FLUXEUROPA: FINAL FANTASY

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FINAL FANTASY (2001)

Directors: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Motonori Sakakibara

Ming-Na .... Dr Aki Ross
Alec Baldwin .... Grey Edwards
Ving Rhames .... Ryan
Steve Buscemi .... Neil
Donald Sutherland .... Doctor Sid
James Woods .... General Hein

There once was a time when computer games companies were basing their products upon movies, when young cinema goers could run around as pixilated action heroes, joysticks in hand and armed with the pre-requisite three lives.

Times change however, the circle turns, and in an age where we see the ever increasing advances in computer technology allowing game makers more and more freedom to construct new worlds and mythologies, the roles are being reversed and it is now Hollywood that finds itself making stripped down adaptations.

Recently we have seen the release of Tomb Raider and before that there was Mortal Combat, Street Fighter and the Mario Brothers film. It is hard not to view these titles as cash-ins on a product, with an already established fan base and eager audience. After the release of the Tomb Raider movie in the UK, two of the Lara Croft games re-entered and topped the gaming charts.

What makes Final Fantasy stand out from these titles, however, is that the movie was largely produced by the makers of the original games (the films director, Hironobu Sakaguchi, is also the mastermind behind the games), the history of which is worth looking into.

The original Final Fantasy game was released in 1990 by an ailing Japanese company called Squaresoft on Nintendo's eight-bit NES system. The game was so titled as it was to be the company's last product but in what has become a games industry fairy tale the title was hugely popular and saved the company. Since then, Square have continued to release Final Fantasy games, which evolve as times change and switch from platform to platform as technology improves.

The games themselves are separate from each other even though they are titled consecutively. Every title has a new setting, a new set of characters and a fresh story line, yet all are linked by a mythos of sorts. Using Final Fantasy VII as an example (the game largely credited for populising the series and thought of by some as the highlight so far of the series) the player takes the role of an ex-soldier who has joined a rebel organisation, AVALANCHE, who's aim is to stop Shin-Ra

- a powerful corporation who use huge reactors to extract Mako (the lifeforce that lies inside the planet) energy. From this simple premise an elaborate story develops and a powerful and unforgettable gaming experience, spanning a minimum of seventy hours playing time. This is in keeping with the other Final Fantasy games, which are renowned for their deep and complex plots with strong characterisation and nods in equal direction to melodrama and mysticism.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is not an adaptation of any of the Final Fantasy games and as such requires no previous knowledge of any characters or situations. It also differs largely from the games in that it is set on the planet Earth in the year 2065, whereas the games take place in unnamed fantasy worlds where technology, magic and all manner of weird and wonderful creatures roam. A meteor has crashed onto the planet, unleashing a strange race of phantoms that has spread over the earth. These creatures are invisible and drain the souls of those they touch and the Earth is left almost lifeless except for small pockets of humanity housed in shielded cities. Yet these cities are in decline and time is running short.

A large cannon, christened 'Zeus' has been constructed and orbits the Earth ready to fire upon the meteor site and source of these phantoms. Yet the Zeus remains unfired due to the protests of Dr Cid and his assistant Dr Aki Ross who believe that the force of the beam will damage the planet or rather Gaia, the Earth's Spirit. They propose to harness the power of Gaia to dispel the phantoms (in a highly convoluted and never quite adequately explained manner...) and it is Aki's task to hunt down eight spirits on the planet that will make this possible. Time is short however, as the bitter, trigger-happy, General Hein (who for some reason remains unconvinced of Gaia's existence and ability to avenge the death of his family) is plotting to convince the Earth council to fire the cannon.

Much has been made of the fact that this is the first movie to use computer generated actors (as opposed to the characters seen in Shrek and Toy Story - certain liberties can be taken whilst animating a talking potato that would not work quite so well when animating an elderly scientist) and whilst the graphics are indeed very impressive they are nothing so new to anyone who has seen a computer game produced in the last few years or so. The voice acting is well done, the cast including such Hollywood luminaries as Donald Sutherlund, James Woods and Steve Buccemi, if at times perhaps a little stilted. Buccemi, even as an animation, is again cast as the quirky wise guy and unfortunately most of the one-liners the character is given fall pretty much flat. The lip-synching is for the most part believable and facial expressions are generally well rendered.

For all the fantastic monsters, explosions and special effects, it is still however somewhat reassuring to note that the computer generated kiss is the least convincing graphic in the movie. It is also interesting to note that an estimated fifth of the film's budget was spent on the design of Aki Ross's hair and the character seems to waste no opportunity to flick her head to and fro to show off her fine mane.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is undoubtedly a huge leap forward and will be regarded as a mile stone in cinema history. Its achievements are not incredible, however, and merely mirror what has been happening for some time in interactive computer entertainment. The film is a lot of fun to sit through, but is firmly in second place when compared to experiencing and interacting with a Final Fantasy game.

MARC BLACKIE - 30 September 2001