Blu-ray Review: Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within
By
Jon Liu
Video Format: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio Formats: English PCM 5.1, English and French Dolby Digital 5.1
Starring: Ming Na, Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi
Directed by: Hironobu Sakaguchi and Motonori Sakakibara
Release Date: August 7, 2007
General
In the year 2065, a giant meteor has obliterated all life on Earth. Though some survived, alien spirits from the giant meteor roam Earth now and threaten the lives of those still around. Anyone who comes into contact with the alien spirits is immediately infected and dies. Doctor Aki Ross, voiced by Ming Na, is on a quest to find a cure to this infection by seeking out seven spirits that might counteract the infection of the alien spirits. She is teamed up with a military squadron, called Deep Eyes, in order to find the spirits and stop the extinction of mankind.
This film was a stepping stone in the world of computer animation and surprisingly still holds up fairly well several years later. The voice acting and lip sync don’t quite match up due to somewhat limited jaw movement in the characters, but overall it still holds as some of the most astounding CG work I’ve seen to date. The movie’s plot and storyline fall a bit short, though. The overall feel of the movie didn’t seem quite cohesive to me and felt a bit forced. On top of that, with the title being “Final Fantasy,” I was expecting something quite different. Fans of the Final Fantasy franchise somewhat cringe at the thought of this movie. It isn’t a “Final Fantasy” movie, even though it sports the name.
Tech Specs
Video: There are times while I was watching that I was stunned by the clarity and especially some of the detail in the film. The hair on people’s head sometimes seemed incredibly real. Colors are generally muted although there were a couple sequences in the movie where colors become more vibrant and eye-popping. Most of these sequences are the daytime shots and some of the more brightly lit shots of the movie. The filmmakers digitally added a bit of grain to the movie in order to give the picture a more stylized look, mimicking that of real film. Overall this film touts a stunning digital-to-digital print that is a solid improvement over the standard definition version of the film.
Audio: This is a relatively heavy soundtrack. At the beginning of the movie you get a good sense of that weight from the pressurization and effects that are produced in the lower frequencies. The subwoofer certainly makes its presence known throughout the movie, especially during action sequences. Though the low frequencies are continuously there, I wouldn’t consider it a thunderous soundtrack. The surround sound will envelop you and is utilized pretty well throughout the movie giving you a good sense of environment and sound staging. It all picks up during action sequences to give some directionality to noises off screen while keeping dialog easily discernable.
Extras
This release has a good amount of extras included on the disk. Included are two commentaries, character and vehicle profiles, a whole slew of featurettes and documentaries on the making of the filmas well as outtakes and a few trailers.
Menus/Navigation
The Spirits Within features a straightforward menu system that doesn’t stray too far from the traditional style most people are accustomed to with standard DVDs.
Overall Impressions
I was entertained by this movie, but I can see why a lot of people were kind of disappointed with it. The movie lacks a solid plot and storyline, and fans of the Final Fantasy franchise will likely be none too forgiving with this film, considering it doesn't really have anything to do with the franchise. This release does provide fans of the film with an appreciable upgrade over the standard definition release of the movie, but I would suggest casual onlookers to give this one a rent, if anything.
Linear Mode
