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Final Fantasy... literally

added 31.01.02 Final Fantasy on DVD
Overhyped or underrated? asks David Welsh
computer generated hair = brilliant | plotting around | extra, extra!
Given the rich videogaming heritage of the Final Fantasy series, expectations for the inevitable movie were understandably high, especially from the gaming fraternity. However, the CGI movie flopped spectacularly, with critics pouring scorn and the backers failing to break-even. As the DVD hits stores, the question remains whether Final Fantasy is just ahead of its time or simply too ambitious. While Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within will be one person's thrill, it will be another's waste of time. Take heed!

Computer Generated Hair = Brilliant
From the opening sequence to the dramatic climax, Final Fantasy is, at the very least, a visual feast. There are certain scenes that will quite literally amaze you, and you may very well gasp at the realism of the characters and settings (particularly Old New York). This is definitely the movie's main selling point; it is sure to pick up various accolades for the technological leaps and bounds made during its production. In addition, the eclectic voice talents including Donald Sutherland, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin and a very evil James Woods add more than a little interest to their CGI incarnations.

Plotting around
The plot is vintage Final Fantasy, with a post-apocalypse Earth under threat from an evil menace. Surprisingly, though, the lead character is female, in the form of genetic researcher Dr Aki Ross (voiced by ER and Mulan star, Ming-Na Wen). This is perhaps one area in which die-hard Fantasy fans were disappointed, especially given the magical heroes of the videogame series including Squall Lionheart and, most notably, Cloud Strife. But the familiar-yet-different approach yields results, and it becomes a lot easier to sympathise with the all-too-human Ross. Indeed, Square's decision to go with a female lead gives the film a pleasingly Aliens style, allowing us to reminisce about Sigourney Weaver in pants. Or is that just me? Anyway, the movie crescendos magnificently as we discover past events, potential sabotage and rekindled love, but ultimately leaves us with a distinctly unsatisfying conclusion.

Extra, Extra!
In buying the Final Fantasy DVD (rather than VHS), you'll find that Square's videogame breeding has allowed them to fully exploit DVD's massive storage capacity. As a 2-disc set, you'll be able to enjoy a whopping 4 hours of extra features, including character profiles, interviews and all sorts of other behind the scenes shenanigans. To this end, Final Fantasy DVD is a remarkable time-consumer for the average tech fiend / videogamer, but sadly will not appeal to the large majority of Joe Public. In reality, most people (read: people over the age of 20) couldn't care less about Earth's Gaia, or Dr Sid's controversial research (hence the recent scrapping of the planned sequel). In other words, those who detest Playstations and Japanese sci-fi should steer well clear, whereas those who think they'd enjoy a mix of Toy Soldiers and Aliens are in for a treat. I belong in the latter category, especially since this is the first and last Final Fantasy movie. [***]

david.welsh@durham21.co.uk

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