Review: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

This is a Resurfaced review written in 2002 or earlier. For more information, please visit this link: Resurfaced Reviews.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Rating

Director

Hironobu Sakaguchi

Screenplay

Hironobu Sakaguchi, Al Reinert, Jeff Vintar, Jack Fletcher, Bruce B.L. Jurgens

Length

1h 46m

Starring

Ming-Na, Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Peri Gilpin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Keith David, Jean Simmons, Matt McKenzie, John DeMita

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Review

Since the days of video games like “Frogger” and “Dig Dug,” computer animation has strived to become better and more realistic. “Final Fantasy” is a series of Japanese video games centering around sometimes-medieval, sometimes-fantasy oriented adventures. Now “Final Fantasy” has brought its science fantasy to the big screen.

“Final Fantasy” takes place in an earth of the distant future. A strange race of negative-energy aliens have crash landed and have expanded into the world as a whole. These entities invade live bodies and destroy their energy, killing the being. Many major cities are infested with these creatures and very few are left standing. New York City is one of these cities and to protect itself, they have built a protective wall of positive energy that keeps the creatures out.

Dr. Aki Ross (“ER’s” Ming-Na) has taken on the task of rescuing eight similar entities, these of positive-energy and making up the basis of all life on planet earth. These energies, when formed together have the power to eliminate the creatures in a way that will save lives. Negative energy, like that given off during war from weapons of mass-destruction, actually makes the evil creatures grow.

Grey Edwards (Alec Baldwin) is the leader of a small militia group that has been engaged by General Hein (James Woods) to “safe-guard” the doctor has she attempts to retrieve these creatures. Because of the doctor is infected by one of these negative creatures, the General wants the team to seize her if she ever shows signs of being influenced.

“Final Fantasy” is most recent in a long line of Japanese animated films focusing on the fight between good and evil. The film pounds our psyches with the idealism of great sacrifice, sexual tension and ultimate triumph. Not an idea that is foreign to filmmaking, but one that can be overplayed if not done properly.

The makers behind the film didn’t really consider what they were doing other than to make a tried-and-true story that many people understood. What they did with computer-realistic animation was phenomenal and many of the selected voice-overs were good, but the great entirety never achieves a successful balance.

Ming-Na started her voice-over career as the voice of the title character in Disney’s “Mulan,” a film where she played virtually the same, strong-minded character. This time her focus was science, not steel. Baldwin has done many a voice-over role and each time it is hard to tell it is he until you see the credits. Rhames, Buscemi and Gilpin play the triumvirate of Baldwin’s character’s associates. They’re all fine character talents, but the voices aren’t nearly as important as the story.

The biggest problem the film runs into is the fact that from the first half hour through the final, unbelievably dull moment, the film beats its audience over the head with the same, tired moral. In this world, there are three types of people: the good, the wicked and the sheep. History shows us that these types of persons flooded history.

Mother Theresa is the ultimate example of good. Through her own piety and love, she served millions without concern for herself. Hitler is the ultimate example of wicked. His own desire to purify his race and his country resulted in the execution of thousands of Jews and homosexuals. The Nazis and Green Peace would be examples of sheep. They are bent by the wills of their leaders, some for the good of man, some for the ill of man, but all are easily influenced and, once influenced, resolute in their goals.

While “Final Fantasy” has some good moral fiber, it is too commonplace to do the audience any good. It rambles through to its climax about the purity of being and that with time and patience, we can defeat all that is evil. Most audiences won’t be enticed to see the film for this reason. They will want to see it because of its mind-blowing computer generated-effects. Unfortunately, they’ll come out with no greater sense of responsibility than when they went in and the whole point to the film will have been wasted, because it is overbearing.