I remember watching it on a VHS tape for the first time in the early 2000s. Took me, as a kid, halfway through the movie to realize it was an animation... We'd never seen anything like that at the time.
This movie is the biggest “wrong time, wrong place” I ever seen. Had this movie come out now with modern tech and now that video games aren’t seen as just Doom this could been good
I always thought this was a very underrated film. The main problem was that people thought it was something related so a specific game but it was actually set in it's own universe while still having many of roots that extend from multiple Final Fantasy universes, like Gaia.
+Bridge Entertainment (Bridge Entertainment) Like practically nothing. At the time the audience's strongest familiarity with Final Fantasy was Final Fantasy VII. This movie looks absolutely nothing like what audiences would have wanted from a movie named Final Fantasy.
Audience expectations are *never* the audiences fault in cinema. They need to be anticipated and strongly considered when it comes to major studio releases. Case in point, this movie's failure at the box office tanked a studio and cost a lot of talented people their jobs.
@@OpenMawProductions I was a fan of FF VII back then but I saw the film in its own light. It is underrated but it is not more than a 7. Overall it was not a good investment for them and it sadly killed what could have spawned a movie studio within square enix.
But even when you ignore the branding problems, the movie itself wasn't that good. I remember seeing this and I had no idea what Final Fantasy was, and even then I quickly forgot 90% of it. The biggest problem of all is that as a standalone film, it has to rely on the plot, which had lots of problems, especially for a scifi movie.
@@bigdripjoshuacontrolsthewa9818 I doubt that, since avengers was mostly live action and the CGI was not constrained by technology. If newer consoles could reach that level of graphics then we wouldn't be able to tell if anything was CGI or real, not just movies like avengers. We also have reached the point where you only notice CG if you're looking for it, unlike this movie where it actively jumps out at you. Future technology will likely continue this trend, and it'll be like 120hz vs 240hz monitors.
because now everything is using motion/performance capture. Back then you did not have any of thoses thing. everything, every expression was hand drawn. and they flawlessly avoided the strange valley
I watched it 3 times in the cinema. 1st time on my own on release day, 2nd time with a date and 3rd time with a good friend. I remember each instance vividly. Nice memories connected to this movie :)
Just finished watching this again. It's a lot better than I remember it. I think because the CGI isn't so much the spectacle anymore (honestly they could show this entire movie in real-time on modern hardware), so I was able to dig into the story more. I remember people saying "it's not Final Fantasy". But really, I think it is. You have to look past the setting and the "sci-fi" elements and such and look at the soul (spirit?) of it. It's *very* FF. It has a lot of heart. I think Hironobu Sakaguchi and the entire team could look back on this proudly.
Hell, the Sci Fi fits FF as a whole. VI, VII, VIII, and secretly X all had higher tech worlds, and finding ancient sci fi level tech was a common trope even before those.
You just have to look past everything to see the Final Fantasy. It's a fine movie on its own, but people were expecting FANTASY. Not science fiction with machine guns. This is not what Final Fantasy was to millions of people.
Also, there is not a chance in Hell this would run in real time. Yeah, computers have come a long way, and we can crunch higher poly counts in real time, but this is still incredibly high poly and requires a state of the art render farm in the early 2000s to crunch it out. You could probably render it on a home workstation these days, but not in real time. The lead character has MILLIONS of polygons, alone.
I didn't realize how bad this movie actually flopped in the box office until today. I remember buying this on DVD and watching it numerous times. Always loved this film. I remember thinking that the Final Fantasy name was weird and odd to choose since there was the video games with the same name. And It wasn't until today, that I realized it was actually part of the FF game universe. That the Director was Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy Game Series.... Crazy.
Well it only made $85.1 million and it's budget was $137 million so yeah, flop and had a mixed reception by both critics and audience alike. There's no argument that it is a visual spectral and the graphics are amazing but is rather poorly put together, the characters are forgettable, everyone seems to be sleepwalking through their scenes and the ending is rather anti-climatic. And it doesn't help that it is Final Fantasy in name only which just throws salt on the wound. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Once you realize Mass Effect took lots of inspiration from this movie you can definitely see where. Character suits deaigns, weapons, ships, technology and UI elements, etc.
Was literally thinking the same thing, even the gun design. Closest thing to a ME movie we’ll get lol. Keith David who played Anderson also voice acted in this film
This was pretty much the standard scifi look that filled up the concept art forums and CG Talk etc. Everyone was just farming the same soup of stuff, including this movie.
@@SPACEMUSIC458 I don't think you understand English as well as you think you do. I know a lot of work went into making the movie this trailer was based on. That's why it's disappointing they couldn't make the trailer look better.
I remember when this trailer came and I was so hyped for this film! Read tons of making of and went and started learning this hard software back in the day called Maya because of it! Well, it turned out good and I’ve had a very good career since in the industry! things got very exciting when I worked for these guys as well a couple years later! Fun times! All thanks to this movie (Regardless how the actual movie is)
Yeah but to be honest you really didn't have to know anything about Final Fantasy to enjoy pretty much anything any of the games either except for the direct sequels
Technological progress is --- It took 960 servers to render single SD (576p) frame 90 minutes --- Now, you can probably increase amount of particles and objects in scene dramatically and hit 30-60 frames a second at 4K with home equipment. Very cool to see that. The film is actually quite good. And I remember this was huuuge for anybody who liked gaming. And marketing was massive. But sadly not that many people in the end went to cinema. You must remember, gaming at the time was still outsider thing and ppl over 30 thought FF:SW was some fairytale. What also did not help was competition in cinemas at the time - Pearl Harbor, AI, Jurassic Park III, Planet of the Apes, Fast and Furious, Legally Blonde, Scary Movie 2, Shrek. Not that these are necessarily better, but they were just easier for customers then.
It had a lot more Final Fantasy in it than most people give it credit for, it just didn't have enough chocobos to appease the geeks. This movie's entire story is directly based off of FF7's theme, sadly though, most people just paid attention to the spiky hairs.
Yes, I also can see the similarities between FFVII and this movie. Of course the aesthetic is entirely different and all, but I think I'll give this movie a try.
@@Caparzoshow the graphics on those RE movies are incredible, but I have yet to find one that has an even slightly tolerable script. It's like they funnel all of their budget into CGI and then leave the dialogue to be written by a 14yo fanboy with no concept of how human beings actually talk to one another. Such a waste. I don't get it. If anyone can recommend one of the RE CGI movies that is actually-well written, I'd watch it in a heartbeat.
This movie I saw ten years ago, it was assumed that was the bankruptcy to "square pictures", but frankly, I really liked and was a great sublime through on his time in terms of design and animation used in movies, frankly I loved even I keep seeing today 2015
Man, this was such a bar-raiser when it came out. Has it really been 18 years?? I friggin' loved this movie - it deserved to do much better than it did at the box office...
This movie would have done 10x better if it dropped the Final Fantasy from the title, it had little to nothing to do with Final Fantasy and isolated people who don't know or care about it and alienated people who love Final Fantasy
Thetruebrain None of the Final Fantasy games are remotely similar as it is. 7 is nothing like the first 6 yet nobody complained about alienation there.
Exactly, its a reason this movie flopped so bad. People keep making excuses for this. I 100 percent agree if they named this something else it would have done better. The least they could have done was have a guy with a sword
I still think about how good this was for the time. The fall of the shield city scene and the first introduction to the deep eyes on patrol especially got me
Very fond memories of seeing this in the cinema, 2001 was a great summer. This looked the biz and from the opening scene in NYC it was so immersive. The deep eyes are one my fav scifi squads
I saw it long ago, I was just a little kid and I was amazed by the storyline, the universe, the concept.. everything. This made me open my mind, surely a game changer for me. Thanks for it.
I get so mad when i see people complaining about this movie "not being like the games". Dude, it's not supposed to be an adaptation of the games, is supposed to follow the motive of the franchise, which is being a "Final Fantasy". The end and how we fight against it. That's it. It's not adapting any story, it's adding to them. And may i add, the story is so relevant in 2020, is almost scary.
Excuse me? So basically you saying that’s it’s okay for Final Fantasy not to be a Final Fantasy? That’s just stupid. Why call it a FF then if it doesn’t follow the simple basics or identity of the franchise? Let’s just make a Star Wars movie and forget that Jedi ever existed instead it will be samurais on the moon fighting for their rice fields, why follow the lore when we have good CGI. Just slap a brand on it and we’re good
@@fabulousneet1180 that's not what i've said AT ALL. My point is, the whole concept of the franchise allows for you to make different stories, with different characters. The core principles of the stories remains the same, it's even in the name of the franchise: it's a Final Fantasy. What is a "Final Fantasy"? How we define it? I'll argue that through out the different mediums the franchise has traveled to, the theme stays relatively the same: it's a last stand, a fight for survival, or maybe, for revolution. But in the end, it all comes down to that "Final Fantasy" of how those characters will deal with the end that approaches. How didi they got there? How they fight against it? How it changes them? How it moves them? It can be sad like this movie, heartbreaking like X, bittersweet like VII, etc... Final Fantasy, as a franchise, is not tied up like most franchises, that gives the creatives behind it more freedom to explore and it's no secret that Square at the time wanted to showcase how good they were, not only as developers, but as graphical artists and animators, that's the whole reason they still make movies, even after people were brutal to this one and Advent Children. I think is unfair to dismiss the movie because it's not a direct adaptation of any of the games, because it was not trying to be. It's using the same themes and building blocks to tell yet another story from the same universe. It has the hallmarks of the franchise in it's screeplay. it's as much Final Fantasy as one of the games, you just dont get to play this one.
Ivy is Dead this is how you define “Final Fantasy” and “last stand and survival” is a pretty generic theme used by a lot of movies/games. It’s still went too far away from what people see and define as “Final Fantasy”. It didn’t meet the expectations and failed. As a stand-alone movie it’s probably a masterpiece, but you put on a title that doesn’t fit it and nobody will care. They will get disappointed because it was not what they were looking for, no matter how good it is.
Well its only because The movie is an origin story To The world of Final fantasy 7 Set decades before The game and advent children Take place, No franchise like this makes it's origin Story into a horror movie and that's why i love final fantasy
@@TvTrollByIvy I think its actually why the movie failed somehow. Imagine that if they use the plots for a Final Fantasy game first, then release this movie after that, it definitely changes how the movie box office end up. I mean most people recognize Final Fantasy as a game, when there was a movie with that title, its normal that people assume the move was related to some existing game from the franchise. Personally, i like the movie, i dont even know Final Fantasy game back then and trust me, its a surprise when i found out the game franchise seems have non similar plots with the movie.
Just for this trailer,they should give the oscar for best editing!Still this day it gives me goosebumbs! As for the movie I didn't had the chance to see it in release,but I bought the DVD day one!!!
For movie released in 2001, the animation is something that pushes the limits and that's amazing. Edit: Ok maybe I'm wrong, there's probably better animated movies that were actually groundbreaking
No, in 2001 this movie had the best CGI ever created at the time. I remember watching a behind the scenes clip saying it took like hours to render a few frames of the main characters hair.
I watched this so many times. It was a noticeable step forward for CGI at the time yet very few people saw it. Today, it's standard gaming cut scene CGI. Even in Hollywood movies they still have not perfected the human eyes which is the give away. That and facial movements.
A truly underrated film, in my opinion. It's major flaw is it's title, since Final Fantasy is primarily fantasy and this movie is more sci-fi horror. It's the same problem I have with 300: Rise of an Empire. I think it's a great movie and a great sequel, but other than the similar conflict and cameos from certain characters, it doesn't have anything to do with the "300".
I know so many people hate on this movie for the limited visual effects but I love it, it's kind of a compelling if not fully fleshed out concept n interesting designed world. Also the end credits song gets me Everytime
Pretty good movie and animation for 2001. The concept that the earth is a living organism is a highly plausible idea that all scientists today need to consider very very seriously. A very good movie to that everyone should watch. Animation and overall plot is excellent. "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" is better that pretty much any movie out there today....
back then it took their computers several hours just to render a few frames of the main characters hair. today this could all be rendered in real time lol. insane how far we have come.
Yeah the story was rather eeh.. I mean Final Fantasy has always had a lot of sci-fi type elements in it but this movie was just way too much sci-fi I was kind of let down by it
I remember buying this movie DVD over and over again because I couldn't see where the "Final Fantasy" part is, thought I was ripped off by bootleg version
It was, but people shit on it because it wasn't exactly like the video games. So it bombed and the studio that produced it went bankrupt if I remember correctly.
Man I remember seeing this movie as a kid and being shocked it was all animated. It all looked photorealistic. I was even more shocked that years later I come to find out it’s a Final Fantasy movie
you have to admit it even in 2022 this film can give most a run for its money in terms of animation and action. loved it as a kid and still give it a watch now and again now at 30 lol
I remember how the cut scenes of Final Fantasy 7 and 8 set my imagination on fire. I couldn’t wait to see a full 2 hour movie that made me feel that way. Unfortunately I just got a dark slog of a film that did nothing but give me a depressive episode that lasted a month.
"nothing you've seen, nothing you've experienced, has prepared you..." What an easy one but, damn, I swear this is the most epic phrase to have been said in a trailer, and it worked that much
I just rewatched it and I don't know why a lot of people hate this movie just because it was titled "Final Fantasy". I love the game but I understand that the story of this movie is different. And it's unique and masterfully done.
The technological breakthrough this movie was, at the time, cannot be overstated. Took many of us awhile to even realize it was CGI, because it was just so much better than everything else at the time (think triangle bewbs on tomb raider). I remember thinking when I was a kid "it's so realistic, imagine what the future will be like" Still holds up all these years later, despite being obviously dated.
This trailer is SO 90s generic! That ending music that was in like 100 movie trailers from this time. Watching it I couldn’t help but feel it could’ve really benefited from like a James Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack. Also opening music taken from the Dark City trailer.
I'll never understand why they didn't take one of the legendary stories of ff4, 6, 7, or 8 and turn that into a movie. I think it would have been as blockbuster as LOTR. Full world immersion, great villains, great heroes, fun stuff, funny stuff. Personally I think FF6 would have made the best story overall but it probably would have had to be 2 or 3 movies. FF4 has some incredible potential for blockbuster scenes. Leviathan causing the shipwreck, the world's forces coming together to fight the Giant of Babil, "Journey to the Center of the Moon" with a huge spaceship, and a fantastic redemption arc and heroes journey for the main character, with lots of humor, fun, and emotional investment as well. The best scene hands down though would be Rydia's return to save them all from Golbez, if it was done right. Someone needs to Peter Jackson this thing... I wish I knew how to direct just for this singular job.
This movie pretty much is Why The world of final fantasy 7 Seems a bit off despite being an amazing place, The phantoms Killed everything The humans could Not save from death or possession And That's Why Genetically Engineered Animals like red And his cubs exists, Gaia at the end of 7 is pretty much whatever is left of grey Saving the day again using the planets power
I saw this in theatres, I was thrilled to see Blizzard ( I’m aware this is not a Blizzard production) but I always wanted a full length movie with that quality CG. There is a scene with a close up of a flying Eagle; I remember wondering how they got a camera onto an Eagle in flight because it looked so real. The graphics still hold water today! This was a really great story and very well acted by all.
I wonder why they just didn't make it like one of their most popular franchise to this day Final fantasy did they not think the audience would like anything similar to the games..
Every Final Fantasy story is unique and not really linked. It’s opinions like yours that contributed to the flop. Expecting spiked hair, chocobos and summons and missing the great sci fi story being told.
Remember how mind blowingly realistic this looked back in 2001? :D
Yeah but now looking at it I remember seeing this trailer in thinking the same thing but now you see video games this realistic
And to blow our minds these days they would have to make it even more relish stick then what they did with this trailer
Best shit ever :'v
everything hand draw, no motion cap ...
Becouse Is very boring movie
I remember watching it on a VHS tape for the first time in the early 2000s. Took me, as a kid, halfway through the movie to realize it was an animation... We'd never seen anything like that at the time.
Me too. I was very small and I have quiet vague memories of it. But I remember thinking it to be live action for a while.
When I first saw this movie I couldn't sleep for like 3 months. I kept thinking one of those phantoms was going to steal my soul
Me too
are you saying that you sure it won't now?
haha same here. And then Riddick did it. And then Spectral did it. It must be a popular "freak us out" trope.
everyone my bro.
Me tooo
This movie is the biggest “wrong time, wrong place” I ever seen. Had this movie come out now with modern tech and now that video games aren’t seen as just Doom this could been good
Actually right place right time, in 2001 this was ground breaking.
I remember this, after about 20 mins your eyes adapt and don't even think of it as a cgi movie.
I always thought this was a very underrated film. The main problem was that people thought it was something related so a specific game but it was actually set in it's own universe while still having many of roots that extend from multiple Final Fantasy universes, like Gaia.
+Bridge Entertainment (Bridge Entertainment) Like practically nothing.
At the time the audience's strongest familiarity with Final Fantasy was Final Fantasy VII. This movie looks absolutely nothing like what audiences would have wanted from a movie named Final Fantasy.
OpenMawProductions It wasn't called FF7: The Spirits Within, was it? 7 was nothing like the first 6 so that's the audience's fault.
Audience expectations are *never* the audiences fault in cinema. They need to be anticipated and strongly considered when it comes to major studio releases.
Case in point, this movie's failure at the box office tanked a studio and cost a lot of talented people their jobs.
@@OpenMawProductions I was a fan of FF VII back then but I saw the film in its own light. It is underrated but it is not more than a 7. Overall it was not a good investment for them and it sadly killed what could have spawned a movie studio within square enix.
But even when you ignore the branding problems, the movie itself wasn't that good. I remember seeing this and I had no idea what Final Fantasy was, and even then I quickly forgot 90% of it. The biggest problem of all is that as a standalone film, it has to rely on the plot, which had lots of problems, especially for a scifi movie.
I remember seeing the trailer and thinking this was real. Now it looks more like an Xbox or PS3/4 cutscene.
T-Squared lol
One day you'll say the same about marvel avengers movie when your playing ps8 or xbox 4
@@bigdripjoshuacontrolsthewa9818 I doubt that, since avengers was mostly live action and the CGI was not constrained by technology. If newer consoles could reach that level of graphics then we wouldn't be able to tell if anything was CGI or real, not just movies like avengers. We also have reached the point where you only notice CG if you're looking for it, unlike this movie where it actively jumps out at you. Future technology will likely continue this trend, and it'll be like 120hz vs 240hz monitors.
Technology has upgraded. This was groundbreaking animation for a movie.
because now everything is using motion/performance capture.
Back then you did not have any of thoses thing. everything, every expression was hand drawn. and they flawlessly avoided the strange valley
I watched it 3 times in the cinema. 1st time on my own on release day, 2nd time with a date and 3rd time with a good friend. I remember each instance vividly. Nice memories connected to this movie :)
Comments like these make the day better. Thank you, Ryfari.
Just finished watching this again. It's a lot better than I remember it. I think because the CGI isn't so much the spectacle anymore (honestly they could show this entire movie in real-time on modern hardware), so I was able to dig into the story more.
I remember people saying "it's not Final Fantasy". But really, I think it is. You have to look past the setting and the "sci-fi" elements and such and look at the soul (spirit?) of it. It's *very* FF. It has a lot of heart. I think Hironobu Sakaguchi and the entire team could look back on this proudly.
Hell, the Sci Fi fits FF as a whole. VI, VII, VIII, and secretly X all had higher tech worlds, and finding ancient sci fi level tech was a common trope even before those.
You just have to look past everything to see the Final Fantasy.
It's a fine movie on its own, but people were expecting FANTASY. Not science fiction with machine guns.
This is not what Final Fantasy was to millions of people.
Also, there is not a chance in Hell this would run in real time. Yeah, computers have come a long way, and we can crunch higher poly counts in real time, but this is still incredibly high poly and requires a state of the art render farm in the early 2000s to crunch it out. You could probably render it on a home workstation these days, but not in real time. The lead character has MILLIONS of polygons, alone.
@TriarchVisgroup can you explain to an absolute layman the ins and outs of rendering and render farms?
I didn't realize how bad this movie actually flopped in the box office until today. I remember buying this on DVD and watching it numerous times. Always loved this film.
I remember thinking that the Final Fantasy name was weird and odd to choose since there was the video games with the same name. And It wasn't until today, that I realized it was actually part of the FF game universe. That the Director was Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy Game Series.... Crazy.
It most definitely did, and it's the reason Sony owns SquareEnix. They had to recoup their losses somehow.
Budget: $137,000,000
Box office: $85,100,000
Loss: $51,900,000
Duhh... the ending is the similar to FF7 with the green spirit waves
graphical masterpiece
And critics called this movie a flop... Urgh.. ''Critics'' =.=
Well it only made $85.1 million and it's budget was $137 million so yeah, flop and had a mixed reception by both critics and audience alike. There's no argument that it is a visual spectral and the graphics are amazing but is rather poorly put together, the characters are forgettable, everyone seems to be sleepwalking through their scenes and the ending is rather anti-climatic.
And it doesn't help that it is Final Fantasy in name only which just throws salt on the wound. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@Red-Eyed_Black_Cave_Hamster Your Mom is a masterpiece of shit
indeed, it is beautiful
Once you realize Mass Effect took lots of inspiration from this movie you can definitely see where. Character suits deaigns, weapons, ships, technology and UI elements, etc.
Was literally thinking the same thing, even the gun design. Closest thing to a ME movie we’ll get lol. Keith David who played Anderson also voice acted in this film
Eh, if you want to see what ME took from, watch Babylon5
Seemed more like Halo
This was pretty much the standard scifi look that filled up the concept art forums and CG Talk etc. Everyone was just farming the same soup of stuff, including this movie.
Still one of the greatest trailers ever made. The person who did the editing on this is a freaking genius.
it looks like a bunch of random splices to me. anyone could install video editing software and make this. no training, experience or talent needed.
@@sfbuck415 You clearly don't know jackshit about video editing.
@@SPACEMUSIC458 I don't think you understand English as well as you think you do. I know a lot of work went into making the movie this trailer was based on. That's why it's disappointing they couldn't make the trailer look better.
@@sfbuck415 It’s not that it’s so bad, it’s not disappointing, it’s just decent, period.
I remember when this trailer came and I was so hyped for this film! Read tons of making of and went and started learning this hard software back in the day called Maya because of it! Well, it turned out good and I’ve had a very good career since in the industry! things got very exciting when I worked for these guys as well a couple years later! Fun times! All thanks to this movie (Regardless how the actual movie is)
Is it worth it now to master 3D modeling, given the situation with AI?
@@superiorknight3820???????? AI is not going to replace Modelers for a very long time lol.
Maya sucks ass
I saw this movie with my dad back in the day and he was like "that's a masterpiece wow"despite knowing nothing about FF.
Yeah but to be honest you really didn't have to know anything about Final Fantasy to enjoy pretty much anything any of the games either except for the direct sequels
That was probably for the best. There is very little Final Fantasy in this movie.
Technological progress is
--- It took 960 servers to render single SD (576p) frame 90 minutes
--- Now, you can probably increase amount of particles and objects in scene dramatically and hit 30-60 frames a second at 4K with home equipment.
Very cool to see that.
The film is actually quite good. And I remember this was huuuge for anybody who liked gaming. And marketing was massive.
But sadly not that many people in the end went to cinema. You must remember, gaming at the time was still outsider thing and ppl over 30 thought FF:SW was some fairytale. What also did not help was competition in cinemas at the time - Pearl Harbor, AI, Jurassic Park III, Planet of the Apes, Fast and Furious, Legally Blonde, Scary Movie 2, Shrek. Not that these are necessarily better, but they were just easier for customers then.
It had a lot more Final Fantasy in it than most people give it credit for, it just didn't have enough chocobos to appease the geeks. This movie's entire story is directly based off of FF7's theme, sadly though, most people just paid attention to the spiky hairs.
TimeKeeper25 I feal would have been more like if it came after XIII
Yes, I also can see the similarities between FFVII and this movie. Of course the aesthetic is entirely different and all, but I think I'll give this movie a try.
It TOOK ME 19years to find and I finally have found it
gj
I would love to see more animated video game movies being made
Resident evil has a TON of this kind of movies
@@Caparzoshow the graphics on those RE movies are incredible, but I have yet to find one that has an even slightly tolerable script. It's like they funnel all of their budget into CGI and then leave the dialogue to be written by a 14yo fanboy with no concept of how human beings actually talk to one another.
Such a waste. I don't get it. If anyone can recommend one of the RE CGI movies that is actually-well written, I'd watch it in a heartbeat.
Vi esta película en el cine, sin haber visto trailers ni saber nada de ella, y quedé fascinado.
¡¡¡Simplemente espectacular!!!
This movie I saw ten years ago, it was assumed that was the bankruptcy to "square pictures", but frankly, I really liked and was a great sublime through on his time in terms of design and animation used in movies, frankly I loved even I keep seeing today 2015
That it was. This was Square Pictures' only film. Thanks to it, Sony owns SquareEnix...
You write like a computer throwing random words together.
One of the best sci-fi films ever made.
+MrYoungHegelian Hi Max
nostalgia 100
The story was extreeeeeemely convoluted.
Still one of my faves I don't care what anyone says.
lmaooo this movie sucked
Honestly (while obviously dated) it still holds up fairly well considering it's 18 years old
Man, this was such a bar-raiser when it came out. Has it really been 18 years?? I friggin' loved this movie - it deserved to do much better than it did at the box office...
@Javelin Melody lmaooo
This movie would have done 10x better if it dropped the Final Fantasy from the title, it had little to nothing to do with Final Fantasy and isolated people who don't know or care about it and alienated people who love Final Fantasy
Thetruebrain None of the Final Fantasy games are remotely similar as it is. 7 is nothing like the first 6 yet nobody complained about alienation there.
Exactly, its a reason this movie flopped so bad. People keep making excuses for this. I 100 percent agree if they named this something else it would have done better. The least they could have done was have a guy with a sword
eh, the plot is also kinda poop, perhaps it would be a little better, but it still wouldn't be a success story
It was originally called Gaia. This looks more like Star Ship Troopers than Final Fantasy.
Nah, watched it last night. It’s just hollow characters shooting at lights for two hours.
I still think about how good this was for the time. The fall of the shield city scene and the first introduction to the deep eyes on patrol especially got me
Remember seeing the trailer back in 2001 and didn’t care to watch it then. 20 years later I finally watched and it’s one of my favorite films now.
The aesthetic for this film was honestly great. Despite how it was received.
Bioware said that the look of Mass Effect was heavily inspired by this film.
Very fond memories of seeing this in the cinema, 2001 was a great summer. This looked the biz and from the opening scene in NYC it was so immersive. The deep eyes are one my fav scifi squads
After many years of remembering, I have finally found youu!
I saw it long ago, I was just a little kid and I was amazed by the storyline, the universe, the concept.. everything. This made me open my mind, surely a game changer for me. Thanks for it.
I get so mad when i see people complaining about this movie "not being like the games".
Dude, it's not supposed to be an adaptation of the games, is supposed to follow the motive of the franchise, which is being a "Final Fantasy".
The end and how we fight against it. That's it. It's not adapting any story, it's adding to them.
And may i add, the story is so relevant in 2020, is almost scary.
Excuse me? So basically you saying that’s it’s okay for Final Fantasy not to be a Final Fantasy? That’s just stupid. Why call it a FF then if it doesn’t follow the simple basics or identity of the franchise? Let’s just make a Star Wars movie and forget that Jedi ever existed instead it will be samurais on the moon fighting for their rice fields, why follow the lore when we have good CGI. Just slap a brand on it and we’re good
@@fabulousneet1180 that's not what i've said AT ALL.
My point is, the whole concept of the franchise allows for you to make different stories, with different characters.
The core principles of the stories remains the same, it's even in the name of the franchise: it's a Final Fantasy.
What is a "Final Fantasy"? How we define it?
I'll argue that through out the different mediums the franchise has traveled to, the theme stays relatively the same: it's a last stand, a fight for survival, or maybe, for revolution.
But in the end, it all comes down to that "Final Fantasy" of how those characters will deal with the end that approaches. How didi they got there? How they fight against it? How it changes them? How it moves them?
It can be sad like this movie, heartbreaking like X, bittersweet like VII, etc...
Final Fantasy, as a franchise, is not tied up like most franchises, that gives the creatives behind it more freedom to explore and it's no secret that Square at the time wanted to showcase how good they were, not only as developers, but as graphical artists and animators, that's the whole reason they still make movies, even after people were brutal to this one and Advent Children.
I think is unfair to dismiss the movie because it's not a direct adaptation of any of the games, because it was not trying to be. It's using the same themes and building blocks to tell yet another story from the same universe. It has the hallmarks of the franchise in it's screeplay. it's as much Final Fantasy as one of the games, you just dont get to play this one.
Ivy is Dead this is how you define “Final Fantasy” and “last stand and survival” is a pretty generic theme used by a lot of movies/games. It’s still went too far away from what people see and define as “Final Fantasy”. It didn’t meet the expectations and failed. As a stand-alone movie it’s probably a masterpiece, but you put on a title that doesn’t fit it and nobody will care. They will get disappointed because it was not what they were looking for, no matter how good it is.
Well its only because The movie is an origin story To The world of Final fantasy 7 Set decades before The game and advent children Take place, No franchise like this makes it's origin Story into a horror movie and that's why i love final fantasy
@@TvTrollByIvy I think its actually why the movie failed somehow. Imagine that if they use the plots for a Final Fantasy game first, then release this movie after that, it definitely changes how the movie box office end up.
I mean most people recognize Final Fantasy as a game, when there was a movie with that title, its normal that people assume the move was related to some existing game from the franchise.
Personally, i like the movie, i dont even know Final Fantasy game back then and trust me, its a surprise when i found out the game franchise seems have non similar plots with the movie.
For 2001, this was absolutely top of the line state of the art CGI everyone was blown away by. For 2023..... lol.
Just for this trailer,they should give the oscar for best editing!Still this day it gives me goosebumbs!
As for the movie I didn't had the chance to see it in release,but I bought the DVD day one!!!
i watched this movie in 2010 and loved since then...top 10 of my favorite movies
Half the sci-fi that goes straight to Netflix look exactly like this
Well this was something special in 2001
Was and still one of my favorite movies. I loved this as a kid.
For movie released in 2001, the animation is something that pushes the limits and that's amazing.
Edit: Ok maybe I'm wrong, there's probably better animated movies that were actually groundbreaking
No, in 2001 this movie had the best CGI ever created at the time. I remember watching a behind the scenes clip saying it took like hours to render a few frames of the main characters hair.
See this trailer was for a different movie than the one we were given.
I watched this so many times. It was a noticeable step forward for CGI at the time yet very few people saw it. Today, it's standard gaming cut scene CGI. Even in Hollywood movies they still have not perfected the human eyes which is the give away. That and facial movements.
A truly underrated film, in my opinion. It's major flaw is it's title, since Final Fantasy is primarily fantasy and this movie is more sci-fi horror. It's the same problem I have with 300: Rise of an Empire. I think it's a great movie and a great sequel, but other than the similar conflict and cameos from certain characters, it doesn't have anything to do with the "300".
who cares it's just a movie title. all that matters is what we were watching. i watched trailer, i wanted to see it. that simple.
Now I know where death stranding got…..it’s entire premise.
Spectral could have simply been a live action version of this movie, not that it was a bad story, but this anime deserves a live action version
love the movie will never forget it
0:13 “borrowed” (or stolen?) track from the Dark City trailer.
“Sleep Now” by Hughes Hall.
come from life is strange lol
Now Final Fantasy in game cutscenes look better than this which is crazy!
This movie / anime was and be ahead of it's time.
I know so many people hate on this movie for the limited visual effects but I love it, it's kind of a compelling if not fully fleshed out concept n interesting designed world. Also the end credits song gets me Everytime
Without this movie, there will be no Avatar.
Without "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" there wouldn't be this movie.
@@AmitFenn Ah, i see you're a man of culture as well...
This movie deserves a remake
This was NOT the movie we were promised. That's all I'm saying!
That was photorealistic then but now it's just our regular video games.
God bless.
The fact that a modern PC would be able to run this in real time is insane.
Anyone know the song in the trailer at the end? Please tell me.
www.soundtrack.net/trailers/?cid=F&mid=8519
Anyone else think the "let's move out people." line sounds like Chief from Halo?
Pretty good movie and animation for 2001. The concept that the earth is a living organism is a highly plausible idea that all scientists today need to consider very very seriously.
A very good movie to that everyone should watch. Animation and overall plot is excellent. "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" is better that pretty much any movie out there today....
Don’t forget, this came out when Tony hawk pro skater 3 came out. Game changer.
back then it took their computers several hours just to render a few frames of the main characters hair. today this could all be rendered in real time lol. insane how far we have come.
This movie should've called "Aliens: The Reborn" not "Final Fantasy".
Yeah the story was rather eeh.. I mean Final Fantasy has always had a lot of sci-fi type elements in it but this movie was just way too much sci-fi I was kind of let down by it
I remember buying this movie DVD over and over again because I couldn't see where the "Final Fantasy" part is, thought I was ripped off by bootleg version
I just rewatched this in 4k, it's crazy good. The year I was born, it must have been incredibly groundbreaking back then.
It was, but people shit on it because it wasn't exactly like the video games. So it bombed and the studio that produced it went bankrupt if I remember correctly.
How the hell is this connected to the games? XD I never even thought that this was a movie about the games.@@mr.mediocregamer9653
Man I remember seeing this movie as a kid and being shocked it was all animated. It all looked photorealistic.
I was even more shocked that years later I come to find out it’s a Final Fantasy movie
of all franchises out there, this deserves a remake. i always thought this IP was way more interesting than that japanese kid with the huge sword.
Aside from the title, what the hell does it have to do with the Final Fantasy video game series?
Anyone know when this movie comes out?
you have to admit it even in 2022 this film can give most a run for its money in terms of animation and action. loved it as a kid and still give it a watch now and again now at 30 lol
When trailers had a hypeman.
i miss it. beats the loud obnoxious horns and cringe music we have today.
I remember how the cut scenes of Final Fantasy 7 and 8 set my imagination on fire. I couldn’t wait to see a full 2 hour movie that made me feel that way. Unfortunately I just got a dark slog of a film that did nothing but give me a depressive episode that lasted a month.
Happy 20th Year Anniversary 🎂
Original Release: July 11th, 2001
As someone who has next to no knowledge about the Final Fantasy-Games, is there any connection story-wise between any of them and this movie?
None.
I know this didn't make a whole lot of money, but how's about an Ultra HD Blu-Ray version of this?
I was today years old when I found out Dr. Aki shares the same voice actor as Disney’s Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) and now I can’t unhear it
"nothing you've seen, nothing you've experienced, has prepared you..." What an easy one but, damn, I swear this is the most epic phrase to have been said in a trailer, and it worked that much
I just rewatched it and I don't know why a lot of people hate this movie just because it was titled "Final Fantasy". I love the game but I understand that the story of this movie is different. And it's unique and masterfully done.
The technological breakthrough this movie was, at the time, cannot be overstated. Took many of us awhile to even realize it was CGI, because it was just so much better than everything else at the time (think triangle bewbs on tomb raider).
I remember thinking when I was a kid "it's so realistic, imagine what the future will be like"
Still holds up all these years later, despite being obviously dated.
Yeah. Huge final fantasy fan. And also sci-fi fan as well. Really nice masterpiece of a graphic anime.
This trailer is SO 90s generic! That ending music that was in like 100 movie trailers from this time.
Watching it I couldn’t help but feel it could’ve really benefited from like a James Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.
Also opening music taken from the Dark City trailer.
before too many time i founded this piece of art, i see it when i was child
UNDERRATED MOVIE!!!! Sakaguchi knows what lies at the heart of Final Fantasy!
I'll never understand why they didn't take one of the legendary stories of ff4, 6, 7, or 8 and turn that into a movie. I think it would have been as blockbuster as LOTR. Full world immersion, great villains, great heroes, fun stuff, funny stuff. Personally I think FF6 would have made the best story overall but it probably would have had to be 2 or 3 movies. FF4 has some incredible potential for blockbuster scenes. Leviathan causing the shipwreck, the world's forces coming together to fight the Giant of Babil, "Journey to the Center of the Moon" with a huge spaceship, and a fantastic redemption arc and heroes journey for the main character, with lots of humor, fun, and emotional investment as well. The best scene hands down though would be Rydia's return to save them all from Golbez, if it was done right. Someone needs to Peter Jackson this thing... I wish I knew how to direct just for this singular job.
This movie pretty much is Why The world of final fantasy 7 Seems a bit off despite being an amazing place, The phantoms Killed everything The humans could Not save from death or possession And That's Why Genetically Engineered Animals like red And his cubs exists, Gaia at the end of 7 is pretty much whatever is left of grey Saving the day again using the planets power
OH MY GOD! THIS WAS THE MOVIE I KEPT REMEMBERING SINCE I WAS SEVEN!! GLAD TO KNOW WHAT IT IS NOW!
Oww a long time ago I saw the movie. Life is stranger thanks to give the name movie
I saw this in theatres, I was thrilled to see Blizzard ( I’m aware this is not a Blizzard production) but I always wanted a full length movie with that quality CG. There is a scene with a close up of a flying Eagle; I remember wondering how they got a camera onto an Eagle in flight because it looked so real. The graphics still hold water today! This was a really great story and very well acted by all.
This movie slapped and is a bit part of why I got so into animation and animation type movies.
4K remaster announced for November, can't wait to watch it again
This movie was way ahead of its time.
0:09 If anyone knows, could you tell me where this sound comes from? If you can, I would be very grateful.
Try Sleep now by hughes hall
@@ella-minnow-pea4568 😮
Bruh summer 2021...
I remember when i was a child i couldn't sleep after watching this 😂
Oh shit! That was a Final Fantasy movie? I was only a kid that time when I saw it. I didn't read the title.
How about a 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray version?
The whole thing looks like a bunch of cutscenes, no wonder reviewers and other people hated it.
This came out in 2001. These visuals were mind-blowing back then. It was the plot that caused the bad reviews.
First time I saw this movie as a kid I had nightmares
There should be an epilepsy warning on this thing
My thoughts exacty. I don't have epilepsy but god damn, i got irritated by sudden flashes and stopped watching the damn thing.
People didnt even know this existed at that time.
I wonder why they just didn't make it like one of their most popular franchise to this day Final fantasy did they not think the audience would like anything similar to the games..
i was so let down as a kid when i realised this had nothing to do with ACTUAL Final Fantasy :(
Every Final Fantasy story is unique and not really linked.
It’s opinions like yours that contributed to the flop. Expecting spiked hair, chocobos and summons and missing the great sci fi story being told.
looks awfully similar in comparison to the netflix film, spectral. this was an underrated childhood movie for me.
Can we have a remastered version done?? !!
2022, and i still love this so much
Is the Japanese dub available in the US?
I hope the actual movie had better music.