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.
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