FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 2 out of 5

Because of: new age philosophies, language

Rated:

Never having seen or even heard of the Japanese video game upon which this is loosely based, the only thing that encouraged me to rent it was the most realistic computer-animation ever brought to the silver screen. Oh, don't worry... real human actors are still quite safe. This film leaves the realistic world of Shrek in the dust, and will leave your mouth hanging open. Is this the future of filming? Perhaps not... but if it is, I look forward to it. Step back, Spielberg: talent coming through.

Sometime in a surreal future, Earth has been invaded by a series of alien spirits who have resurfaced off a meteor that crashed through the earth's atmosphere. These voracious, human-eating creatures have disabled much of the planet, wiped out entire civilizations, and forced mankind into protected compounds. Dr. Aki Ross is a scientist who is working on a life-force that will successfully disable the alien invaders as part of a project of her superior, Doctor Sid, who believes that with "eight spirits," each a life-force combined within one another, they can successfully wipe out this foreign race. Aki has her own reasons for pursuing this course of action, which she keeps concealed from an old collogue and boyfriend, Captain Gray. They're working within a time frame surrounded by skeptics. Gray's team of special agents, made up of Ryan, Neil and Jane, don't trust Aki. But they're not the problem.

The major hurtle is the approval of the council. Sid's ideas about every living thing having a life-force, or spirit -- even the earth herself -- is not popular among modern ideals. The leaning of their superiors is toward the general's means of dispatching the invaders... by aiming a high-power attack at the meteor itself. But that much energy compiled into one place could damage the spirit of the earth herself. They must find the final two spirits among the phantoms in time to prevent disaster. But Aki conceals a secret of her own... and is plagued by mysterious dreams. Could they hold the answer?

This film is incredible. The CGI characters in 3D look almost real; their hair, the eyes, the freckles, the wrinkles of their face. I almost at times forgot I was watching computerized beings rather than real actors... only my awe kept my feet on the ground. Like Dungeons & Dragons and Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy is based on a CGI game for teens. It plays a little bit like an arcade game at times, but not with the glitz and zip of the later Star Wars franchise. It's attractive eye-candy for adults... but unfortunately, the incredible CGI doesn't make it a first-class recommendation. Enhanced effects aside, Final Fantasy is almost completely new age theology... that everything has a living life-force that returns to the eternal life-force, which would be the spirit of the earth. In and of itself, it takes winks at reincarnation, protective "spirits," and the concept of ghosts. In order to defeat the phantoms, Aki must collect eight living things and combine their spirits as an antidote. The conclusion is an odd one that takes a rather obvious nod toward Indian mystism. As a piece of entertainment, it's an engaging way to spend two hours, but most Christians like myself will have a problem with the plot and its reliance on false practices.

In addition to the problematic religious concerns, the film is rated PG13 for sci-fi violence and thematic elements. The most horrific of these are the images of red phantoms drawing the blue spirit (or life forms) from human beings, instantly killing them. We watch as these half-invisible creatures merely touch mankind and consume their energy. It's an eerie, surreal image that is particularly sinister when characters that we've grown to like are slowly picked off one by one. There's a lot of warfare, gunfire at the phantoms, and many close encounters. There's also some bad language. 

Final Fantasy is, as they say, "one small step for mankind," but a giant leap for the world of CGI animation. I look forward with anticipation to the worlds and creatures that it will bring about with its success, but hope that the theology of future films will be a little less shaky.