Perfect Scores for Final Fantasy at DVDTown (1 Viewer)

[teapot2001]

Everyone check out this site from one of the artists who worked on the movie. It features stunning, full resolution images from the movie. Look at the detail in each image.
http://www.goodbrush.com/hirez_pgs/ff/ff.htm
~T

 

[Gary King]

If you didn't get it, then you are just making excuses about why it sucked when you don't really know why it sucked

Morgan, I'm more than capable of analyzing literature and films. Stop trying to turn this into an argument about intelligence -- there is absolutely no way you will be able to convince me that Final Fantasy is capable of being favorably compared to things like Hamlet, Citizen Kane, Grave of the Fireflies, Seven Samurai, Oedipus Rex, or any of the truly watershed works that have been written throughout human civilization.
As a method of telling stories, Final Fantasy was groundbreaking - a technological milestone. But compared to most movies or literature that explore the same thematic elements that Final Fantasy attempted, it was a total failure.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Gary-
I will agree that it wasn't all it could have been, mainly because it wasn't just aimed at fans or critics, but was made with a broader appeal (or at least attempted for one).
You've played the games (or some of them) so you know how good the people at Square are. Had they been given 100% total freedom, the movie would have been much, much better.
I'm wondering if we should start a "Best Videogame Movie" thread.

 

[teapot2001]

If you want a movie that gets you thinking about environmental issues, and the effects of civilization on the world, watch Princess Mononoke.

I don't think Final Fantasy has as much to do with environmental issues as some people seem to think. I believe the Gaia Theory was not used to convey so much the idea of "respecting the Earth/planet" as I've seen some people put it, but it was used to show how every living thing is part of a whole and that we ultimately share our experiences with each other.
~T

 

[Edwin-S]

The problem with the movie is that the Gaia theory was not well explained so a lot of viewers (I think) left the theatre thinking it was a tacked on, poorly thought out plot line. The Gaia plotline was so ill defined that it could be left open to any interpretation but the one interpretation that stuck with most viewers was that they were being fed environmental propaganda. Does anyone actually understand what the symbology of the 8 spirits....I know I didn't figure it out and I don't consider myself to be stupid. I still didn't mind the show and it could be a show that requires more than the one viewing that I gave it. That is why I am waiting for the DVD release.
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[Morgan Jolley]

To explain the 8 spirits (as I saw it) think of it like this. The spirits were 8 different lifeforms that would come together to create an energy wave that would put the alien species to rest and help Gaia rebuild itself. So the 8 spirits represented hope for a better world.
The idea that "its not why we live, but how we live" is also backed up by Final Fantasy VII. One of the characters explains that when we die, our spirits go back into the Earth and then our memories are kept together inside the Earth and our souls return to Earth as a new human, so its like a cycle. Since FF7 and TSW have close ties, I would assume this to be a logical conclusion.

 

[teapot2001]

Edwin, I thought the Gaia theory was sufficiently explained in words by Aki, "All life is born of Gaia and each life has a spirit. Each new spirit is housed in a physical body... Through their experiences on Earth each spirit matures and grows. When the physical body dies the mature spirit enriched by its life on Earth returns to Gaia bringing with it the experiences, enabling Gaia to live and grow." It’s also covered with the imagery and plot elements such as why Aki has the alien dreams (because the phantom brought its experiences to Aki).
I figured out the meaning behind the 8 spirits (with some help), or I should say a theory of it. I think that was one of the "puzzles" that Sakaguchi wanted us to solve as he said in an interview. I decided not to explain it because I was hoping people would figure it out on their own, but it seems no one has even bothered, so I guess I'll explain it here.
Spoiler:
There were 8 spirits: Aki (a woman), a fish, a deer, a bird, a dying girl, a plant, an oval pack, and a phantom. I'd like to attach the following meanings to them:
-fish = water
-oval pack = fire
-deer = earth
-bird = wind
-woman = life/birth
-plant = growth
-dying girl = death
-phantom = spirit
Now the 4 basic elements of life are water, fire, earth, and wind (fish, oval pack, deer, bird). And the other four spirits show a life cycle—life/birth, growth, death, and spirit. All of these constitute what is needed to finish the Gaia life cycle that the phantoms weren’t able to (because their Gaia suffered pain from the warfare causing the planet to explode). I think at the end, the 8 spirits has purified the alien Gaia, and that is why you see the blue thingys floating up into space.
~T
[Edited last by Thi Them on October 13, 2001 at 01:37 AM]

 

[Edwin-S]

Thi
I read your explanation and it sounds very reasonable. I probably should not have read it but I was curious about your theory. I have to admit that I did not remember Aki's explanation until you reminded me of it. Like I said in my earlier post, I think the movie actually requires more than one viewing because with the first viewing a person focuses their attention on the visual aspects....the eye candy and less so on the actual story. Subsequent viewings might allow a person to start actually paying more attention to the story. I only saw it once because the theatre it was playing in was scheduled to close two days after I saw it. The theatre was run down and the equipment was not exactly top notch. It took a lot for me to get over my disgust and sit down in the skanky place. I am waiting for the DVD so I can sit down in the comfort of my home and view the movie again at my own leisure. I am not going to say that "Final Fantasy" is a masterwork but I certainly think it was better than a lot of people are giving it credit for.
A lot of people enjoyed "SHREK" and have very positive comments about it. I liked "SHREK" but I do not think it was as fantastic as some people are saying it was. In a lot of ways I actually liked "Final Fantasy" better, however, I also am partial to Japanese Anime so that also could have a bearing on my opinion of "Final Fantasy".
People were complaining that it was too derivative and had too many elements that have been seen before. In terms of live action film that would be the case but from an animation POV "Final Fantasy" was an experiment.....an attempt to tell a completely serious story without cute animals, singing, dancing or "aw shucks, isn't that cuuute moments". It paid the price and proved that North Americans don't want to watch animated films unless they stick to the tried and true formula....comedy. North Americans want animated films to be funny and cute with lots of cute songs so they can sit and bitch about them being formulaic.
"SHREK" is a good example. People were making a big deal about the so-called pokes at the "Mouse House" but the ironic thing is that "SHREK" was Dreamworks homage to the "Mouse House" formula. The hero (reluctant or otherwise), the wise-cracking,smart ass sidekick, the Quest, the happy ending...it's so....so....MOUSE HOUSE. Dreamworks proved that Disney knows what sells best in animation by producing their own mega-hit Disney extravaganza. This of course remains....IMO.
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[teapot2001]

Edwin, I know what you mean when you say that on the first viewing the visuals may have distracted you from everything else. On my second viewing, the story became more clear and I was able to observe some things I didn't notice before (I also appreciated the visual aspects more). The ending which I felt was rushed before, was actually evenly paced on my second viewing. When you see it again, I don't know if you are going to think it's a great movie, but I can almost guarantee that it'll be better than the first time you saw it.
~T

 

[Dave F]

As much as I enjoyed the movie, it was clearly flawed, and Dr. Sid's last line in the movie was sooooo bad that almost everyone in the theater laughed.
If the videogames need to be mentioned in order to bolster a case for the film's quality, that's a failure right there. The film should be able to stand on it's own (and for the most part, it does).
This was (is?) a landmark film, in my opnion, but it was very flawed. Heck, I automatically take away 1 star for casting James Woods in yet another role of a government/military guy corrupted by power.
-Dave
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DVD List
"The page you are looking for is here no more. Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'"

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I don't think the movie requires the games for anything but rather has some similarities, such as the Gaia theory, which is explained in the movie.
Besides some of the voice acting, the movie was overall very good, IMO.

 

[teapot2001]

I forgot to mention the meaning of the number "8." In Japan mythology, "8" has to do with the number of children (the 8 islands of Japan) born from the two gods. So I think "8" is basically a symbol for life.
Morgan, what did you think was wrong with the voice acting?
~T

 

[Morgan Jolley]

With the VA, some parts didn't sound like the characters were connecting too much and it seemed a little...stale. I understand that Final Fantasy games aren't always known for Shakespeare quality dialogue (although I hate Shakespeare) but I thought that they would have fixed up the one or two moments where I was lost in the visuals over the dialogue, even the second time through.
Overall, the VA was very good and matched the film. I think the voices fit, and I hope they cast good for the next film(s).