how much it relies on flashbacks. I am not exaggerating when I say almost every other scene in Advent Children is a flashback, either showing a scene from the original Final Fantasy VII video game, or something that happened off-screen earlier in the movie. There are so many that one flashback will interrupt another, and at one point, a character's cellphone seems to experience its own flashback. After long enough, it became hard for me to keep it all straight in my head, to the point where I lost track of what was a flashback and what was currently happening. I've never had that happen with a movie before.

It's a mess, basically. Non-linear storytelling at its worst, with flashy-but-vacuous fight scenes, and zero motivation for anyone's actions other than to invoke a navel-gazing sense of nostalgia.

I put more than 100 hours in to the game back in 1997, and Advent Children is a struggle for me to watch. It is exclusively focused on being "cool" and "epic" leaving everything else to fall by the wayside.