Advent Children Complete Review [Blu-ray]

Advent Children is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. It’s set two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII. Advent Children Complete is the Blu-ray edition that adds an additional 26 minutes of new and revised footage. And it definitely feels more complete, but personally, the ending is just as lame (not the fight – just the resolution). The translations are different and superior to the original release.

Story:

*Spoilers for FFVII* – but not really because everyone should know this game by now.

Advent Children:

After the defeat of Sephiroth, the world is recovering from meteor. But a new plague known as Geostigma has appeared, and anyone who contracts it dies. At the same time, three grey-haired black-clad figures appear and not only search for Jenova’s head but also kidnap children with Geostigma. Cloud must save the children and stop these mysterious men who look like women, ‘cept one, from accomplishing their devious goals.

Blu-Ray.

Complete adds more explanation to Geostigma and Cloud’s relationship with all the characters. There’s more Turks, which makes the movie infinitely better. And the final fight has an amazing addition. It’s still nonsensical, however. It’s just giant fan service.

Graphics:

Advent Children already looked amazing. Its graphics were and are still pretty cutting edge. HD and Blu-ray adds a new layer over the already beautiful CGI. Everything gains texture. You can actually see the woven quality of the cloth that covers Cloud’s arm. It’s amazing.

Extras:

There’s some negligible extras. They really didn’t offer anything that extrapolates the story more. On the way to a smile provides a little more insight. But there are no deleted scenes (dur), and there’s no director commentary.

Pricing:

With a price tag like $29.99, it’s about as expensive as other Blu-ray movies.

Rating:

Is it worth it though? If you’re a fan of Final Fantasy VII and have a Blu-ray player, you should get it. If you like crazy action movies, get it. If you don’t like either, avoid it. It’s definitely a fun rental, so if you have a copy of the original release, renting this one would definitely be a good call. It’s not entirely different, but there’s enough in there that it adds more depth to the movie and reworks some scenes. And the Turks are awesome.

Score:

3/5 Clouds – It’s fun, some really cool graphics, but purely fan service.

Sarcasmancer comment – R.I.P. Badass Cloud ;.;

I know I gripe about this in my own article about FF7, but it really bears repeating:
Advent Children ruins Cloud Strife as a character.

All these people who have discovered Cloud in Kingdom Hearts or Deviant (Fan) Art seemed to regard him as this tremendous Emo, and Advent Children only legitimized that misapprehension.In the original game, he is more moody and defiant. It’s true that he had an inferiority complex larger than his sword, but he did not mope about like some spoiled suburban brat: he brooded, the pastime of many a manly badass! I will grant that brooding can easily devolve into moping, as Squall demonstrates in FF8, but Cloud never succumbed to such childishness. Even his initial apathy is tempered by his willingness to do anything move forward, be it cross-dressing or dragon slaying. And as the plot progresses he shrugs off his Ennui, becoming a confident and compassionate leader.

There was that one bit where he sat slack-jawed and drooling in a wheel chair, but I chalk that up to mako-poisoning.

Don’t get me wrong, it makes sense that a guy would mourn for his dead lady love, but Cloud seems to have come to terms with Aerith’s passing by the end of the game. Yet Advent Children has him wandering around (or “Drifting” as Tifa chides) for ninety percent of the film. We only get a couple fleeting glimpses of this old, awesome Cloud (like when he casually dodges Reno’s assault and locks him out of the room). Apparently, giving Sephiroth the slice and dice is the only thing that will pull him out of a funk. And awesome as that final limit break finish is, the damage to his character has been done. Cloud will forever be remembered as a Mopey Mcmiserable.

Aside from that rather significant complaint, my opinion of Advent Children mirrors Shihnongs. Nothing is completed in the complete version, but fans will have fun reuniting with their favorite characters. The Turk scenes alone make it worth the watching really. Probably better to rent than buy though, unless you want a presentation piece for your new HDTV.