Final Fantasy Vii: Advent Children Complete - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital

I have owned every American itteration of this movie and I love it. I'm a gigantic fan of FFVII and the movie pleases me most because it touches me with the characters and the feeling behind the story.This movie has taken much flak, which I would like to say I fully understand if taken from the perspective of one without working knowledge of the videogame, and this version does so much to fix many of these issues. If you don't like videogames or have never played FFVII then I doubt you'll like this movie very much. I leant it to a friend who is a bigger movie buff than me(who loves some of the worst films of all-time) thinking he would at least appreciatte the action sequences and animation. He called it garbage, lol. I watched again after I leant it to him and the story really is disjointed at best if you know nothing of the game.That said, this version should have been the initial release. It's criminal how many vital scenes were cut and/or shortened. The effect of these scenes being editing for the US audience actually makes a somewhat large impact on the potential to understand the story. Now that FF: Crisis Core is out and we all know the origins of FFVII the scenes with flashes of Zack are needed even more. This is now a trilogy of events and small tidbits that need to be fleshed out in a two hour period. Much of the additional content is also extended battle sections that(in one case with Rude and Reno) actually explains how the scene gets from one point to another where the original version left a magnificient gap.The most important thing to realize with this, other than what I've said about not playing the game, is that it's a movie about a videogame guys. People "flying around" and "surviving what no one on earth could" doesn't matter. The laws of our world don't apply in the world of FFVII folks, sorry, so just let it go. I've seen so much worse things done in films that try to appear realistic and yet a movie about a game series gets slammed for doing things we couldn't in real life. That's why it's animated.As far as the actual movie goes...it's just jaw-dropping if you look at it in a way such as I do. I've come to love it more and more with each viewing and it's starting to grow on me even more as I write this. It is simply beautiful. The animation is the best you will see outside of Disney Pixar and the japanese crew/director really understand how to use camerawork to improve the feel and aesthetics of the scenes. So many times I find myself just looking at the hair on the characters heads and being impressed. The score is also somethign for everyone. It is so well done and reminds me of something like the first Star Wars movies in that it has that quality that adds to the overall tone and direction of the scenes. A great example is the final bout with Sephiroth. There is a part *SPOILER ALERT*(I guess) where the music starts to change tempo, Cloud enters a stance and prepares for what he knows is going be one heck of an attack on the part of Sephiroth and the Shin-ra headquarters starts to come down upon him, literally. The music then rushes in and I just can't explain the feeling you get watching it if you invest yourself in the experience.For anyone who has always wanted to watch this, but didn't want to buy it yet, this is the ultimate and finite version. For anyone who watched the original and disliked it due to the lack of coherence in the story I strongly urge you to reconsider and at least borrow/rent it and give it one more chance. I feel it's worth every penny and minute I spent waiting for it to come to the States.

I remember waiting in anticipation as I waited for Advent Children to release in the US a few years ago. When I finally had a chance to watch it, I was extremely happy. The Universe of Final Fantasy VII is one that many gamers in the US cherish and love to revisit. That said, over the past 2 years, the DVD hasn't aged all that well. When watching the DVD on a Blu-Ray player that upscales, the picture is noticeably fuzzy. However, I was once again happy when I heard that there would be a Blu-Ray release of Advent Children that hopefully would satiate my desire for a higher-res version of this fantastic movie.Picture - 9Oh the glory of Blu-Ray. The images during Advent Children are fantastic. The texture of the fabrics and the crispness of the vistas visited during the movie, even during quick-moving sequences, look incredible. There really isn't a better example of a realistically animated move that I have come across. And in the Blu-Ray version, the visuals are made even better by adding things that wouldn't originally fit on the DVD copy. Now the world looks even more realistic with dirty children and items and clothing that gradually become more and more worn and deteriorated throughout the film.Sound - 8Well, it's honestly about the same. The voice acting is fantastic, though I insist on only watching the film with subtitles, since I can't stand English dubbing. However, for those familiar with the franchise, there are some great variations on some of the main FFVII themes that many will enjoy. Don't assume that since the sound hasn't changed that it is bad. It was great to begin with, and still is.Blu-Ray -9Ah, what a good Blu-Ray. I have to say that I am delighted to see that Sony has decided to implement the idea of the onscreen menu. So many Blu-Rays hurt themselves by not including this feature. Being able to pull up the menu while watching the movie at the same time is a little feature that goes a long way. There are several inclusions on this disc that make it fun. For those who are interested, there is a nice expose about Final Fantasy XIII that comes along with the Blu-Ray that provides a nice intro to the upcoming game. There is also a short animated film about Denzel that some might find interesting, though it is probably one of the weaker elements on the Blu-Ray.Deleted Footage - 10I gave this facet of the release it's own section because in all honesty, most of the people who re-buy the movie on Blu-Ray are purchasing it for this reason, and also because the deleted footage goes a long way in making Advent Children much more accessible to those who aren't familiar with the Final Fantasy VII universe. I've longed to show Advent Children to family and friends to showcase the incredible animation and motion-capturing that went into this movie, but found that when they attempted to watch the film, they were confused and left in the dark about the storyline. I eventually stopped trying to show the film to those unfamiliar with the franchise, because the movie doesn't offer much explanation as to who the characters are, what the backstory is, etc. However, the additional 26 minutes included in Advent Children bridges the gap between a fan film and a feature film that most people can enjoy. Much more is explained, and the overall experience, though a few minutes longer, feels much better overall and more thorough.Final ThoughtsIf you have never seen Advent Children and are interested in either the Final Fantasy VII universe, or you are simply interested in some of the best realistic-looking animation yet to hit film, Advent Children will be right up your alley. This film provides not only an amazing update to an already great production, but now also presents a complete film to the public that is no longer limited to a niche audience.