Would you like to see more FF spin-off films (like Advent Children)?

[Pike]

Or would you prefer that Square Enix just stuck to games?

[Ayen]

Not sure. The Spirit Within was a train wreck, and while I enjoyed Advent Children it didn't expand that much upon VII. I doubt any spinoff movie made would be more than fan service.

[Vermachtnis]

Not really no. I've not really liked any of the movies. They look nice, but that's about it.

[Vyk]

I think most of why The Spirit Within failed was that it was called Final Fantasy, so it held certain expectations that it never had any intentions of living up to. If that movie were to just come out, by some random studio, without any connections to anything else, it wouldn't have been half bad. Not fantastic, but still possibly a cult hit, or just something pretty to put on and fall asleep to

Hell, I have a friend who put on Advent Children every night for months just to sleep to. She didn't even know why. It was just the only thing that put her to sleep during troubling times haha. Probably puts a negative spin on the movie, but she loves it for that. Probably one of the fondest memories she has of that time (evil landlord, separation, and extended family issues abound during that episode of her life)

So... I'm not completely opposed to them doing movies. Though they can probably better spend their money elsewhere. But I'm not sure that it's necessary, or even a good idea, to put Final Fantasy in the title

[Spooniest]

Yes it can work, and I'll tell you how.

The movie has to have a coherent storyline with a beginning, middle, and end. It's gotta be tense, but also reserve a few quiet moments for storytelling and characterization.

The problem with these movies is that the there's no tension. The movie never grabs you, you never get immersed, because any tension is wiped clean out by the characterization and the dialogue (it's counterbalancing force) being utterly wooden and heartless.

Take the introduction of Tifa in Advent Children, and compare it with the introduction of Tifa in the game, FFVII. The game builds tension by having Barret make you wait to enter, and then releases it when you finally see Tifa for the first time, and hear her theme play. The whole place (7th Heaven) has this vivid, oversaturated feel about it, as though it is very warm and welcoming, and the music just plays to that.

In Advent children, you have the same basic elements. The same location (except rebuilt), same character. But the whole thing is all grey, muddy and sedate, like a celluloid corpse. There's no life, no spark, there. It's midafternoon on an overcast day and the place is utterly silent until the phone rings. Tifa answers, "Strife Delivery Service, you name it, we--"

:/ It just kind of hangs there. There's no tension in it. It's depending entirely on the viewer's having played FFVII and already being familiar with Tifa. This is a shortcut that the producers of this film took, and it detracts from the storytelling.

The whole rest of the movie is like that. I remember being suddenly shocked at Vincent's appearance not for storyline reasons, but because the amount of different colors in the film suddenly increased by one. They had computers capable of producing millions (perhaps billions) of different colors, and they chose the grey-to-dark-blue range for most of the film. It's almost medicinal in it's bland mentholated haze.

A movie has to suddenly grab a viewer's attention and not let go for an instant until the film is over. Star Wars starts with a giant blast from the horns. Star Trek II begins with the Star Trek fanfare. The Dark Knight begins with a helicopter shot overlooking Chicago, and then a bank heist happens.

Get into the movie, quickly! You don't have all day, you've got 2 hours tops.

And once you're into the movie, have people say things that not only move the plot forward, but show the kind of character they are, examine that character type, and provide it with some kind of resolution in the story, depending on the character's relevance to the plot.

Spirits Within ain't got it, Advent Children ain't got it. People say things that don't move the plot forward, and they say them in ways that aren't interesting enough to make you ask what the character saying them is like, as a person.

When you shoot a scene with dialogue, light the characters faces. I don't care if they'd be lighted in real life, people need to be able to see the people who are talking.

Little things like that. But if they'd just come at this with the attitude of "let's make a movie that we would pay to go see" rather than "let's make an action figure playset with an excuse plot attached to it," we'd be onto something.

[Pumpkin]

Depends. I did like both of them, but I would have to know what the story was

[VeloZer0]

I enjoyed watching Advent Children, but I didn't find it anything special. I would have way rather the effort have gone into making a new game to play.

[Leigh]

I'd prefer more films to be honest. I'd rather experience 2 hours of bland mediocrity than 40+.

The Spirits Within wasn't really a bad film, it was generic sci-fi tosh with a large dolop of sturgeons law sure, but that is the fantasy/scifi genre as a definition. It's main problem, as previously stated, was its use of the Final Fantasy trade mark.

People expected Final Fantasy but unfortunately they just got dystopian Sci Fi drivel which, ironically, is all the rage again today.

[Shiva95]

It depends of the story.

[Dat Matt]

Didn't they make an FFXIII movie for japan? I'm sure they did,

[Galuf]

I think a film based on 9 would be cool or maybe the Ivalice stuff.

[DanielCLFFF13]

Didn't they make an FFXIII movie for japan? I'm sure they did,
Really Final Fantasy XIII movie? What it's name? I search through google, but the result are the only cutscenes of Final Fantasy XIII series mixed into one.
If there's one I'll buy that :)

[Fox]

Well, not sure I really trust them to make games these days. May as well do films instead!

Advent Children was stupid. But it was also really, really entertaining. I'd be happy to see them do more stuff like that. Maybe a Kingdom Hearts collaborative movie with Disney/Pixar. It could be a musical.

[Cleric]

I think a film based on 9 would be cool or maybe the Ivalice stuff.

I think a film that delves into and expands upon Ivalician mythology and folklore or even centers on the Rozarrian Empire from Final Fantasy XII would be very interesting.

[Shiny]

Spirits Within wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either. If they do another film I think it would be interesting to do one that isn't a spin-off of a game and just it's own thing like Spirits Within was. I wasn't terribly happy with Advent Children.

[Quindiana Jones]

I would like professionals who can actually make films to create more stuff using FF ideas and themes, but I would not like SE to make more films.

[Mirage]

What Quin said.

[Shlup]

Also what Quin said. I liked Advent Children for the most part, though there wasn't much to it plot-wise.