Tuesday, September 7, 2004

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
The setting: The small island of Lido, set right off the coast of Venice, Italy. The event: the Mostra Internazionale D'arte Cinematografica, a.k.a. the Venice International Film Festival. The reason: to view the premiere screening of Square-Enix's second major computer-generated cinematic soiree, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.
Both the city of Venice and the island of Lido were bristling with energy this weekend, a weekend punctuated hot, bright sun and the typically warm weather the island is known for. In Venice, the legendary city that seems to rise from the ocean, the annual gondola races took place over the weekend, causing the famous San Marco Square to swell with even more than its usual packed throngs. On the isle of Lido, thousands of film fanatics, movie critics, and average tourists covered the city streets, eager for a sight of Tom Cruise or Johnny Depp, both of whom showed up for the film festival

But I wasn't there to take in a viewing of Collateral or the Manchurian Candidate. We could do that at home. We were there to soak in the first extended look at the film festival's most recent invitee, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Special Edition. As part of the festival organizer'ss efforts to usher in the new wave of digital entertainment, Advent Children was so highly courted that Square was allowed to submit an unfinished version of the film; a rare event as only complete films are typically allowed for submission.

After taking a hired boat that launched from Piazzole Roma, we motored through the churning Venetian waters to the sunny beach-side of Lido where the film festival took place. Making our way past the crowds who huddled the steps leading to the film center's entrance, we donned our press badges and waited in line, along side the hundreds of film enthusiasts who had piled up for this special occasion. After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, Advent Children director Tetsuya Nomura (character designer for everything from Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X, to Parasite Eve, Brave Fencer Musashi, The Bouncer, and of course, Kingdom Hearts) and his entourage came cutting through the crowds. One rather large member of Nomura's collective bore a conspicuous metal case, nearly twice as large as your average suitcase. This case held the hard-drive containing the data that would project Advent Children digitally on to the big screen. As we filed in lemming-like with the assembled masses into the full-sized theater, we settled into our chairs and reclined, mere moments from the movie that would re-define the legend of Final Fantasy VII.

In the words to follow we will break down the 25 minute preview version as we saw it. Readers who would prefer to avoid spoilage of any or all plot details would be advised to skip to the last paragraph now. You have been warned.

Advent Children

As the opening theme (composed by series-long soundtrack composer, Nobuo Uematsu) heralded the movie's start -- conveyed in sparkling 5.1 sound, mind you -- scenes of a modern-day Midgar (the movie takes place two years after the conclusion of FFVII the game) fade in and out, spliced together with cuts from the scenes from the original FFVII CG movies. As the scenes of a consumed Sephiroth flash upon the screen, the sounds of the classic track "One-Winged Angel" play in the background. While the quality of the original 7 year-old CG scenes of the PlayStation game actually hold up quite well initially, this soon changes the moment the image of a dilapidated Shinra, Inc. comes into view. The huge cannons that once fired death across the sky are now a lifeless, overgrown reminder of its former self. As the viewer is taken on a virtual tour of the new Midgar, a child's voice (orated by the young female character, Marlene) brings the viewer up to speed on what has happened since the conclusion of the highly influential seventh episode of Final Fantasy. "The lifestream. That's what we call the life source of our planet" intones Marlene, as scenes of the lifestream's tendrils undulate across Midgar. As she continues to recap recent events, we see a newly reinterpreted version of the scene where Cloud gently lays the fallen Aerith in the water; Aerith having recently died at the hands of the story's villain, Sephiroth. Finally, as the viewer is made familiar with the backstory (although, to be honest, players of Final Fantasy VII will have the advantage getting to grips with Advent Children's plot), Marlene's voice-over fades, bringing the prologue to its conclusion, a point highlighted by the arrival of the film's opening credits.

Strife Delivery Service

Amidst the clink and clank of glasses and dishes, the camera pans to the sight of a young woman cleaning up a dusty, dimly-lit office, as a telephone chimes in the background. The young woman is Final Fantasy VII's Tifa. As Tifa puts away the last of the dishes, she patiently strides over to the phone, picks it up in no particular hurry and recites "Strife Delivery Service." It seems someone has a job for Strife Delivery Service, and Tifa wonders aloud where VII's hero, Cloud Strife, might be.

He Takes Sword In Hand Once Again

The scene shifts to a lone rider on a motorcycle, slicing through the wasteland as a river does through canyons. As the camera moves in closer, it becomes apparent, and hardly a surprise, that the rider is Cloud. Tifa has radioed to Cloud that he has a client to visit, and off he goes to his destination.
While the movie has up until now run in sequential order, it is at this point where the events are -- while still shown chronologically -- obviously signature highlights in the currently unfinished product. That said, we find Cloud barreling down a dusty, industrial gulley, when three other motorcycles erupt in hot pursuit. The riders are Kadaj and his henchmen, the slender, silver-haired Yazoo, and the stockier, more menacing Loz. Whether this is an imagined sequence on Cloud's part or an actual encounter is unclear, as the riders suddenly disappear, and the movie segues into a fairly rapid sequence of events.
A scene shows Cloud speaking with a cloaked, wheelchair-bound man with a bodyguard at his side. The man speaks of how he wants to change the world, improve the world, and how he needs Cloud's help. Cloud is, after all, an ex-soldier, the type of man with the strength to lead a revival of Midgar. But Cloud is doubtful. He scoffs at the notion, suggesting he can no longer help anyone. A few scenes later, though, it is revealed in no uncertain terms that the man who will push Cloud to his limits is the young warrior known as Kadaj. Kadaj is driven by a desire to find his "mother" (although it is unclear at this point who his mother is), but the children are the key to this discovery; children who are afflicted with the Geostigma.

The scene shifts to an abandoned church Cloud calls "home," although it is barely more than a ruin. Tifa and Marlene are here, walking slowly through the flowers blooming in the exposed sunlight, accompanied by the sounds of a gorgeous Uematsu composition played out in acoustic guitar. Uplifting and sprightly, the piece, however, merely foreshadows a dark torrent of things to come. The sight of Tifa and Marlene is interrupted by a quick cut to Kadaj "speaking" with the wheelchair-bound man. The wheelchair man's bodyguards lie on the floor, writhing in the agony Kadaj has clearly inflicted on them. Kadaj makes a point of informing all in attendance that he must find "mother," and cryptically refers to the mysterious cripple as "Mr. President." Back at the church, Tifa and Marlene hear the approach of footsteps, and turn around to face Kadaj's henchman, Loz. The sturdy mercenary demands to know where Cloud is, as Tifa backs away, insisting that the intruder leave at once. Since the uninvited guest has no intention of acquiescing to Tifa's demands, combat ensues, with Tifa bearing down full-force on the ready-and-waiting Loz. Although Cloud's childhood friend unleashes a rapid-fire series of punches and kicks on Loz (players of FFVII will recognize Tifa's signature attack from the game), the burly henchman grabs Tifa by the feet, whirls her around and hurls her against the church wall, where she lands in slow-motion like a cat. The look of concern on Tifa's computer-generated face radiates a grim concern like no other before it. She knows she will not win this battle.

Why Are The Children Always The Ones To Suffer?
Before we can see how the conflict resolves itself, the sequence ends with a fast, sharp fade to the present, camera locked on a stuffed moogle doll, held by Marlene as she questions a rather dazed-looking Denzel (an orphan raised by Cloud; another of the principal child characters in the movie), in a shadow-drenched, industrial part of town. Marlene says to Denzel "You've got Geostigma," and leads him off to someone who can help them. The scene switches back to the church, where Cloud has entered, aware that something has transpired here. As he reaches the flowers, he sees a body prone in the grass, and runs over to the still form shouting "Tifa!" As he gently lifts her from the ground, checking for signs of life, time leaps forward a few hours as Tifa awakens from her brutal encounter with Loz. As she reveals what happened, the viewer can see Cloud struggling with an inner guilt, a guilt that is holding him back from his true abilities.

The following scene shows Kadaj, preaching to the dozens of children he has rounded up, each seemingly inflicted with the Geostigma. Kadaj pulses with a manic, restless energy, which literally oozes from his fingertips, revealing an inner power that can somehow touch those with the Geostigma.
As the revelation concludes, the scene switches to Advent Children's money shot. We find Cloud standing in a field of flowers, the background cast in blinding white. Cloud is speaking, laying his soul bare, as the camera turns slowly, clockwise, around him. We're listening to him exorcising his demons in a raw confessional punctuated by the admittance "I want to be forgiven." As the camera turns, we see first the boots, and then the bottom fringe of a familiar pink dress, and then the gently folded hands and maroon sweater we recognize as belonging to Aerith come into view. Even two years later, it's obvious that Cloud still bears the guilt of her death, and while she's not exactly alive in body, in spirit she has returned to consult, and perhaps console, our tormented hero.

With barely a dry eye in the theater, we fast-forward to see Cloud speeding down a night-covered stretch of road, the background unspooling fast behind him. Kadaj and his phalanx of children come into view at the end of the street, causing Cloud to bail from his motorcycle, barely missing the wall of children. He comes sliding to a halt at the feet of Kadaj. Edgy and tense, Kadaj informs Cloud of his masterplan, pointing his sword menacingly at the spiky-blond hero's throat. As the conversation reaches fever-pitch, Kadaj raises his sword as if to strike Cloud down. As the sword descends, a shot rings out knocking the blade away, and a whirling dervish of black and maroon comes in to whisk Cloud away to safety. Vincent has arrived barely in time to save his old friend from an untimely fate.

As the impossibly deep-voiced Vincent converses with Cloud to discuss what's going on, the sound of footsteps rustling closer is heard, causing Cloud to reach for the handle of his sword. As the mysterious figure explodes into view, it turns out to be Marlene, who begs Cloud to not run away anymore, and to help the children. After a short discussion with Vincent, Cloud agrees to do the best he can, takes Marlene with him and sets off to put things right.

We find Kadaj standing high atop an unfinished skyscraper. At his side is the President, who is in the deepest stages of Geostigma. Kadaj informs us that "Geostigma is what happens when the body overcompensates." What exactly this means has yet to be revealed, but what we discover at this point is that Kadaj is looking for Jenovah, a.k.a. Mother. Down below, the scene is on the cusp of chaos, with the advent children standing in a circular formation, their eyes now cat-like, due to Kadaj's manipulations. As the silver-haired mastermind finishes the last of his rantings to the President, his face contorts into an evil smile as he holds his left hand up, aglow with blue fire. He turns suddenly to thrust his left had at the sky, emitting a bolt of energy at the clouds. At first the clouds part where the bolt has burned a path, but quickly close and begin to spiral down in a darkening vortex, and the tendrils of steam and smoke take on the form of a mighty, winged summon whose form resembles that of Bahamut.
As all hell breaks loose in the square, with civilians running every which way, Bahamut is seen raining destruction on the populace, destroying buildings whole, and swooping down to snatch hapless, screaming prey from the ground. As all hope seems lost -- and Kadaj unstoppable -- the heroes finally appear to make their stand.

Keep in mind that this is a quick collection of snippets pieced together, and that we're not sure how each character will be introduced in the final cut. But much like the excitement we once felt when we first viewed the Super Smash Brothers CG trailer, so too did we our hearts soar when Barrett first appears on the scene, machine-gun arm first, ammo a-blazin' at the Bahamut in the sky. We felt the unmistakeable rush of nostalgia, a wave of jubilation, that reminded us of just how much we miss these characters, how glad we are to see them in a glorious new light, and how we really wish Square did more sequels to their best titles. We're not sure if the same feelings would surface at a new sighting of Squall Leonhart, but if the sudden, brave appearance of Barrett wasn't enough to put lump firmly in throat, then perhaps the sight of Red XIII charging directly at Bahamut, or that of unflappable airship captain Cid swinging his huge sword around in his familiar stance is. And as a final dash of fan-service, the unflappable Yuffie finally appears, demanding to know "Who's been messing with my materia?"

As the heroes do what heroes do, we switch to a scene of Kadaj riding his motorcycle to the flower-covered church grounds, clutching a technological container of some sort, crying the word "mother." We then hear Tifa's voice in Cloud's mind, as he plants two huge swords in the side of a crumbling skyscraper. As he braces himself against the tumbling debris, standing on the two swords, Tifa's voice asks "During our last battle two years ago, remember what it was like to be strong?" Cloud mentally nods, and infers that he would like to rediscover that very feeling.

The moment of truth close at hand, Cloud grabs a sword and leaps into the air, flying against the tumult of cinder blocks and girders that crash down upon him. As Cloud's oversized blade cuts through the rocks as if they were air, the first-ever showing of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Special Edition draws to a close with a strange voice saying "I won't be just a memory" as the iconic Sephiroth explodes from the chaos, descending from amongst the falling debris to meet Cloud head on; a dramatic entry for Final Fantasy's darkest angel.

Endgame

When we first got wind that Square was making a sequel to Final Fantasy VII, we couldn't have been more excited. It may not have been the best Final Fantasy ever (opinions vary wildly on this one ), but it was filled with some of the most memorable characters in the history of the series, with its tortured hero --Cloud-- perhaps Square's most bankable icon this side of chocobos and moogles. However, when we learned at last year's Tokyo Game Show that the sequel would not in fact be a game, but a CG rendered movie (and a 45-minute long one at that) we were admittedly a little deflated. We excitedly imagined that we would be able to play with our favorite characters once again, this time with far superior graphics. While the visuals of a new CG movie would obviously be light years ahead of what the 32-bit PlayStation game could approach, a film would not be interactive, and at 45 minutes it would be over before we knew it. Not exactly the best way to follow an RPG that clocked in at 55-plus hours in its heyday. But our fears were misplaced. When Advent Children was first announced, all Square had to show for it was an image of Cloud and Sephiroth, dissolving into a Matrix-like effect, a vague hint at what the final product would be. All the assembled executives at Square's press conference could squeak out was that it would be digital entertainment. Hell, even our digital watches could be considered "entertainment" if we pushed the buttons fast enough. They couldn't (or wouldn't) clarify if it was or was not a game, a CG movie, a weird combination of both, or even what system it would be on. Would it be a PS2 title, a title playable on more than one system (i.e. Xbox), or would it be a DVD? While we know now it will be a DVD, Square is still wrestling with various distribution challenges, such as how to promote the title to the mass consumer market.
But now that we we've seen Advent Children as a movie, our reaction is extremely positive. We can say with some certainty that if this had been the movie Square Pictures had released three years ago, and not that dismal failure, Spirits Within, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi might still have a job. Audiences didn't want to see tree-hugging Ben Affleck clones talking about the Earth's spirit, they wanted to see spiky-haired heroes kicking ass, Blade Runner style. Advent Children, even in this unfinished state, brings fans what they want to see, and on the strength of this 25-minute preview version, relieves any doubts we might have had about FFVII's sequel being a movie and not a game. As far as length is concerned, Tetsuya Nomura tells us that since they are still finishing many of the combat scenes and have yet to make the final cuts, that Advent Children may be in fact four times as long as the preview we saw this weekend. That would bring the movie past the hour and a half mark, the average of most major motion pictures, and over double the original intended length of about 45 minutes.

The movie, unfortunately, will not ship this year as originally planned. The newly adjusted date for Advent Children is Spring 2005. A possible worldwide simultaneous release in multiple languages might be the culprit, as localizing and voice recording for all international markets may delay the movies release, although this is not a confirmed fact. Another factor the team has yet to decide on is what features will or will not make it on to the Sony PSP version. While Nomura tells us that the PSP's proprietary UMD (Universal Media Disc) can handle up to 2 hours of video, there would be little room left over for the extra features intended for the DVD release. That's not to say that Square couldn't release a special 2-disc set for PSP, but as of this writing nothing has been decided, including whether or not to release trailers of Advent Children in theaters, or even to release the movie in theaters as a nationwide release before the DVD. While the failure of Spirits Within has made Square wary of the film industry, the attention drawn to the movie as a result of the Venice Film Festival's invitation (the movie has since been invited to the Montreal Film Festival as well) might cause them to reconsider the notion. If a potential partner or distributor from a major film studio were to step up and help minimize the burden of releasing the film to theaters, it's entirely possible we could see Advent Children on the big screen before we see it on DVD. Bear in mind, though, that this is merely theory, although one that could play out.

As for us, Advent Children blew us away, even though we sort of knew what we were in for when we saw a brief trailer at this past May's E3 in Los Angeles. The image quality is top notch, and it's clear that Square's top creative minds (including scenario writer, Kazushige Nojima, and art director, Yusuke Naora, along with Nomura and Uematsu) are firing on all cylinders as evidenced by the movie's excellent pacing, flair for the dramatic, and stylish execution. We'll be the first to admit this is not an art film. The Japanese typically paint in broad, predictable strokes, with Advent Children's palette of heroism painted in the same conflicted-hero-saves-the-world hues of past games like Final Fantasy X, and other traditional RPGs. You needn't read between any lines here, as what's put before you can basically be taken at face value. But despite the transparency here, it works. When Aerith makes her first, subtle appearance onscreen, you'd have to be a true cynic (or be completely unfamiliar with FFVII's storyline) to not feel a tightening in your throat. How could an army of goosebumps not surface on your skin, ready to march, when you see FFVII's stellar cast gather together once more, possibly for the last time? Tetsuya Nomura's surprisingly tiny, yet efficient, staff of 40 people (Spirits Within was completed with over 200 people at its peak) is hard at work finishing what might just be the ultimate piece of video-gaming fan service. When you see the final product for yourself, we feel you'll find it hard to disagree. But what's more admirable is that for all the stylish poses, for all the epic pronouncements and dire consequences, it's clear that for this development team that fan service isn't enough. It's true that they want to bring closure for fans of one of video gaming's most influential titles, but it's also written on their sleeves that they want to make an excellent movie. Considering what we've seen so far, we'd say they've got their feet planted firmly in the right direction.

Check back later for the full interview with Final Fantasy VII Advent Children's core creative team, Testuya Nomrua (director), Kazeshigu Nojima (scenario writer), and Yusuke Naora (art director).



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