Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children Review

Overview
Two years after the dramatic events of Final Fantasy 7, the city of Midgar is rebuilding anew after almost being shattered by war. However, its woes are far from over. There's a strange and incurable disease affecting Midgar's inhabitants that causes them to slowly waste away. Meanwhile, Cloud Strife, hero of FF7, has troubles of his own. He had been attacked by a trio of mysterious youths who think that Cloud knows about their missing 'mother'. Also, he has yet to get over the absence of his beloved friend Aerith, whose death he feels responsible for.

Kadaj, leader of the trio, has a nefarious and complex plot up his sleeves to dominate Earth. In him, Cloud also thinks that he sees his old enemy, Sephiroth, lying dormant. Will Cloud and his friends manage to stop Kadaj in time? Or will Cloud's inner demons consume him first?

Story
Final Fantasy fans will be sorely disappointed over FF7AC's cliched storyline: Hero overcomes himself before he overcomes his enemy. Now that's a huge case of "been there, seen that." Square Enix, having brought us drool-worthy hits like FF8 and FF10, are capable of much better storytelling for sure. The only positive aspect of the storyline I could think of were the glimpses of Cloud's thoughts, especially those featuring him and Aerith. The introduction, showing flashbacks to FF7, made a good first impression. It was a pity that the impression does not grow much from there.

Art and Characters
The array of eye candy offered in FF7AC sufficiently makes up for the disappointing storyline. I'm talking about CG art at one of its highest forms here; characters are drawn with so much attention to detail that they almost pass of as real people. A fine example would be the picture of Tifa shown on the left. Great care was also exercised in the rendering of machinery and weapons. The battle choreography is equally superb. Worth mentioning are the combat scenes between Tifa and Loz and the clash between Cloud and Kadaj.

Music
The music used in FF7AC is mostly to accompany the fight scenes or tense moments. Nothing particularly memorable or haunting.

Conclusion
If not for the excellent artwork and animation coupled with some nail-biting moments, FF7AC might have been a flop. Nevertheless, FF7AC is definitely a valuable item to be collected by the Final Fantasy fan. Where else would you get to see Tifa's cool new look or Cloud's sleek motorbike? Or meet the dark and deadly Kadaj and gang? For me, it was the action and eye candy that kept me glued. If that's what you are after, or if you simply love Final Fantasy, grab the DVD. If not, just watch the YouTube trailers (and spoofs!).

By Wan Ying Yi