Adam
Member
Registered: 1st May 01
Location: Hurstbourne Tarrant
User status: Offline
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Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within
Channel: Five
Date: Sunday 06 June Time: 6 5pm to 80pm
Certificate: [PG]
Review
Japan's long-running computer-game franchise provides the bare, thematic bones for this 100-per-cent computer-animated movie, which was released hot on the heels of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Directed and co-written by the game's creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, with new characters and story, the film follows the quest of brilliant young scientist Dr Aki Ross (voiced by ER's Ming-Na) to find a peaceful end to the ongoing war between mankind and invading "phantoms" in 2065. The goodies are Dr Sid (Donald Sutherland) and a military squad straight out of Aliens (including light relief Steve Buscemi); the baddie is hawkish General Hein (James Woods). The story is simple sci-fi stuff, even a little off-puttingly "touchy-feely" at times, but it's strong and intelligent enough to prevent the film from being merely an expensive ($140 million) exhibition match for the US-Japanese animators. That said, it's a truly state-of-the-art display — so realistic at times, you wonder why they animated it at all — although there's a rubbery quality to the human characters, who still can't mouth dialogue convincingly.
Directed by: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Motonori Sakakibara
Filmed in: 2001
Cast List
Dr Aki Ross ..... Ming-Na
Capt Gray Edwards ..... Alec Baldwin
Ryan ..... Ving Rhames
Neil ..... Steve Buscemi
Jane ..... Peri Gilpin
Dr Sid ..... Donald Sutherland
General Hein ..... James Woods
Council member ..... Keith David
Council member ..... Jean Simmons
Major Elliot ..... Matt McKenzie
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