It will blow you away!

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was everything that I expected it to be. That’s really a big statement coming from me! It’s so rare that I can come out of a movie entirely pleased and fired up for more. I can’t remember when the last time I was able to say that was. As near as I can tell, it must have been the Matrix. This too was the kind of movie that you might say “Man, I can’t wait for number 2” as you’re walking out of the theater.

I think that this feeling of being very pleased with the final product is because of a number of things that were done right by the filmmakers and promoters. The movie was advertised, but not overly so. It wasn’t built up and up until the real thing couldn’t match the hype. That happens way too much these days. I mean, it was definitely billed well, but it wasn’t overdone. The trailer showed a lot of good stuff, but not every great part. That’s important to me: I hate going to see a movie that I have basically already seen from the trailer(s). The trailer had lots of good bits in it, but they were put together in such a way as to highlight the graphics but not to give away all the storyline. I like those things and am very glad that they were done the way they were. Bravo Square Pictures!!!

First and foremost, as I’m sure all reviews are doing, I have to rave over the graphics. It’s kind of hard to call something in an entirely computer generated movie “graphics” - I guess animation would be a better term. This isn’t some two-bit special effects job, this is real super-computing, butt-kicking, pixel-blowing stuff! Truly amazing! I think that the most impressive parts are at the very beginning of the movie where you see Aki (the main character) standing on what appears to be the surface a pool of water and the camera is below her. The colors are magnificent, and the concentric rings from her footsteps are so realistic looking. I can’t say this was anything other than beautiful. It really was. Something else that really caught my eye was Aki herself. Again, an example of true beauty. The perfect form, if you will. The animation for her movements will blow you away. I couldn’t stop noticing the movements of her hair. It’s so smooth and silky looking, you almost wish you could touch it. The attention to so much detail gives you a sense of how it would feel if you could. That’s how good this stuff is! Another thing that I was particularly impressed with was the knife blade held by the Deep Eyes soldiers. I would have sworn that it was a real knife. The animation and coloration of that item is indistinguishable from a real polished steel blade. Unfortunately, I can’t say I was all that impressed with the “Red Spirits.” In a whole environment that looks almost natural, they didn’t. They stood out a bit too much. It was still fine work, but they just looked like they had a bit less time and attention to detail than did Aki and the rest of the humans and vehicles. They had their moments, like when they rise through floors and you can see what looks to me like their brains through their translucent skin. That was cool. I guess my complaint really isn’t one after all.

Something that I bet a lot of people won’t think too much about is the sound in the movie. I would almost say that the sound quality rivals animation quality. The sound is so, so good. There are times when it is so loud that it makes your teeth rattle and there are other times when it is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The sound people really outdid themselves for this production. The music also adds a lot to the overall feel of the film. I usually don’t pick up soundtracks, but this CD might just be worth it. There are so many good songs in there

Following hot on the heels of “sound” above, is the voice acting. Again, none but the best will do! Ming-Na Wen, of course, as Aki, is the scientist who wants to save the earth. Alec Baldwin as Grey is the male lead and Aki’s love interest. Steve Buscemi as Neil is the pilot and techie for the squad. Peri Gilpin as Jane is a tough-as-nails female member of Deep Eyes, not to mention that she might just love Neil. She does something in the movie that would lead one to believe that. Ving Rhames as Ryan is another member of Deep Eyes. Donald Sutherland as Dr. Sid is the theory man behind Aki’s field work and he’s the one who came up with the Wave Theory. And finally, James Woods as General Hein is the obsessed military officer who values combat and firepower over anything else, including the lives of his fellow humans. I was particularly impressed with Buscemi and Rhames. They have such unique voices and add a lot to the mix. You can immediately recognize who it is that is speaking behind the face of the character. I don’t think that’s the intention of the filmmakers, but it is the case. I don’t think that they want you to see Neil and say “Hey, that’s Steve Buscemi, the crazy guy from Armageddon!” but that’s what I did. Oh well. I like listening to those two. Another person who does voice in this film is Dwight Schultz. That name might ring a bell to you Star Trek fans – it’s Mr. Barclay! He’s been doing a lot of voice acting lately especially in computer games (Baldur’s Gate II). For the life of me I can’t figure out which character he voices in Final Fantasy, but I am going to continue trying to find that out…I’ll pay more attention during viewing number two.

So, getting away from the technical aspects of the film, I want to talk a little bit about the story. It is basically like the Final Fantasy games in that you start with a problem and work toward a (sometimes) glorious solution. The only difference is that in this case you don’t have to spend days working to figure stuff out or look at hint books. It’s all laid out in front of you in an organized manner. It’s very well written and I think it does definitely follow the spirit (har har) of the games upon which it is based. I have read that some people think it is a “third-rate” story but I disagree 100%! I am not sure why anyone would come to the conclusion that the story isn’t good – I was totally engrossed. It’s a tale of epic proportions. What can interest more of the population that a worldwide common enemy?

I think that a lot of double meanings can be read into this story. I have to tell you about a few that I’ve thought up in the two hours between the end of the film and the time that I am writing this. I know I’ll think of more in the days to come. I always think about movies for a long time after I’m finished watching them and often come up with new ideas. To quote the Matrix’s Oracle, some of these will really “bake your noodle.”

1. It’s not always black and white when it comes to who the “bad guys” are. I see in this film that at the beginning everyone thinks that the spirits are evil invaders from another planet. In the simplest sense they are – they kill our people mercilessly and they happen to be from another planet. But as the story unfolds, you (or at least I) came to realize that they do bad things, but that they aren’t necessarily evil. That’s what Aki realizes in the end too. The real evil in this plot is General Hein. Not only does he do things for his own good, but he is treacherous, power hungry, and doesn’t listen to reason. He lowers the barrier around part of NYC, fully knowing that people will die, but he doesn’t care. He has to prove a point to the council and he thinks nothing of sacrificing a few of his fellow humans to do it. He says that he wants to save the earth, but his methods sure aren’t justified by the intended end. I think that he is the real evil and that the filmmakers are trying to say that power hungry men that are set in their ways and not open to new things are bad. Of course, they don’t come out and say that, but just watch and you’ll see what I mean.

2. Throughout the whole movie, the story leads you to believe that science and technology can solve problems far better than warfare and destruction. In the film, you have two factions trying to do the same thing – the science team wants to understand the problem and fix it in the most efficient manner available, while the military teams wants to suspect everyone as the enemy and blow stuff up. The military side gets more and more ruthless as the scientists nearer their goal. It’s almost as if the military side has lost sight of the goal, wanting to implement their own proposed solutions even though other ways seem to have more promise. I think that it is that way in the real world sometimes too. People get so wrapped up in trying to fix a problem their way, that they lose sight of what it was they were working toward in the first place. I think the movie wants you to see the folly in that.

3. Another case of “deeper meaning” is that each time the military team does something which is supposed to get them nearer the goal of being rid of the Red Spirits, it makes things worse. Again, Hein wanted to get the council to let him fire his weapon of mass destruction so he lets spirits into the city to convince them. He lets people die just to increase the chances that he will be allowed to implement his method of saving people. Uh, I think I’d pass on that deal if I were one of the citizen’s in sector 31! Another instance of this is when Hein finally is firing the Zeus cannon, he is only hindering (and almost causing the death) of the ones who are really solving the problem. He refuses to listen to Aki’s reasoning, rationalizing that she is a traitor and under the influence of the aliens since she doesn’t agree that his method is the best way. In fact, his firing really causes problems because he once hits the Gaia of earth, weakening it at a critical moment. If he hadn’t fired that shot, the events already unfolding toward a positive ending could have continued. As it was, his “good” intentions almost doomed the earth and led directly to Grey having to sacrifice himself to save the earth’s Gaia from being taken over entirely by that of the aliens.

I know that the above is a lot of rambling, but I am so full of ideas and thoughts after this movie that I had to get them out. I love a movie that makes me think for a long time after. It’s the mark of a truly great story if it can make you do that. Want another like this? See Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

In summary, I guess you could say that I loved this movie. All of the parts came together and made a superb finished product. Any complaints that I might have are only minor and I would certainly recommend this movie to anyone. Those who are predisposed to like Japanese Animation will probably take an extra interest because it looks somewhat like Anime. Mainstream audiences will also probably like it because of the great graphics and sound work. So, I give this all-around good film two thumbs up. I would pay full price to watch it again and will definitely buy the DVD. If you haven’t seen it, try to pick it up while it is still in theaters – I think that you will experience it best there.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end!