RRPG Movie Review: Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete (Blu-Ray)

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Review

When it was first announced that Square-Enix planned to make a director’s cut version of Advent Children, I was like, “A complete version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children? You have got to be kidding me. The movie on DVD is enough for it to be a blockbuster action flick where story did not make a difference!” However, I found myself to be way off base when I got my hands on the Blu-Ray version of the completed, CGI masterpiece. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete was a bigger breath of fresh air, and it makes the DVD version of the movie seem like a black sheep by all standards. I am not going to lie about that because I enjoyed the Blu-Ray movie a lot more than the original. Why is that? Well, the DVD version of the movie was more focused on action rather than just plot, and it seemed like the battles were not even that important to the story. Not to mention, the Blu-Ray version adds 26 minutes of extra footage to clean the gaps on some of the plot holes that were in the original. We see how the Geostigma sickness has come to be, the effects that it produces, Denzel’s backstory on how he is an important character, and why every battle seemed so important to the story’s plot.

First of all, let us talk about the story. If you are familiar with the original version, then the plot remains the same. Just to recap, Cloud is living in solitude when a mysterious disease starts to plague the children in a town called Edge. When three men, that resemble Sephiroth, come in search for Jenova and taking the children to corrupt the world with more of Geostigma and fulfill the Reunion, Cloud has to take up his sword and fight, once again. Is Geostigma a product of the Lifestream’s assistance in the cataclysm from 2 years before, or is it a message from Sephiroth that his spirit is continuing his role to make the planet his and Jenova’s vessel? That is what you will have to see and find out.

Now, let us talk about characters. The main character is Cloud Strife, the famed swordsman who lived on the legacy of his best friend as a First Class SOLDIER, in disguise. After the loss of Aerith Gainsborough and Zack Fair from the past and saving the planet from Meteor, Cloud started living with Tifa Lockhart and with two orphans named Marlene Wallace, Barret Wallace’s adopted daughter, and Denzel, an orphan who lost his folks from the battles between Avalanche and Shin-Ra, two years back. The main antagonist is Kadaj, Sephiroth’s main remnant, and he is accompanied by his brothers Yazoo and Loz where each of them represent two out of six of Sephiroth’s characteristic traits. The remnants search for Jenova’s head in order to make their Reunion whole and Sephiroth’s revival just. There is also Rufus Shinra, the president of Shin-Ra Electric Power Company. Rufus is in a wheelchair and covered with a robe the entire movie. They symbolize Rufus’ regret over what had happened in the battle against Sephiroth, two years ago. When many thought that he was dead, he was recovered and put in a wheelchair for the rest of his life due to the Diamond Weapon’s attack on Midgar. Not only that, but there is also Reno, Rude, Elena, and Tseng of the Turks who assist Rufus in helping the planet recover. Let us not forget the whole crew from Avalanche that consists of Barret Wallace, Red XIII, Yuffie Kisaragi, Cait Sith, Vincent Valentine, and Cid Highwind. While Vincent plays a moderate role in the movie as being the messenger that reveals many plot elements to Cloud, most of the others in the group only make a cameo at the last half of the movie with assisting Cloud against Kadaj and his gang. There are plenty of characters that play a significant role in the story, and that is enough to keep anyone entertained.

Next, we will talk about graphics. The movie is mostly done in CGI, and that concept really becomes awful as it doesn’t succeed that well than live-action, but since Square-Enix makes many games, they have experience in using CGI, the right way. For the most part, the characters, environments, and the special effects are pretty good and very detailed for a Full HD 1080p feature. You can see the detail of a character’s skin and clothing, the effects of the battle techniques, the vibrant movements of the particle system, and the significance of seeing this movie being more of a live-action, in disguise of CGI. I can say that Full HD 1080p is actually very nice when it delivers the best quality in a movie, and I do not think that there will be anything to top that because it is on par with the resolution of an IMAX movie. Another interesting note about the graphics is that you actually get to see the damage done on characters when they fight in battle. In the original, any character that fought did not have bruises, cuts, or dirt smudges on their skin. Why? Now, in the director’s cut version, it is more defined and it makes the movie seem a bit more realistic with the injuries. One final thing that Square-Enix managed to get right is adding dirt physics to the film. A major example of this is the motorcycle driving on landscape grounds. You actually see dirt and dust coming out from below the tires as Cloud and the Remnants of Sephiroth are driving on their motorcycles. Even the dust is shown when debris is being smashed or crumbled on. All in all, the CGI was way better than before, and it made the CGI looked more live-action than what it truly is.

Finally, let us talk about the bonus features. There is a new Original Video Animation (Anime Video) that deals with Denzel in wanting to join Reeve Tuesti’s WRO army in order to become strong like Cloud. It is an interesting feature as it further delves into Denzel’s character and backstory. Another new feature is the Reminiscence of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation which covers the whole story of Final Fantasy VII universe, so far. It covers the plots of Crisis Core, Before Crisis, Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children, and Dirge of Cerberus. The others are Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII, Legacy of Final Fantasy VII (which were on the DVD version of the movie), FFVII Advent Children Complete trailers, and a sneak-peak trailer to Final Fantasy XIII. While the anime feature, Final Fantasy XIII trailer, and the Reminiscence of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation video are great, I wish there could have been more than just recycling some of the bonus features from the DVD. It would have been nice if a teaser trailer for a new Final Fantasy VII Compilation entry was on there since the movie’s director, Tetsuya Nomura, mentioned that a new entry is being planned (hopefully it will be a remake of the original before 2017!!). Anyway, the bonus content is okay, but it leaves you wishing for a little more.

In conclusion, does this movie stand out from the DVD version? Yeah, it does. With the 26 minutes of extra footage and with a few reworked scenes, it makes the director’s cut version look more like a platinum record than the original. I’m serious. If you want to know more about Geostigma and why every battle is so important to the movie, then the Blu-Ray movie is the definitive version. I think this is first time I have to admit that a director’s cut version is much better than its original source. It reminds me of the Richard Donner Cut version of Superman II on Blu-Ray. This is the definitive version that everyone should have in their collection. If you have a Blu-Ray player or a PS3, or if you are a fan of Final Fantasy VII or action movies in general, then go check this movie out because it will blow you away. After watching this version of the movie, it will definitely leave you on a way to a smile.

DVD Version Rating: 7/10
Blu-Ray Version Rating: 9/10