Actually, this was the first FF product I "consumed" and to say the truth, I really liked it. I went to cinema quite a bit that summer and it was definitely the film I liked the most. That was the same summer when they've ran Pearl Harbour in the theatres.

Anyway, for me FF was a totally new term so I didn't get distracted by it. The problem which the FF fans might have had was the lack of FFiness, but to say the truth, if you added things like Biggs, Wedge and the classic FF characters like Wakka or Zell, the film would have lost its entire atmosphere.

Quite a few FF feature a tragedy scenarios, e.g. FFX, FFVII, however this is the first one to be 100% tragic. There's no scene where you get Aki Ross playing blitzball in a bikini or anything similar. It was about death, death and again death. So... I don't really think that chocobos and phoenix downs would really do any good. If you want that plot, you have to take away the FFness of it.

As for the other viewers, SE needed something to attract the masses. Obviously the fact that it takes place on Earth, not in Delling City, and does not feature moogles was a plus in that area. However, the story was a little bit too high-end for an average viewer. For somebody who cheered with Cloud and Squal, it's a normal plot; however, not too many people can start something with Gaia, spirits and so forth. As somebody said already, it was a bit too foreign.

So what we got in the end was a FF plot in a non-FF setting aimed with 16+ rating and huge production costs. Obviously, it didn't work. I still loved the film.

PS: I doubt that anybody will disagree if I say that it was quite a bit better than AC.