Final Fantasy

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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Look out, digital actors are invading Hollywood

I know what you're thinking because I thought the same thing before I saw the movie. And the answer -- No... Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is not another successful video game turned into a horrible movie. For other instances of that, see Double Dragon, Tomb Raider, or Mortal Combat: Annihilation. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is actually one of the few video games turned into a movie that is worth seeing. One of the reasons for this is that the characters and story are original to the movie have no relevance to any of the previous Final Fantasy video games. This movie is superbly computer animated and also has well written characters and story.

Firstly, the computer animation in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is revolutionary. In some scenes, you could swear to yourself that you are looking at real actors. When these characters run, jump, or move in general, it is extraordinarily convincing. For the unsuspecting viewer, it would be very difficult to tell whether it is computer animation or live action. Of course, most of us knowing full well that they are computer generated, it leaves you staring at the screen in wonder thinking "How'd they do that?" The majority of the imperfection in the character animation comes on the close-ups, where animators have yet to master skin tone and subtler facial expressions. The scenery and environment is very detailed and well imagined. The best Hollywood cinematographer would be hard pressed to find actual locations that look as good as these. Although the computer animation of human characters has not been quite perfected yet, it is very close. It's only a matter of time before actors and actresses better start watching their backs (the bad ones anyway).

The story in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is surprisingly good for a movie in which you would have figured they'd spend all their money on the computer animation. It is set on a futuristic Earth (no surprise for a science-fiction flick) which has become overrun with aliens. Remaining humans have taken refuge in barriers which the aliens cannot penetrate, all the while trying to come up with a solution to rid themselves of the alien presence. They have managed to create a weapon which fires from an orbiting space station that can destroy the aliens. However, when this weapon is fired there is a potential to harm the Earth as well. The villain of the story is the malicious General Hein (voiced by James Woods) who believes this weapon must be implemented as soon as possible and will employ questionable tactics to make sure that this happens. Enter a small group of scientists who believe there is a better way to rid themselves of the alien presence without destroying the Earth in the process - Dr. Aki Ross (voiced by Ming-Na) and Doctor Sid (voiced by Donald Sutherland). In order to defeat the alien presence, they must find eight spirits that, when combined, hold the power to eliminate the aliens. Aiding in their quest to find all eight spirits are a group of elite soldiers led by Commander Grey Edwards (voiced by Alec Baldwin) with whom Aki has shared a past romance with. During their search for the spirits, their romance is slowly rekindled which actually led to some awkward viewing. This is probably the weakest point of the story. These romance scenes seemed to be misplaced, mistimed, and forced as watching them seemed to bring us back to reality leaving us shaking our heads.

On the whole, the computer animation is dazzling and the story is captivating. Add to that, the fact that the audience can connect with the characters. The "good guys" are very likable and the "bad guys" are very detestable. When all's said and done, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a delightful movie.

-Tso