
The Spirit Within The Fantasy

As a big fan of Square Enix productions as a general rule, I was both happy and disappointed with this effort at big-screen success. Fans of the Final Fantasy franchise were divided over the direction the film should go, action-based or storyline-orientated.
In the end, the action is very 'realistic', without having superhuman abilities you expect from a hero in these fantasy tales they still combat an evil with inhuman capabilities.
It was always going to be a tough task to condense what is usual an epic storyline into 102mins of film, and there is a lot of retrospective narrating to compensate for that. There are over 4 hours of extras on the special edition DVD which is well-worth investing in.
The core strength of Final Fantasy though is in its ability to make you emotive towards the characters, and develop a feeling of empathy with their situation. Few films manage to add a role-play element because there is no choice to be made on behalf of the viewer, but the feeling that you are a part of what is happening is important for 'the journey'.
Not a film to watch for quick thrills, but if you want to enjoy something magical.
Review ID: 10000000005349911

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