Final Fantasy

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2001 Howard Anderson

Story

Set on Earth in the year 2065, destruction and confusion surround us. Cities are deserted, the population is decimated, and the precious few humans who remain must find a way to survive. In this world, we face death as we part with our loved ones. We begin to question what "life" and "love" is, and what is the philosophical definition of the "heart."
After all in this world, science has analyzed life and death, expressing life as a form of energy. Beyond the riveting battle scenes, Final Fantasy will take you on a journey of personal discovery into both the real and fantasy worlds, drawing you deep into its characterizations and themes: love, friendship, dreams, adventure, life and death.

Review

"Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" has set a new standard when it comes to computer animation, of that there can be no question. From the establishing shot of the barren alien landscape, to the devastation and desolation marking the streets of Old New York, the restrictions of the silver screen have been further diminished by the achievements of director Hironobu Sakaguchi and his talented team of animators. This is a landmark film in every sense of the word, and maybe now we will finally see some of the great SF novels of the fifties and sixties brought to the screen by way of this medium, as a number of those classic works of fiction were previously labeled "unfilmable" by the moviemaking community.

The story of Dr. Aki Ross and her quest to stop the alien infestation has more potential than most give it credit for, as the plot mainly revolves around the theoretic philosophies of the Gaia, and its relations to the spirit matter that basically make up all life on Earth. This is where the the crux of the story lies, and this is also where the Asian influences become the most apparent. But unfortunately these storytelling nuances become somewhat overshadowed by the film's visuals, as the viewer is inundated with image upon image of stunningly rendered animation, where the incredible textures of the characters and their surroundings are, at times, close to tearing down the last remaining walls separating the synthetic from the real.

The voice of Ming Na is a key factor in making Aki Ross come alive, and with her performance here, Ming Na is able to fuse the vocals and the visuals together in such a way that it becomes impossible to imagine one without the other. James Woods, however, may have missed his mark a bit as General Hein, as I thought he came off sounding somewhat theatrical in certain scenes, where a more low-key approach might have worked better. Donald Sutherland delivers a fine performance as Dr. Sid, and the same goes for Alec Baldwin as Captain Gray Edwards, whose character, by the way, is a dead ringer for Ben Affleck. Ving Rames, Peri Gilpin and Steve Buscemi round out the cast as Sgt. Ryan Whitaker, Corporal Jane Proudfoot and Corporal Neil Flemming respectively.

"Final Fantasy" is an impressive first step in the venue of hyper-real animated storytelling, and with the wealth of material out there, some of which is now in active development at various studios around the world, it should be very interesting to see where the next entry into this medium might possibly take us.

Image

Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, this breathtaking transfer is created directly from a high definition digital source, and there are virtually zero flaws to be found here. The colors are bold, the blacks are prefect, and the amount of detail is unsurpassed. There are no signs of compression artifacts or any other imperfections, so all the viewer has to do is to sit back, relax and take it all in, one precious piece of eye candy after another.

Sound

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is equally outstanding, and it actually manages to make its presence known before the company logos dissolve and the opening sequence commences. The bass immediately hits the floor, enveloping the viewer and seriously shaking the foundations of any man-made abode. But the smaller nuances have not been forgotten in the midst of this powerhouse soundmix. The sound engineers created an environment for "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" that, despite its complete artificiality, comes off sounding surprisingly natural. The frontal soundstage is as wide as they come, the surrounds are used frequently and to good effect, and the LFE channel is given plenty to do. Just like the film itself, the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix also provides a highly entertaining ride. The disc also comes with alternate English and French 2.0 Surround tracks.

Features

This Special Edition is packed to the hilt with all sorts of DVD goodness. On Disc One there are two Feature-Length Audio Commentary tracks. The first track features Co-Director Moto Sakakibara, Sequence Supervisor Hiroyuki Hayashida, Sets & Props Lead Artist Tatsuro Maruyama, and Phantom Supervisor Takoo Noguchi. This track is in Japanese, and comes with English subtitles, something that gives the viwer the freedom to select the text portion of the Commentary while still enjoying the film in full Dolby Digital 5.1.

On the second Commentary track you'll find Animation Director Andy Jones, Editor Chris S. Capp, and Staging Director Tani Kunitake. They manage to deliver a fairly interesting track, and all though there is a lot of tech-stuff being discussed here, it never really gets boring. There is also an Isolated Music Score with Commentary by Composer Elliot Goldenthal, where we are given some insightful comments between the musical pieces.

On Disc One you'll also find a feature called "Boards/Blasts", where you can view the film from start to finish in Storyboards and early artwork in various degrees of completion. You can view this feature with your choice of either Subtitles Factoids or a running Production Commentary. This is also where you'll find the Teaser Trailer and the Theatrical Trailer in Anamorphic Widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 There are also additional trailers for "Men in Black", "Starship Troopes", "Metropolis", and a "Final Fantasy X" sneak preview.

On Disc Two you are treated to an "Original Interactive Documentary", that, while watching, gives you a chance to delve even deeper into the production by pressing the Enter button no you remote control whenever a link-out window appears in the lower left-hand corner of your screen. This is a great documentary that gives you the full low-down on every aspect of how the film came to be, and with the included special feature segments, it takes the traditional featurette and transcends to a whole new level. You can also watch this documentary with an Optional Filmmaker Commentary, that you initiate every time an audio icon pops up.

There are detailed "Character Files" and "Vehicle Scale Comparisons", presented in video format with a female voiceover. The "Trailer Explorations" show you how the teasers and trailer were put together. "The Gray Project" is a proof of concept reel, where you can see how the filmmakers explored character designs and the overall look of the film.
There are "More Boards/Blasts", a "Matte Art Explorations" featurette, as well as "Joke Outtakes." And still we're not done. The "Compositing Builds" feature shows you how all the separately animated elements were fused together, while the "Original Opening" sequence gives you an alternate introduction to the story. "Aki's Dream" is just that, but pieced together as one long segment. And another thing that's definitely worth mentioning is the little window on the lower right-hand side of the Highlights Menu. Click that and you'll be given a short but unforgettable homage to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video. Among the DVD-ROM features, you'll find the complete screenplay, a Virtual Tour of Square Pictures, a Screensaver and Weblinks.

Overall Opinion

A lot of hard work went into the making of this film, and it truly shows. This is animation on a grand scale, but unfortunately the story itself falls a little behind the visuals. But not nearly enough, however, to take away the enjoyment or the appreciation of what you are watching. The DVD is extraordinary, and you simply can't ask for more in a Special Edition. Add to that a stunning feature presentation, and you are bound to be blown away by this disc. I know I was.