Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII : Advent of Children

I've watched the movie, and I'll never be the same again. Sounds a bit far fetched? Not for me it ain't. You see, I am a true blue fan of Final Fantasy VII, which up til today ranks as my best gaming experience ever.

Ahh yes, I can still remember that day back in 1997. How eagerly I anticipated the game. I can recall the feeling I had when I finally managed to get my grubby hands on a copy. Slotting it into my then state-of-the-art PS, I powered up the console...

...and I was instantly transported into a world of adventure, peril, epic journeys, romance, love and despair. I remember the starting scene where the steam train pulls up into the city of Midgar. An industrial city of stained steel and bronze. A place where the rich dwell in magnificent splendour, while the poor languish in the slums beneath the city's foundations. It was indeed a special place.

It wasn't only Midgar however. Through the course of my journey, I travelled to far flung locations, visited strange villages, and met with individuals who would later on become my most trusted companions. I remember visiting Tifa in the shabby, rundown chapel, with her carefully tended patch of flowers blooming amidst the altar. Or the time spent with Aeris sitting on the rooftops of the slums, gazing up into the sky in all its magnificent splendour.

I have to admit, I will always have a soft spot for games. So you can imagine how eager I was to watch Advent of Children.


CGI Goodness

The movie definitely has some of the most mind-boggling, jaw dropping graphics to date! The quality of the textures, action sequences, special effects and hair are amazing. Did I mention the hair? It looks like what you would see in a Vidal Sassoon ad, not an animated movie.

In one of the starting scenes of the movie, you have Cloud, the hero from FFVII, standing on a dusty ledge with his truty bike. As he hops on his bike and rides toward the ruins of Midgar, he promptly comes under attack by Kadaj and his henchmen. This is the first of the many amazing fight sequences you'll be treated to throughout the movie. In this particular scene, sand creatures were summoned by Kadaj to join in the attack, all of which makes for some really good shite. Needless to say, Cloud succeeds in fending off the attacks of his 3 attackers, not without getting shot in the face by Kadaj though. Thankfully, the goggles he was wearing must have been some military-grade, super bullet proof specs coz the shot in the face only left him with a little scar. Only in the movies eh.

The rest of the movie featured many memorable scenes. Some of my favourites were the fight between Tifa and Loz in the chapel, and also the scene were Aeris appears in the end. Of course, its merely a coincidence that my favourite scenes both featured chun CGI babes, honestly.

The fight between Cloud and Sephiroth was a bit of a let down however. I was disappointed that Sephiroth was beaten quite easily, and whatever happened to all the creatures which could be summoned by Cloud? Sad to say, magic is practically non-existent in Advent of Children, so you won't be seeing any Neobahamut summonings by the good guys.

One thing which will always stick in my mind is the soundtrack though. It features the same tunes from the original FFVII game, but they were and still are absolutely amazing! Why, hearing the theme song is enough to bring a tear to my eye. Almost. In fact, I'm on Amazon.com right now trying to get my hands on an original copy of the soundtrack.

Yes, I am a bona fide propeller head.


Who is Tifa anyway?

Those of you who read my post below, and have no idea who in the world Aeris and Tifa are (I don't blame you. Only FF diehards would know), here's something for you. I couldn't find any pics of Aeris to post, but here are 2 good ones of Tifa taken from the movie.