Reviews

Wow, I guess there is SOME hope for video game adaptations. While not a direct translation of the Final Fantasy video game franchise, it is written by the series creator, whose name I cannot remember. On top of that, his video game company branched off into a film company (Square Pictures) just to go and make this movie. At least one can't complain about the handling of the material.

But the big question here is: Do these guys know anything about film-making? Maybe. Maybe not. Truth be told, they don't need to. The beauty of this movie is that it does something new. It blends the world of video game technology and storytelling with the art of film-making. It cuts corners on film-making, but its uniqueness makes up for it. I will admit that I'm a gamer, so I appreciate what was attempted here. What we get out of this movie is an impressive display of what animators and video game technology can do together. I know there are other CGI movies out there, but, unless I am mistaken, they have all followed the over-the-top cartoony path. This is where Final Fantasy stands out. The animation is swelling with reality. From a technical standpoint, this is a gem, and a reason at the least to give it a rent.

The storyline is subject to much scrutiny though. It's not for everybody. This IS a film of Japanese origin, so anime fans will be right at home with it. For the mainstream audience, however, that remains to be decided. Although the script was revised to suit North American localization (and done very well might I add), it still is very Japanese in style, albeit with a bit less surrealism. It's fast-paced and a bit abstract at times, but it is coherent.

In the end, I would say that one should rent this just to see the technological achievement at the least. It's safe to say that all would agree with that point. Depending on the person, you may get into the storyline as well. Either way, you'll walk away with at least part of you satisfied.

Wow, Uwe Boll has some learning to do. While I, as an avid gamer who see the potential of games turning into worthwhile movies, it pains me time and time again to see all of these franchises swirling down the toilet because some dumbass doesn't know how to adapt it the right way. Yeah, our expectations are high, but at least give it your all. This movie adds to the mindset of games' lack of adaptability. Granted he had no $$ for this movie, Boll is still green, and it shows(washes with game footage?). However, if you look at it - and this is going to sound really weird - as a B-movie to sit down and pop a few beers with, this ain't that bad of a movie to watch. At the very least, it can show what NOT to do with a film, or great fodder for a drinking game with your buddies. I'll admit that I own this movie and that I watch it on occasion (makes no sense huh). I guess it's my soft spot for B-movies. That said, this is by no means a good movie, or even an average one, but I've seen far worse (Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?) to label it with a lower rating than I gave it.