Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5553 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-04-24
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Animated, Box set, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: English, Japanese
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Turkish
• Dubbed in: Japanese
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 101 minutes

Amazon.co.uk
The question facing any viewer of the Japanese CG feature Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is: do you have to know the games on which it’s based in order to understand the film? And the answer is: it certainly helps. But even complete novices (i.e., most parents) in the Final Fantasy world will find some entertainment in its wealth of fantasy-based action, and the animation never fails to astonish. Picking up two years after an epic battle between the forces of good (represented by brooding soldier Cloud) and evil (Cloud’s former general, Sephiroth), FFVII opens in the devastated city of Midgard, whose youthful occupants suffer from a ghastly disease known as Geostigma. A trio of brothers arrives with what appears to be a cure for the plague, but their gesture conceals a more sinister purpose: to revive Sephiroth and bring about the end of the world. Cloud and his companions must once again rise to the occasion to stop the siblings and the revived Sephiroth from unleashing total destruction. Complex and self-referential to the point of occasional incomprehension, Final Fantasy VII will definitely be most appreciated by fans of the game series, but if others can look past the numbing dialogue and frenetic action (which is a bit too intense for very young children), the film offers a carefree and action-packed viewing experience. The two-disc set contains the original Japanese language version of the film as well as an English-dubbed edition (Rachel Leigh Cook and Christy Carlson Romano, among others, provide the vocal talent) and a version edited for the Venice Film Festival. A 30-minute featurette that recaps the Final Fantasy story up to VII, as well as a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, and promotions for future Final Fantasy VII games and products round out the extras. --Paul Gaita

Synopsis
A genetically engineered soldier, reported as missing in action, returns to exact revenge on his creators.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful to watch.
Although this film doesn't have the most complex story in the world, and what little story it DOES have is likely to confuse anyone who hasn't played the game, this film is stunning to watch.

I purchased the Japanese DVD when it was released and the quality of the CGI is mindblowing. Many people have seen online trailers or bootleg copies, but the quality doesn't compare to the original DVD where the images are crisp and clear and as close to perfection as CGI can currently get.

Even if FFVII means absolutly nothing to you, this is a movie you can watch for sheer aesthetic value! The images are lovely to watch, the battles beautifully choreographed...I stared in rapture the first time I watched it, and I don't even understand that much Japanese!

(And even if the story isn't that complex by FFVII standards it still beats the complexity of most American movies!)

Final Fantasy Advent Children
I have watched the Japanese version, and graphically, it looks stunning. Remember when FF: The Spirits Within was out and everyone was amazed at the graphics? Well, this one looks way better. The animation is great, and everything looks great.
Even though it's much better to have played FF7 before watching Advent Children, it is not necessary.
The plot is, well... to be honest, seeing as the whole movie was absolutely NOT necessary at all (FF7 needed no sequel, it looks more like a marketing move to me, especially if you look at all the spin-offs that FF7 recently generated), the plot, as I was saying, is nothing great or very deep. However it does have everything fans expect, and even though you'll sometimes be wondering "wait, what exactly just happened?", you'll still be hooked until the end.
If you are a FF fan, don't even hesitate, get it, but be ready to be a tad disappointed if you expect something along the lines of FF 7.

great film but for fans of the game
the title says it all really, its definitely a film for fans of FF7 who know the story line inside out and can pick up on all the references and know about the characters past otherwise your not going to have a clue as to whats going on.

So basically play the game first, cause its well worth it, then watch the film