Professor Bluntman's 5-Minute Film Studies #1

Pay attention, folks. Class is now in session. Today's film is the criminally underrated Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. To fully appreciate the film, we'll start with a quick history lesson. In 1997, Squaresoft's Final Fantasy VII was released and immediately recognized as one of the greatest videogames of all time, a position it holds to this day, and deservedly so. Beginning with this game and moreso the one that followed, the CG animation used for the story scenes was on a level far beyond anything else being done at the time. I, and I assume many others, longed for someone to do a whole movie with that kind of quality and in July of 2001, Square delivered. Although the human animation seems a little stilted, the film remains visually breathtaking. The cast, which includes Ming Na, Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames, Donald Sutherland and James Woods, turns in some stellar performances and the music by Elliot Goldenthal is magnificent.

The story, set in the year 2065, involves a pair of scientists who are attempting to save the Earth by using spiritual energy gathered from what little nature remains on the desolated planet. At the same time, humanity is battling alien beings known as Phantoms, but they are not what they seem. The use of the Pagan spirit Gaia in a matter-of-fact way, and the characters' dependence upon it for their ultimate survival, is a refreshing change of pace from the usual "Humans know everything" point of view that a number of sci-fi narratives seem to have. Superbly written, Spirits Within, in my opinion, stands as one of the great sci-fi films, on a par with Blade Runner or Planet of the Apes, despite a few cliches here and there. It starts with a bang and builds to an awe-inspiring conclusion which is left for the viewer to interpret.

It truly is a shame that the film is remembered as a bomb because, from a creative standpoint, it most certainly is not. If you enjoy serious cinema, you could do far worse than this film, which is both highly intelligent and entertaining.

Homework:View the film and post your thoughts in the comments section. I would be interested to hear what you think.

I Want To Believe

I finally got my hands on the X-Files: Revelations dvd and as I revisit the show for the first time in years, something funny is happening. On the one hand, I'm understanding the stories a lot more than I used to (I was ten when the show started, after all) and it's like seeing it for the first time. On the other hand, memories of all the best episodes are flooding back, as is the whole conspiracy storyline (which I had to explain to my mother since she forgot). This is all in preparation for the new movie, which I hope to see soon (Billy Connelly alone should be worth the price of admission. He always was one of the best character actors and it's a pleasant surprise whenever he pops up). Supposedly a stand-alone story unconnected to the series' mythology, I'm curious as to how the movie will reintroduce Mulder and Scully after they were last seen running from the law. In any event, Chris Carter has said that he wants to do a third film to continue the mythology from where the show left off, so hopefully there will be more to come before the actors outgrow the characters. I look forward to finally getting the seasons on dvd and rewatching it in full (something I've been meaning to do and have never gotten around to). The Truth Is Out There, indeed.