Home | Search | FAQ
Page
1
2
 Displaying 1-25 of 31 messages in this thread. |
| Posted By | Discussion Topic: Final Fantasy: TSW Review ****MINOR SPOILERS**** | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sephiroth | posted on 07-11-2001 @ 7:53 PM |    | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00  | Well, i just got back from the theatre. In the newspapers, I've been hearing bad reviews and it pretty much getting slammed. In my opinion, it was very entertaining, i wasnt disappointed at all. I posted a new thread because alot of people were expecting me to talk about it, and it would have gotten lost in the other FF movie thread i made. And without further ado, here's the breakdown: Voice Talents The casting department did a outstanding job here. The ensemble cast did a excellent job. Steve Buschemi played his part excellently (his only part in any movie being a sarcastic bastard, but he did a especially good job here). Ving Rames did a outstanding performance, i was honestly surpised by the range of emotions he was able to depict. James Woods was my favorite however: his portrayal of the power-hungry Military leader which has become a staple of the FF series was deadly accurate, and would make the game creators proud. Graphics Jesus fucking Christ on a stick. Amazing, simply amazing. Definetly the best i have ever seen in any movie. The artists definetly took a different approach: Instead of using the graphics to enhance and enlighten certain parts of a movie to exaggerated proportions, they tried to make it look realistic. Honestly, at some parts of the film, i thought they were showing real footage. The detail is incredible: during a slow pan shot of Dr. Cid's face, you could see the dimples, liverspots and wrinkles so accurately, it was scary. They dont use anything extravagant during the action scenes, because they try to go for a more realistic approach. And the action scenes are incredible. At most times, there is so much action and detail going on in the backround, it is dizzying to watch. Im contemplating going again just to see all the minor details i missed the first time around. Im sure they technology used in the production of this film will be highly touted about in the following weeks. FF game references ****SPOLIERS***** I'll try to keep the plot and storyline mentions to a minimum, because i dont want to ruuun it for anyone. My best advice when watching this movie is to pay attention to the beginning. In true Final Fantasy form, the movie starts off in the "middle" of the action and storyline. Then, it works it's way backwards and explains the past before proceeding to the rest of the game. Just the same as Cloud starting the game already half-way into the Midgar Reactor. So pay attention and enjoy the beginning, dont try to over-analyze it. The event that caused the apocolyptic disaster is strikingly similar to the "Pandora's Gate" event of the Final Fantasy 8 game. Numerous references are made to Gaia: which is very similar to the "Lifestream" theory of Final Fantasy 7 fame. And the biggest part, the Dueling Gaia's theory of Final Fantsay 9. Watch the movie and you will know exactly what I am talking about. The best part is, a direct commection is never made, it is up to the audience to fugure it out. That means that even if you never played any of the games, you will still enjoy all the action without missing out on anything. And if you have played the game, it is just a little extra bonus for the fans. In Conclusion.......... Overall, i would give this movie a 4 out of 5. While the action scenes and story were great, because of the fast paced nature of the film, it was easy to get lost for a minute or 2 if you werent paying attention. I especially loved the Ending. I would like to personally thank the directors of the movie for giving it the ending it deserved, and not pussying out and giving the ending Disney would have given it. Believe me, you wont be disappointed. While it is a slightly open-ended finale, it was the only way it could give the movie any sort of justice. If you are into Sci-Fi films, you will love this movie. And if you are even a slight Final Fantasy fan, i will cast a plague upon your family if you dont see it. You will be satisfied. *Plus i get $2 per ticket i sell because of this review. Cmon, help a brother out!!  "With just a touch of my burning hand I send my astro zombies to rape this land Prime directive, exterminate The whole human race And your face drops in a pile of flesh And then your heart, heart pounds Till it pumps in death Prime directive, exterminate Whatever stands left" -The Misfits I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. Please, for the love of christ, do not send me a E-mail | ||||
| IkeaBoy P.L.F. Portugese Liberation Front- Liberating Status' everywhere from the Tyranny of Portugal I will die a traitor's death | posted on 07-11-2001 @ 9:19 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: Sep. 00 | Well /was/ there a Spider-Man trailer? The narrator in Fight Club is the man we will be, Patrick Bateman in American Psycho is the man we want to be Eliza Dushku- Hotter Than Britney | ||||
| Leaking Nipples | posted on 07-11-2001 @ 9:37 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Mar. 01 | There was indeed a Spiderman Trailer, and it did indeed kick ass, IMO. Although some people I went with thought it was kinda corny. Because I spent so long writing it, and I am quite egotistical, I will repost my review in this thread. Slam me if you like. I just saw FF:TSW this morning. Before I start my review, you should know that my review will be slightly biased. I have been playing Final Fantasy ever since the first game on NES, and have been excited about this movie ever since it was announced 5 years ago. To put it simply, it would be harder for Square to make a movie I would dislike. I went in wanting to like this movie. On to the review..... I really liked it. Other than the CG, the movie didn't blow me away, but I certainly enjoyed it. I've read numerous reviews on the internet blasting the plot, and while it isn't Shakespeare, its passable. It's basically a plot similar to the Final Fantasy games, no better, no worse. A lot of people are going to be turned off by the constant talk of spirits and Gaia. Hell, if I ever hear the word spirit again it'll be too soon. The background of these spirits is never explained fully, and since it is such an integral part of the plot, much of the dialogue in the movie comes off sounding vague and confusing. The plot is still pretty easy to follow, even if it is nothing groundbreaking. The only other thing that was annoying were the "humerous" one-liners. Some were alright, but others were so horribly contrived I was embarassed to be watching them. It didn't detract from the movie that much, but they felt unnecessary. So, in summary, the plot is enjoyable, despite the psycho-babble. The CG work in this movie is worth the price of admission alone. Trust me on that. It's obviously not real, but it's still oh so pretty!!!! Not that there weren't some minor problems. First of all, the design of the villian, Gen. Hein, is ridiculous. His face is basically a permanent evil scowl. Even if you didn't hear a word he said the whole movie, you would know from one look at his face that he is the bad guy. The other problem is something Square will have to work on for the next movie. The movie was hurt by the inability of the "actors" to show any emotions through their faces. Their faces hardly change at all. At one point, Aki was supposed to be crying, but her face apparently didn't get the message. The closest her face got was when she looked like she was getting pinched. That was the biggest problem with the CG, the inability of these actors to show emotion. This really hurt the film, and made the kiss uncomfortable to sit through. However, the action sequences were great. The phantoms were great villains in that the characters were never safe from them. The escape from the wastelands was an especially good sequence. Hell, they could make a theme park ride out of that one. The last complaint I have is the voice acting of James Woods and Alec Baldwin. The other voice actors did good jobs, with the exception of Donald Sutherland who was excellent. I can't even describe how bad they were. I'll sum it up in one sentence since this is already painfully long: I'd take the voice actors from Resident Evil over Woods and Baldwin. So, in summary, the CG work in this movie saved the movie. This is a groundbreaking film despite its OK plot and the current limitations of CG. While there is a lot to dislike, there is also a lot to like. Next time, however, I won't be so forgiving. | ||||
| Leaking Nipples | posted on 07-11-2001 @ 9:42 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Mar. 01 | I can't believe you liked the job by James Woods. That whole character was WAY TOO over the top for me. That evil scowl never left his face, and he sounded like one of those villians from the old Batman TV series. IMO, I think they added that scene explaining why he is so bitter late in the production because they needed some explanation why he was so ....EVIL!!!!!!(Kaientai reference). Hein was the only part of the movie that totally missed for me. | ||||
| Leaking Nipples | posted on 07-11-2001 @ 9:53 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Mar. 01 | I'm not building my post count, I really forgot to mention this. Did anyone the voice of that old lady on the council? The one with the English accent? It sounded so familiar, but I don't know exactly who it was. Anyone notice? | ||||
| Sephiroth | posted on 07-11-2001 @ 9:55 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | I think the only reason i liked Hein was because he was pretty a representation of Seifer Almasy from Final Fantasy 8 (my Second favorite Video Game Villian apart from some other guy who's name escapes me at this present moment....) And Im not pissed you posted your own review. If they are all in one place, they are easier to find. "With just a touch of my burning hand I send my astro zombies to rape this land Prime directive, exterminate The whole human race And your face drops in a pile of flesh And then your heart, heart pounds Till it pumps in death Prime directive, exterminate Whatever stands left" -The Misfits I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. Please, for the love of christ, do not send me a E-mail | ||||
| Dana Dillon | posted on 07-11-2001 @ 10:13 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Jan. 01 | Seph, thanks for the review!!!Will definitely see it this weekend.:)BTW shouldn't this be posted in the Movie Forum ;) This message was edited by Dana Dillon on 7-11-01 @ 10:31 PM | ||||
| Dana Dillon | posted on 07-11-2001 @ 10:15 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Jan. 01 | Sorry.Double post :( This message was edited by Dana Dillon on 7-11-01 @ 10:19 PM | ||||
| Snoteater | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 12:14 AM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Apr. 01 | I guess i'll throw in my Two Cents. I saw the film after work. All I have to say is WOW. I don't see were all the bad press is coming from. It was a good movie. At times I had to remind my self that it wasn't live action. If there is a sequel, I hope that use lesser known actors. Maybe because I used to Steve B. and Alec B.'s voice coming from a different face, but Alki's Voice was the most believable of them all. That's just I've never watched ER. The Ending to me reminded me of the ending to FF7. Very open ending, but a good ending. This movie is worth seeing if you are a movie fan, not just an animation fan. Virgin my ass, That girls seen more Pole than an Elevator shaft! | ||||
| Whackbag | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 1:11 AM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Sep. 00 | Sephiroth bro, you really liked Seifer? I can't believe it. I'm not even gonna get into a FF8 bashing session here. Sephiroth just set the bar way to high. | ||||
| Whackbag | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 1:13 AM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Sep. 00 | also, I stayed around to hear that song that rolled during the credits. I thought that was a cool tune. Anyone else? | ||||
| Sephiroth | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 6:46 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | quote: No no no, you got me all wrong. I think Final Fantasy 8 was one of the most God-Awful games ever. I just think that Seifer was the only redeeming quality of the entire game. That's all. "With just a touch of my burning hand I send my astro zombies to rape this land Prime directive, exterminate The whole human race And your face drops in a pile of flesh And then your heart, heart pounds Till it pumps in death Prime directive, exterminate Whatever stands left" -The Misfits I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. Please, for the love of christ, do not send me a E-mail | ||||
| Snoteater | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 8:45 AM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Apr. 01 | FF8 was better than FF9. FF9 bored me to death. I thought that Legend of the Dragoon was a better FF9. Virgin my ass, That girls seen more Pole than an Elevator shaft! | ||||
| King f-tard | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 10:23 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Feb. 01 | Seifer was great, But who was the greatest villian of all, Sephiroth :) | ||||
| skitchr4u G.O.O.F.B.A.H.G.S. Xtreme Skiing Assualt Force | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 2:10 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | Thanks for the review seph, can't wait to see it for myself now! AIM: SkiT4you First Member of the JWO | ||||
| hornygoatweed23 I've Got A Vagina With Teeth. G.O.O.F.B.A.H.G.S. Dragoon Battalion My friends call me Weed | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 2:32 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Jan. 01 | I'm gonna try to catch this movie sometime tommorrow. I'll be getting ready to go on my honeymoon, but I think I can squeeze in 2 hours of free time to see it. I never go by what the critics in the paper have to say usuallly anyway. If its not some sappy, overdrawn drama they always bash the movie - and Sci-Fi movies are always bashed the most, despite how well they may or may not be. Classes for Enhancing your Board Experience and Stamina are now in Session! Email me here or AIM me at Organic999 to enroll. | ||||
| Leaking Nipples | posted on 07-12-2001 @ 3:08 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Mar. 01 | FF9 was 10 times better than FF8. Sorry to get off topic, but COME ON! At least you don't have to spend hours on end drawing magic in 9. And what about Eyes on Me? | ||||
I have Cool-Mod-Powers and can read the Cool-Mod-Forum, then I drive home in my Cool-Mod-Car UFC | posted on 07-13-2001 @ 3:48 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | My turn heh heh.... [WARNING!! there WILL be spoilers in this post!! First... quote: Actually.. take a moment and remember his face if you can.. NOW.. try to find OLD picture of Jack Nicholson.. I didn't realize it until after I left the theater.. but the character's facial feature were CLEARLY modeled after a young Jack.. and BELIEVE me.. he looked like that all the time.. PLUS if you think about it.. it's a basic element of cartooning to exaggerate a characters' personality through their appearance.. the eyebrows could've come out of the arched evil brow mode occasionally.. this is true.. but it wasn't a total waste.. You are right however.. the faces need to show more emotion. What threw you off (I went into this not only as an FF fan.. but also as somebody who spent 4 years in college because he wanted to be an animator) wasn't a complete lack of emotional expression.. but to much SUBTLETY of emotional expression.. it was there.. but always in animation things like that have to be at least a little exaggerated.. and it was subtle even for a normal live action movie, so they definitely should work on that for the next one. As far as the story goes... Seph nailed it on the head.. the general them of any recent FF story is the destruction of the "world" usually at the hands of ignorant inhabitants.. (though usually being manipulated by a clever villain who wants such to happen)and the story remains on par. And there are similar events in older stories as well.. The major element missing from the movie was the inevitable twist.. there really was none in this.. and I don't mean "She's the one we saved" I mean more like "Golbez is my BROTHER??" or "I didn't save Tifa? it was someone else and my memories were just screwed with?" THAT sort of twist.. one worthy of Usual Suspects or Sixth Sense.. none involved at all... Also.. while I definitely enjoyed this movie to no end.. I'm disappointed that the writers were afraid to utilize certain implausable aspects of FF genre.. namely magic and the more medieval oriented forms of combat.. all any "fight" involved was gunfire.. nothing spectacular.. hell.. even 1 good summon would have redeemed that aspect. For the die-hard game fans.. they did cleverly disguise one major aspect of every FF game plotline and include it in the film.. the "Acquisition" by the party of an Airship.. The main character (I can't remember the names) had a space ship of her own.. but it was impounded almost immediately.. reacquiring it became a major event in the story Finally.. for the FF trivia buffs.. Donald Sutherland's character held the Most Honorable Final Fantasy name of CID.. but there was no appearance by Biggs and Wedge. And the most disappointing of all.. the FF theme didn't appear ONCE in the whole film.. On another note.. while Seph and I have our disagreements as to who the best villain is... I have to back him up on Seifer.. Seifer wasn't truly a villain.. more of a friendly nemesis (except when being controlled) the fact that when he faced you on his own terms he did so with respect made him very much the nobler for it.. and that humanized his character all the more. ugh.. eneough for now.. it's too late.. I might comment more later..  No! I am NOT a Goth Dude!! "Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun!" | ||||
| Sephiroth | posted on 07-13-2001 @ 5:08 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | quote: Say GOLBEZ one more fucking time and i will murder you. "With just a touch of my burning hand I send my astro zombies to rape this land Prime directive, exterminate The whole human race And your face drops in a pile of flesh And then your heart, heart pounds Till it pumps in death Prime directive, exterminate Whatever stands left" -The Misfits I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. Please, for the love of christ, do not send me a E-mail | ||||
I have Cool-Mod-Powers and can read the Cool-Mod-Forum, then I drive home in my Cool-Mod-Car UFC | posted on 07-13-2001 @ 5:09 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | umm... Gol..dmine! Gol..ie!!! Gol...oriented!! GOLBEZ!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No! I am NOT a Goth Dude!! "Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun!" | ||||
| Sephiroth | posted on 07-13-2001 @ 5:16 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 |  Oh yeah, Im real fucking sacred of this....... BLACK MATERIA BEATS ALL. GAME OVER. "With just a touch of my burning hand I send my astro zombies to rape this land Prime directive, exterminate The whole human race And your face drops in a pile of flesh And then your heart, heart pounds Till it pumps in death Prime directive, exterminate Whatever stands left" -The Misfits I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. Please, for the love of christ, do not send me a E-mail | ||||
I have Cool-Mod-Powers and can read the Cool-Mod-Forum, then I drive home in my Cool-Mod-Car UFC | posted on 07-13-2001 @ 5:17 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | ohhh.. black materia beats all huh? is that why it didn't work then? Cause i seem to recall it not working.. oh yeah.. and the guy who tried to use it died in single combat with the main character too.. right? yeah.. that's right.. oh wait.. the main character was NEVER able to kill golbez right? yeah.. hurt him.. sure.. but never killed him... wonder who was tougher.. they guy who got killed by the PLAYER.. or the guy the PLAYEr could never put down for good.. hmm..... No! I am NOT a Goth Dude!! "Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun!" | ||||
| Sephiroth | posted on 07-13-2001 @ 5:23 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | I HATE YOU FAGUS!!! (Immature? of course.....but it's 5:18 AM and Im tired) "With just a touch of my burning hand I send my astro zombies to rape this land Prime directive, exterminate The whole human race And your face drops in a pile of flesh And then your heart, heart pounds Till it pumps in death Prime directive, exterminate Whatever stands left" -The Misfits I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. Please, for the love of christ, do not send me a E-mail | ||||
I have Cool-Mod-Powers and can read the Cool-Mod-Forum, then I drive home in my Cool-Mod-Car UFC | posted on 07-13-2001 @ 5:27 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | heh heh heh.. glad to see you were able to counter my points so logicaly lmaobskgitbv!!! Anyway.. I'm going to bed now.. and you should too.. get some rest.. the insomniacs are checking out for the night No! I am NOT a Goth Dude!! "Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun!" | ||||
| King f-tard | posted on 07-13-2001 @ 11:48 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Feb. 01 | Dont you guys ever sleep???? | ||||
| Page
1
2
Displaying 1-25 of 31 messages in this thread. |