Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children - what did you think of it?
- Thread starter Dust
- Start date
I remember when it came out I thought that it was the most beautiful thing ever (in some shots), kinda meh in others, but overall it was OK, while also being very confussing.
The soundtrack was incredible though.
The soundtrack was incredible though.
The original release is garbage, the complete version is dumb fun as a standalone. The fight scenes are still incredible.
Wasn't a fan of the (almost) piano exclusive soundtrack, some of the baffling interactions between Loz and Yazoo and "dilly-dally shilly-shally" makes me physically sick to think about let alone listen to.
And what I hated was it kicking off the Compilation nonsense and for what it did to the characterisation of Cloud and Sephiroth.
Wasn't a fan of the (almost) piano exclusive soundtrack, some of the baffling interactions between Loz and Yazoo and "dilly-dally shilly-shally" makes me physically sick to think about let alone listen to.
And what I hated was it kicking off the Compilation nonsense and for what it did to the characterisation of Cloud and Sephiroth.
I hated Advent Children. Felt like a shallow FFVII fanboy jerk off session. "Hey, you like Cloud and his big sword? Now he's got a sword made up of many swords! You like Sephiroth? Here's three angsty teen Sephiroths and Daddy Sephiroth at the end (with a KEWL "one wing"... GET IT?!!!)!! You like the Turks? Now Reno and Rude are back doing their comedic schtick like they are outta some 80s buddy cop movie!! Yeah, just because you defeated Sephiroth and Jenova at the end of FFVII doesn't mean they are gone. They'll NEVER BE GONE! N.E.V.E.R..."
I always said, they could've done something interesting regarding the end of FFVII. A power vacuum in the world of FFVII, a society dependant for decades on Shinra now plunged into a world without Mako energy. Class struggles between those that had it all prior to Meteor wanting to keep their place on the top of the heap and those who lived in the slums and sticks that now see it to be their chance to claim the power for themselves after such a humbling event. No Sephiroth, no Jenova, no Shinra, but remnants of Shinra's machines... Materia... research on the Cetra people (their knowledge and wisdom). A fight for the future while some are on the verge of repeating the sins of the past. I wanted THAT kinda sequel, in my mind, since late 1990s/early 00s. Funny enough, when I watched Arcane on Netflix, that's more aligned to what I envisioned out of my ideal FFVII sequel (setting-wise is totally different, but the spirit is similar).
I always said, they could've done something interesting regarding the end of FFVII. A power vacuum in the world of FFVII, a society dependant for decades on Shinra now plunged into a world without Mako energy. Class struggles between those that had it all prior to Meteor wanting to keep their place on the top of the heap and those who lived in the slums and sticks that now see it to be their chance to claim the power for themselves after such a humbling event. No Sephiroth, no Jenova, no Shinra, but remnants of Shinra's machines... Materia... research on the Cetra people (their knowledge and wisdom). A fight for the future while some are on the verge of repeating the sins of the past. I wanted THAT kinda sequel, in my mind, since late 1990s/early 00s. Funny enough, when I watched Arcane on Netflix, that's more aligned to what I envisioned out of my ideal FFVII sequel (setting-wise is totally different, but the spirit is similar).
The concept of the Legend of the Crystals (the story) is more interesting than what they did with Advent Children (and eventually everything else in the FFVII Compilation), it was just beaten into generic, garden variety, stock 90s anime without the soul of its peers. Had they tweaked the story and art style (I didn't care for the art direction at all), it could've been pretty cool.Well, it could be worse. The film could've been 'Legend of the Crystals'.
Keep the idea that Ra Devil killed Cid and stole his brain (and killed Mid, who is now a ghost). Work into the story the concept that the Ronka civilization originated from the Planet's moon (hence the city ruins there), which I don't know if it was made clear but I know it was a fan theory. Better character development, less fanservice (not like AC, but the tit & ass type of lecherous fanservice seen in Legend of the Crystals), a story that's more meatier... with more Uematsu-songs, Chocobo, location, and monster designs that resemble FFV's more, and there you go! At least it's not the "Further adventures of Bartz and the New Warriors of Dawn", and Exdeath and Gilgamesh are back.... well, BECAUSE!!!
Last edited:
I didn't think it was possible to make a movie worse than The Spirits Within but I held Square in too high of a regard.
It's fan-service. It's what people wanted a FF7 remake to look like in movie form with an absurd plot and a completely style-over-substance presentation.
You'd think that many years later Square would have reconsider their stance with the Remake, but no.
It's terrible and not even in a "good terrible" kind of way and I wish it had been a fluke rather than a sign of what was to come from Squenix.
It's fan-service. It's what people wanted a FF7 remake to look like in movie form with an absurd plot and a completely style-over-substance presentation.
You'd think that many years later Square would have reconsider their stance with the Remake, but no.
It's terrible and not even in a "good terrible" kind of way and I wish it had been a fluke rather than a sign of what was to come from Squenix.
I liked it, but I was also 14.
I watched it years later and realized it made no damn sense at all.
I watched it years later and realized it made no damn sense at all.
You should watch the extended version. The story makes a bit more sense, even if it's still confusing. Basically better than the standard cut.
Really love this movie and basically set the bar for what I expected from Final Fantasy and FF7R on a graphical and character standpoint.
Really love this movie and basically set the bar for what I expected from Final Fantasy and FF7R on a graphical and character standpoint.
I got some fun out of it when I first watched it shortly after its release. The film has some decent fights and good music; I'll give it that much.
However, I never cared much for some of the character redesigns (I never liked how Cloud, in particular, looks), and my opinion of the movie has lowered as I've thought about it in the years since. Some of the characterization (especially Cloud's) is quite bad and way off the mark from the characters as depicted in the game. The new characters are all poor additions. The fight scenes don't look as impressive as they used to, thanks to years of advancements in CGI animation. Lastly, the more I thought about it, the more I thought the ending of the original Final Fantasy VII should have remained ambiguous, and the movie's very existence as a sequel ruined the open-ended nature of the original ending.
Also, a disclaimer: I've never seen Advent Children Complete, so I dunno if it addresses any of my aforementioned issues.
However, I never cared much for some of the character redesigns (I never liked how Cloud, in particular, looks), and my opinion of the movie has lowered as I've thought about it in the years since. Some of the characterization (especially Cloud's) is quite bad and way off the mark from the characters as depicted in the game. The new characters are all poor additions. The fight scenes don't look as impressive as they used to, thanks to years of advancements in CGI animation. Lastly, the more I thought about it, the more I thought the ending of the original Final Fantasy VII should have remained ambiguous, and the movie's very existence as a sequel ruined the open-ended nature of the original ending.
Also, a disclaimer: I've never seen Advent Children Complete, so I dunno if it addresses any of my aforementioned issues.
As someone who didn't really like OG VII, this is how I feel.
I also own a copy of The Spirits Within on DVD…
And…I loved the Remake. So, yeah, that Tifa fight in the church was banging. I don't remember much else.
I remember watching it on like Google Video I think back when it came out before I had ever actually played the game. I remember liking it back then with my only other knowledge of the characters being through Kingdom Hearts. But when I watched Advent Children Complete after playing the game, I thought it was pretty fucking mediocre.
Thought it was fucking great, i appreciate it even more now because Square hasn't made anything else like it. Back in the day i was hoping they would make a sequel movie to FF8 or FFX but no dice.
Edit: Oh wait i forgot about Kingsglaive, but that movie feels strange because Noctis & the boys are not really in it, it feels like a spin off.
Edit: Oh wait i forgot about Kingsglaive, but that movie feels strange because Noctis & the boys are not really in it, it feels like a spin off.
I watched it as a kid when my only exposure to the characters had been Kingdom Hearts 2.
I didn't understand a single thing about the plot, but I thought it was so badass! Cloud riding a motorbike, Cloud's many swords (he even DUAL WIELDED THEM), Tifa vs that guy at the church, everybody vs Bahamut, Cloud vs Sephiroth (I still listen to that version of One Winged Angel nowadays. I love both the guitars and the chorus!)...
I don't know if it aged well (maybe I should rewatch it), but I enjoyed it when it came out, even though I didn't understand anything at all, as I said before. I just thought I wished games looked like this.
And now they do! FF VII Remake was great and I can't wait for Part 2! Hopefully the 2023 rumours are true. I expected it to be a 2025 or perhaps even 2026 game.
I didn't understand a single thing about the plot, but I thought it was so badass! Cloud riding a motorbike, Cloud's many swords (he even DUAL WIELDED THEM), Tifa vs that guy at the church, everybody vs Bahamut, Cloud vs Sephiroth (I still listen to that version of One Winged Angel nowadays. I love both the guitars and the chorus!)...
I don't know if it aged well (maybe I should rewatch it), but I enjoyed it when it came out, even though I didn't understand anything at all, as I said before. I just thought I wished games looked like this.
And now they do! FF VII Remake was great and I can't wait for Part 2! Hopefully the 2023 rumours are true. I expected it to be a 2025 or perhaps even 2026 game.
"there will be a day when we can actually play games that look like this …and I can fucking wait for it'
The first time I watched it I had downloaded it on Limewire or something when it had just came out in Japan. It hadn't been dubbed to English by then so this was the first copy I found with subtitles.
Whoever did the subtitles for it basically made the entire story about Cloud leaving the garage door open or something and everyone was pissed at him, so for a while until I got a proper version that's what I thought it was.
Whoever did the subtitles for it basically made the entire story about Cloud leaving the garage door open or something and everyone was pissed at him, so for a while until I got a proper version that's what I thought it was.
LOL
Must've been a better story than the one we got though xD
I wouldn't even bother with the original version anymore (though I keep my DVD set only because it has Last Order included), Advent Children Complete improves so much. And just to note, the 4K release is worth the upgrade over the blu-ray version.
My first time watching, I lost my shit seeing the new scenes during the final fight.
My first time watching, I lost my shit seeing the new scenes during the final fight.
When it came out? I loved it. I was a kid who loved FFVII and didn't think I'd ever get a chance to see that world or those characters again, let alone in that kind of quality. It was fan-service and as a fan I was being serviced.
It doesn't hold up. By the time Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus were hitting the scene I was already growing sour on the whole "Compilation of FFVII" as I felt the story of the original was being lessened by all the silly additions and twists. The writing was also getting... worse. Much worse. Nowadays I see Advent Children as part of that same group of media that doesn't really capture what made the original work. None of the characters feel completely right, the plot is sillier, the dialogue is downright embarrassing. It's not good.
It doesn't hold up. By the time Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus were hitting the scene I was already growing sour on the whole "Compilation of FFVII" as I felt the story of the original was being lessened by all the silly additions and twists. The writing was also getting... worse. Much worse. Nowadays I see Advent Children as part of that same group of media that doesn't really capture what made the original work. None of the characters feel completely right, the plot is sillier, the dialogue is downright embarrassing. It's not good.
I remember it for some red guy who didn't use mobile phone earlier and used it near the end, talking in deep voices.
It came out when I was in 7th grade or something, watched it every day over the autumn school break. I thought it was the most wicked thing ever. I had not played the game.
Forced my friend to also watch it and he said he didn't understand any of it because I had fucked up and given him part 7.
Hopefully the DLC is as impressive.
Forced my friend to also watch it and he said he didn't understand any of it because I had fucked up and given him part 7.
Easily, I just did the final boss on PS5 and it's easy to draw comparisons to the film, the game just looks insane. The only benefit the film has is offline rendering so there's zero aliasing.
Hopefully the DLC is as impressive.
Last edited:
While I was aware of Final Fantasy as a child and played a bit of it without understanding much it, but it was Advent Children that really ignited my love for the series. I don't know why exactly, but I was entranced by that movie and really started researching Final Fantasy and Square-Enix. That eventually got me into Kingdom Hearts and many many other games too.
You could say Advent Children started it all for me, which is so freaking bizarre because the movie is confusing as hell and I'd never even played FF VII back then. Still, it clicked with me and the rest is history.
You could say Advent Children started it all for me, which is so freaking bizarre because the movie is confusing as hell and I'd never even played FF VII back then. Still, it clicked with me and the rest is history.
Honestly as a pretty big ff7 fan I was hype as shit for all things ff7 related but then everything ff7 related ended up being shit. Including crisis core.
I think I may have watched the same one!
I later watched it properly and it didn't make much more sense.
The directors cut on blu-ray though, I think it added like 40 mins extra footage or something? That one was much better but still doesn't take it too far from mediocre IMO
The PS5 version is already more beautiful than the movie.
LMAO I soooo want to see that version now XD