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If The Score represents one end of the action-movie spectrum, Final Fantasy represents the other--the ascension of the video game, where the main characters aren't actors but rather are manipulated digital effects running from level to level, killing the bad guys and picking up various artifacts until they reach the final goal. None of it has to make sense, but the sets and villains have to be very cool.

Final Fantasy (the movie) is being marketed as a giant leap forward in computer animation, and there's no lie in that advertisement. It is simply a spectacular visual achievement. From the opening dream sequence of a post-apocalyptic world until the climax deep inside the earth, the backgrounds, foregrounds, and lighting are extraordinarily detailed and exquisitely beautiful. There are some shots where it's hard to believe real film wasn't used (one moment of a hand holding a leaf is a stand-out). And a couple times I caught myself wondering how they did a particular stunt only to remember that none of the characters were live actors.

Still, not all of the animation is perfect. I find it interesting that the simple acts of walking and talking are still so difficult to duplicate on a computer. There's something elementally human about those actions that befuddle the most complex machines.

For some reason, writing a coherent narrative and dialogue seems to befuddle most of Hollywood these days, but Final Fantasy is particularly lacking in these categories. The plot revolves around Doctor Aki Ross and her mentor Doctor Sid looking for the "Seventh and Eight Spirits" who can help them defeat the "phantoms" that are ravaging the earth. Assisting them are Aki's old boyfriend Captain Gray Edwards and his crew. Trying to thwart them is the megalomaniac General Hein and the phantoms themselves (a strange combination of dinosaur and snake, an effective combination). There's also some crap about the Gaia theory and an unhealthy dose of New Age philosophy, though I admit some audience members might be more receptive to that than I am.

No one, however, will be pleased by the cast of voice actors Final Fantasy has employed. Only Donald Sutherland as Doctor Sid has any sort of inflection or charisma, while veterans like Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, and James Woods sound painfully bored. Of course, you might be, too, if you had to spout such hoary cliches as "Be careful," "We don't have much time," and "Nooooooooooo."

In the end, though, the proper approach to Final Fantasy is to think of it as an advertisement for a video game series. In that, it's very effective; even I spent time thinking how cool it would be to fly those ships and shoot up the phantoms. Of course, I'm not sure why anyone would want to sit through a 100-minute commercial, much less pay for it.

J. Robert Parks 7/16/2001

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is based on the mega-popular series of Final Fantasy video games. I understand from friends who have played the games that the movie has absolutely nothing to do with the games. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within occurs in 2065 AD, a time when an evil alien race known as Phantoms, who crash landed in a meteor, are trying to take over the earth. The Phantoms are able to capture a being’s spirit simply by touching it. We later find out that the Phantoms themselves are actually spirits.

The main conflict occurs between General Hein, who wants to blast away the Phantoms’ meteor with the powerful Zeus cannon, and Dr. Sid and his counterpart Aki who have another way to solve the problem with the Phantoms. Aki and Dr. Sid embrace the new age worldview, believing that everything has a spirit, including the earth itself. They believe (somehow, I don’t understand exactly how) if they collect eight different spirits (using methods I still don’t understand) they will create a “spirit wave” that will destroy the Phantoms. Their method of taking care of the Phantoms is not the popular one and as a result they are restrained by the general while he attempts to carry out his militaristic plans.

The effects of Final Fantasy are the high point. The entire movie is computer animated. The visual style of the movie is very enjoyable to watch. It is really cool to see actual human characters be totally computer animated.

The downsides to Final Fantasy are plentiful. One glaring weak point is the character dialogue, which sounds so generic that I can’t help but think that the writers of Final Fantasy watched Armageddon for inspiration. The plot is full of holes. For starters, blending the spiritual and the physical into a movie must be done with care. The makers of this movie gave no such care. How can one shoot Phantoms since they are spirits? Or is that just one of those things we aren’t supposed to think about and just accept? Even sci-fi movies should have at least some kind of standard for reality.

A good ending would have at least been rewarding, but I was extremely disappointed and my mind both repulsed and wasted on such a mindless effort in filmmaking. Please do not repeat my mistake. Do not see Final Fantasy unless you just like to watch movies that make no sense, have no message, and are poorly written.

Trae Cadenhead 7/16/2001