Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

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Final Fantasy VII Advent Children
Directed by Tetsuya Nomura
Takeshi Nozue
Produced by Yoshinori Kitase
Shinji Hashimoto
Written by Kazushige Nojima
Starring Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese voice) / Steve Burton (English voice) as Cloud Strife
Morikubo Shoutarou (Japanese voice) / Steve Staley (English voice) as Kadaj
Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese voice) / Mena Suvari (English voice) as Aerith Gainsborough
Ayumi Ito (Japanese voice) / Rachael Leigh Cook (English voice) as Tifa Lockhart
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Distributed by Square Enix, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (International)
Release date(s)
Running time 101 min
Language Japanese (Japan)
English (International)
Spanish (Spain)
French (France)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children[1] (ファイナルファンタジーVII アドベントチルドレン Fainaru Fantajī Sebun Adobento Chirudoren?) is a computer animated film based on the highly successful PlayStation and PC game Final Fantasy VII. The film is set two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, and follows the game's hero Cloud Strife as he unravels the cause of a mysterious plague that has beset the population. The initial DVD and UMD release of the film in 2005 was voiced in Japanese. The English-dubbed NTSC and PAL versions were released on April 25, 2006. The Spanish-dubbed PAL version was released on January 30 of 2007 in UMD and on February 20 of 2007 in DVD. The film's soundtrack, scored by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenichiro Fukui, Keiji Kawamori, and Tsuyoshi Sekito, was released on September 28, 2005.

Two special editions of the Japanese version were released, including the "Ultimate Edition", Advent Pieces: Limited, which includes the OVA Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. Advent Children was the first announced title in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, and received the Honorary Maria Award at the Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya on October 15, 2005.

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children was rated PG-13 in the United States by the Motion Picture Association of America for "sequences of intense sci-fi action violence", although it was never shown in theaters (as opposed to the last Final Fantasy CGI film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within).

At the Tokyo Game Show 2006, Square Enix showed a trailer of a director's cut of the movie, titled Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete for release on the Blu-ray disc format. New scenes will be added to the movie, including one where Sephiroth impales Cloud with his sword and then lifts his body up into the air. The movie will also benefit from high-definition video and audio that the Blu-ray format offers. However, only a Japanese release has been confirmed so far, but is likely to be released elsewhere if the popularity of the Blu-ray format continues to grow. The cut will be released in mid 2007. [1]

Contents

[edit] Story

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Two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, the planet is in the early stages of recovering from the devastating attack by Meteor, while the survivors of Midgar have begun to build a new city (aptly named "Edge") on the outskirts of the old metropolis. However, a strange disease known as Geostigma (星痕症侯群 Seikon Shōkōgun?, lit. "Planet Scar Syndrome") has arisen.

After his showdown with Sephiroth, Cloud Strife established his own delivery service, the Strife Delivery Service, with the aid of Tifa Lockhart, with whom he has been living in Edge. Marlene Wallace (adopted daughter of Barret Wallace) has been entrusted to their care, and also with them is an orphaned boy named Denzel.

Cloud is attacked by three mysterious young men who believe that he knows the location of their missing mother; however, the battle is cut short and he escapes. Hoping to gain information on the mysterious attackers, Cloud responds to the summons of Rufus Shinra, the leader of the seemingly defunct Shinra Company. Rufus, attempts to enlist Cloud's help to stop the trio, but fails. After their meeting, Kadaj breaks into Rufus' lodge and demands that Rufus himself tell him where to find his mother, revealing that "she" is, in fact, the remains of Jenova, and is somehow connected to the cause of Geostigma. He also announces that he and his "brothers," Yazoo and Loz are planning a new Reunion that will culminate in an assault on the Planet itself.

Tifa fighting Loz in Aerith's church early in the film.
Tifa fighting Loz in Aerith's church early in the film.

Kadaj and his "brothers" begin collecting children infected with Geostigma (including Denzel and the uninfected Marlene), and take them to the Forgotten Capital of the Ancients. Cloud attempts to rescue them, but fails and must be rescued himself by Vincent Valentine. Vincent reveals to Cloud what the trio are seeking and that it could result in the return of Sephiroth. He also reveals that Geostigma is the result of one's immune system working excessively to fight off an infection brought on by Jenova's lingering presence within the Lifestream. After some soul-searching, Cloud agrees to return to Edge and face Kadaj in direct battle.

Shortly thereafter, in Edge, the villainous trio call forth several monsters to attack the populace, including the dragon summon known as "Bahamut SIN." While the other Final Fantasy VII party members (Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie Kisaragi, Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine, as well as Aerith to a certain extent) deal with Bahamut, Reno and Rude attempt to take care of Yazoo and Loz until Cloud arrives. Through their teamwork, Cloud and his friends soon dispatch the monsters and Bahamut.

While overlooking these events in a nearby building, Rufus reveals to Kadaj that he has been in possession of the head of Jenova all along, tossing the box containing it from the edge of the building. Kadaj dives after the box and recovers it, although Rufus manages to crack the box slightly. Rufus himself survives the fall when Elena and Tseng launch nets to catch him. Before Kadaj can celebrate his good fortune, he spots Cloud in hot pursuit of him. An intense motorcycle chase carries them into the ruins of Midgar, but not after Reno and Rude use two timebombs to seemingly kill Yazoo and Loz. Cloud catches up to Kadaj and they slide off of the end of the unfinished highway. They then go into Aerith's old church where Kadaj sees the extent of the damage to "Mother" and lets out an anguished scream before Cloud arrives. They confront each other and Cloud comes off worse for it until a magical blast from Kadaj destroys the flowerbed and releases an outflow of seemingly Lifestream-infused water which heals Cloud's geostigma and proves harmful to Kadaj who flees. Cloud, compelled by Aerith's voice, pursues him to the derelict remains of Shinra Headquarters in the center of Midgar. Now healed of his debilitating condition, Cloud is able to match Kadaj blow for blow and soon defeats him decisively. However, before the battle can come to a complete close, Kadaj tricks Cloud by distracting him with the box containing Jenova's head, which Kadaj then jumps after and absorbs into his body to "...show [Cloud] [his] reunion". Kadaj begins to transform as Cloud attacks and before the impact, Cloud is stopped in midair by the abruptly revealed Masamune in the hands of a fully regenerated Sephiroth, cueing the entrance of the new One Winged Angel music. Sephiroth reveals that once those who die from the geostigma return to the Lifestream, he will be able to control it. Sephiroth also reveals that he plans to use the planet as a boat as he travels space until he finds a new planet where he can start a fresh new future.

An intense one-on-one battle follows across Midgar, destroying large sections of the ruins in the process. Cloud eventually gains a burst of strength and confidence from thinking of everything he holds dear which Sephiroth would destroy. Cloud separates his sword, the First Tsurugi, into its six pieces, and performs a new Limit Break (identified as "Omnislash Version Five," a variation of Cloud's ultimate Limit Break from Final Fantasy VII), which soundly (and impressively) defeats Sephiroth at last.

Aerith and Zack in the final scene.
Aerith and Zack in the final scene.

Sephiroth dissipates, leaving Kadaj's severely weakened body behind. Aerith's spirit begins to pour healing rain across Edge, curing everyone of their Geostigma. Speaking softly to Kadaj, who now lies dying, Aerith tells him to be at rest. Believing Aerith's voice to be that of his "mother," he complies and is joyfully taken by the Lifestream. Before a full-scale celebration can begin, however, in an unexpected move Cloud is shot through the back by Yazoo's blade-gun. He and Loz survived the timebombs, but are now slowly succumbing to the healing rain as well. They both had an arm full of Materia and they prepare one final blast for Cloud, resulting in a large explosion that disintegrates them and engulfs Cloud. The English script of the movie packaged with the "Limited Edition Collector's Set" of the movie reveals that Loz and Yazoo used "Comet, Flare, and explosive spells."

Cloud appears surrounded by a white light. Aerith and Zack are heard and Zack tells Cloud that his place is not with them yet, and sends him back to Aerith's church through the Lifestream. Several small hands touch Cloud and he opens his eyes.

Cloud awakens in Aerith's old church with wounds healed, now surrounded by his friends and the citizens of Edge. After a moment, Cloud demonstrates the healing powers of the water pooled in the church by curing Denzel of his Geostigma, and then the remainder of the afflicted children, in a baptismal-like ceremony. He then looks up and sees Aerith crouching by some other children. As she stands and walks to the doorway, she turns back to assure Cloud that he's all right now, and then steps into a white light with Zack. Cloud smiles and agrees, stating that he isn't alone anymore.

[edit] Marketing and release

Originally, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was scheduled for September 14th, 2005, in Japan and September 13th in North America, with Japan obtaining a special release of the DVD with more extras and collectible offers than the U.S. release. The official website for the English version of Advent Children even had a countdown clock, displaying the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until this release date.

However, days before the release, Square Enix changed the US release date to a tentative "November 2005," a move many felt indicated an attempt by Square Enix to release the film during the lucrative holiday sales times. The estimate for release was changed once again in early November to a January release, and due to the release date being pushed back several times, the timer was removed from the official North American site. When fans noted that the E3 2005 trailer had "confirmed" the simultaneous September release, Square Enix stated that the trailer was not the real E3 trailer and possibly a "fake" trailer. Due to the delays, many fans resorted to downloading fansubs over BitTorrent and importing the Japanese R2 version in order to watch the film.

In an article for the website The Digital Bits, it was eventually mentioned that the delays were due to the extra time required to complete the bonus supplements. [2] Finally, in a February 13, 2006 IGN.com article, it was revealed that April 25, 2006 was the new official North American release date [3]. Later that day, on another article on 1UP.com, the release date was confirmed yet again, along with the entire English voice cast. Later, Square Enix confirmed the info on their U.S. website [4], indicating that the film was on track for a certain U.S. release. The official movie website was updated with the info and a new countdown timer was implemented.

A special one-time only theatrical screening of the English version of the movie took place on Monday, April 3, 2006 at the ArcLight movie theatre in Los Angeles. The event was promoted via e-mail to those who subscribed to the Square Enix mailing list. The screening featured trailers of Kingdom Hearts II and Dirge of Cerberus, and was highlighted by appearances of the English language cast and Japanese film makers.

U.S. UMD cover
U.S. UMD cover

[edit] European and North American DVD release

The European and North American DVD is a 2-Disc set that includes the following bonus features:

Certain retailers offered a bonus disc to go with the DVD set. The disc contains a featurette on the English voice-over process, including interviews with Steve Burton (Cloud), Rachael Leigh Cook (Tifa) and Mena Suvari (Aerith).

[edit] Limited Collector's Set

Sony later announced Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (Limited Edition Collector's Set) for release on February 20, 2007 for a MSRP of $49.95 [5]. The set includes the following bonus material:

  • A 5.1DD French language track
  • Last Order: Final Fantasy VII anime feature
  • English movie script
  • Ten collectable postcards
  • Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children The Novel: A short booklet that contains side stories of Barret, Denzel, and Tifa during the 2 years between the end of the game and the start of Advent Children.
  • All bonus features from the original Advent Children DVD; including an expanded The Distance: Making of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children featurette, with all-new interviews with the English voice actors

[edit] Product placement

The phone used by Cloud in the movie is the Panasonic FOMA P900iV Phone, which is not available in the US. Plans for bringing it to America, Europe, Australia, and other places internationally have been taken into consideration, at least until the "i mode" connection system becomes available outside Japan. Rumors say that it will be bundled with Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, although no official word has been published. There are different colors for this phone, but Cloud owns the "Cloud Black" model, an obvious pun on his name.

[edit] Reception

The DVD release of Advent Children sold over 420,000 copies in Japan (or by people who imported from Japan) in its first week, which was 93% of all published copies at the time.[2]

Days before the North American DVD release, Advent Children achieved number one on Amazon.com's "Top Sellers" page, while the UK Top 40 DVDs and Videos chart, Advent Children was placed 3rd for the week ending 30 April 2006. According to Video Business Online, "Advent Children" was placed 2nd for the week in the US ending 30 April 2006.[3]

The film has a 63% (fresh) rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the visuals but criticized the movie for being mostly action and little story. Many critics noted in their reviews that they had never played Final Fantasy VII. [4]

[edit] Tie-ins

[edit] Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII

Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII is a story digest of Final Fantasy VII, as recalled by Cloud at a time set shortly after the events of Advent Children. It consists of edited scenes from the original Playstation game and live-action shots of locations seen in the bonus ending. Between flashbacks to the original game's sequences, it relates a short story about Cloud making deliveries while taking phone calls from other members of AVALANCHE.

The basic premise is that Yuffie wants Cloud to take a day off from his work, and sends a "closed for business" sign to him by way of Barret as her way of telling him so. Cloud then calls Tifa and asks her if she can close the bar the next day while he takes a day off from running deliveries. Only the voices of Cloud, Yuffie, Cid, Vincent and Barret can be heard during the story digest, as there are no actual animated renderings of them featured in Reminiscence. The only CGI in Reminisence is of Cloud's motorcycle parked on the side of the road as Barret gives him Yuffie's package.[5]

[edit] On the Way to a Smile

On the Way to a Smile
On the Way to a Smile

On the Way to a Smile is a small series of stories taking place between the time of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Written by Kazushige Nojima, half of this novella (Case of Denzel) was released in episodes on the official Japanese Advent Children website, while the novella was released in its entirety in V-Jump's Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Prologue book.

[edit] Case of Denzel

These four chapters are told indirectly through the perspective of Denzel, the young orphan featured in Advent Children. Johnny, the bumbling regular of Tifa's 7th Heaven bar from the original game, has opened up his own bar in the newly built city of Edge. One day Denzel shows up in Johnny's store to have a private meeting with Reeve Tuesti. He has requested an interview with him in the hopes that he may become part of Reeve's new World Restoration Order, an army devoted to rebuilding the planet. Denzel then goes on to tell his life story, including how he became an orphan, the events leading up to his becoming afflicted with Geostigma, and how he came into the care of Tifa and Cloud. He also offers a firsthand account of the events of that fateful day when the Lifestream emerged to save the planet from Meteor.

[edit] Case of Tifa

This half of the novella consists of Tifa's account of the events following Meteor's destruction, overlapping in part with Denzel's story. This half of On the Way to a Smile helps to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding the beginning of the movie, including identifying its setting and offering further insight into Cloud and Tifa's respective feelings for themselves and one another.

[edit] Case of Barret

Released with the North American limited edition box set of Advent Children was a third On the Way to a Smile Story. It involves Barret and his struggle with having a weapon for an arm, and trying to find a new energy source for the people of the world.

[edit] Credits

[edit] Characters and Voice actors

Character Japanese Japanese Voice Actor English Voice Actor
Denzel 　（デンゼル） Kyōsuke Ikeda Benjamin Bryan
Elena 　（イリーナ） Megumi Toyoguchi Bettina Bush
Aerith Gainsborough 　（エアリス・ゲインズブール） Maaya Sakamoto Mena Suvari
Girl (with moogle doll) 　（少女） Rina Mogami Andrea Bowen
Cid Highwind 　（シド・ハイウィンド） Kazuhiro Yamaji Chris Edgerly
Kadaj 　（カダージュ） Showtaro Morikubo Steve Staley
Yuffie Kisaragi 　（ユフィ・キサラギ） Yumi Kakazu Christy Carlson Romano
Tifa Lockhart 　（ティファ・ロックハート） Ayumi Ito Rachael Leigh Cook
Loz 　（ロッズ） Kenji Nomura Fred Tatasciore
Red XIII (Nanaki) 　（レッド・XIII） Masachika Ichimura Liam O'Brien
Reno 　（レノ） Keiji Fujiwara Quinton Flynn
Rude 　（ルード） Taiten Kusunoki Crispin Freeman
Sephiroth 　（セフィロス） Toshiyuki Morikawa George Newbern
Rufus Shinra 　（ルーファウス神羅） Tōru Ōkawa Wally Wingert
Cait Sith 　（ケット・シー） Hideo Ishikawa Greg Ellis
Cloud Strife 　（クラウド・ストライフ） Takahiro Sakurai Steve Burton
Reeve Tuesti 　（リーブ・トゥエスティ） Banjō Ginga Jamieson Price
Tseng 　（ツォン） Junichi Suwabe Ryun Yu
Vincent Valentine 　（ヴィンセント・ヴァレンタイン） Shōgo Suzuki Steven Blum
Barret Wallace 　（バレット・ウォーレス） Masahiro Kobayashi Beau Billingslea
Marlene Wallace 　（マリン・ウォーレス） Miyu Tsuzurahara Grace Rolek
Yazoo 　（ヤズー） Yuji Kishi Dave Wittenberg
Zack 　（ザックス） Kenichi Suzumura Rick Gomez

[edit] Developers

[edit] Motion Actors

[edit] Battle Motion Actors

  • Kenji Arai
  • Masahiro Watanabe
  • Miwa Hashiguchi
  • Riichi

[edit] References

  1. ^ Square Enix (2006). DVD. Square Enix North America. Retrieved on March 08, 2007.
  2. ^ http://www.adventchildren.net/ff7ac/movie/info.php
  3. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/dvds.shtml
  4. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/final_fantasy_7_advent_children/
  5. ^ In Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII, the Sephiroth "clones" are redubbed as "Sephiroth Copies".

[edit] External links

Advent Children • Before Crisis • Crisis Core • Dirge of Cerberus • Last Order • Lost Episode

Cloud • Aerith • Tifa • Barret • Red XIII • Cid • Yuffie • Cait Sith • Vincent • Sephiroth • Jenova • Rufus • Turks
Characters • Locations • Terminology • Timeline
Materia • Midgar • Shinra • One-Winged Angel • Soundtrack • Reunion Tracks • Piano Collections • Advent Children Soundtrack • Dirge of Cerberus Soundtrack • Before Crisis & Last Order Soundtrack
v • d • e
Final Fantasy series

Final Fantasy • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII

Compilation of VII • X-2 • Adventure • Crystal Chronicles • Mystic Quest • Tactics • Tactics Advance • Others

Airships • Class system • Creatures • Crystals • Designers • Items • Magic • Minigames • Music • Races • Weapons and armor

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