Thoughts of the movie

[PontiusPilate]

Not only did i think the story was mediocre, but they also managed to poorly tell the story making the movie even worse

[Ishin Ookami]

One of the major flaws of the movie though, was the fact that it focused on the fighting. FFVII was revolutionary because it was one of the first games where the story was not so much about fighting and saving the world, but about interactions between the characters (a bit of this could be seen in IV, V, and VI but not nearly as crucial a role as in VII).

In the words of Jay and Silent bob, Blasphemy!

When it comes to the basic storyline structure, FFVII and VI are very similar. Evil villain does evil villain things, cast of mismatched good guys do good guy thing, and clash with evil villain. Global chase and fetch quest ensues until an apocalyptic showdown happens at the end. Evil is defeated, happiness ensues. FFVII had Shinra, FFVI had the empire. FFVII had Rufus, FFVI had Geshtahl. FFVII had Sephiroth, FFVI had kefka. Structurally speaking, there are many similarities.

And personally, I dont know how you can say VI did not have a storyline in which the interaction's between characters did not play a point. The love triangle between Rachael, Locke, and Celes. Shadow's tortured past and relationship with Relm and Strago. The history between Edgar And Sabin, and how Edgar REALLY gained the throne. Cyan's self destructive guilt. Terra's longing for an understanding of what love is and her fear of her mixed heritage. The relationships played an important role throughout the game. The only difference is that FFVI did not have the fancy CGI and polygons to flesh out it's storyline and give it the illusion of depth. But I found it's characters, and relationships to be very vital to the plot.

and as for what you stated about the action in AC, I really found the action in AC to be it's worst asset. It focused too hard on looking cool, that it missed what makes martial art's films look cool. The underlying logic and intensity of most fight scenes. Seeing the lead character fight against a obviously more powerful foe, and overcome with guts and and heart rather then luck or fluke, is a great experience. The hero becomes the underdog, but fights through. It's david Vs Goliath but with fancy choreography. AC nixed all that and went with the "gee kids, doesn't this look cool" mentality. I felt like I was being talked down too. Films like 8 Diagram Pole fighter, Fist of Legend, Legend of Drunken Master II, are all classics because their fight scenes have ingenuity, creative thoughtfulness, and hard hitting final duels that leave you wide eyed. Advent Children has Sephiroth forgetting to duck and cloud pulling off his ultimate attack with a wounded sword arm. Even if he DID manage to pull off that attack, he should have at least maimed or injured himself grievously due to the prior injury. A sense of consequence and threat of injury for the heroic characters adds drama to the action. And as a action film, AC really lacks to emotionally involve the viewer on any level I found.

[The Unknown Guru]

I think it was a great movie, like a combination of The Matrix and FF. Awesome graphics and action scenes. I want that arm thing that that one guy had sooooooo bad(the one with the level-up ring tone that Tifa fights)!

[Amaru]

Edit: Nevermind. I really can't be bothered to get into this...

[PontiusPilate]

I think it was a great movie, like a combination of The Matrix and FF. Awesome graphics and action scenes. I want that arm thing that that one guy had sooooooo bad(the one with the level-up ring tone that Tifa fights)!

I think FF already ripped off the matrix enough (with the whole motorcycle action scene and the music) I think they should of focused more on the story and the characters since they were both incredibly well done in FF VII

[Ishin Ookami]

I think it was a great movie, like a combination of The Matrix and FF. Awesome graphics and action scenes. I want that arm thing that that one guy had sooooooo bad(the one with the level-up ring tone that Tifa fights)!

I think FF already ripped off the matrix enough (with the whole motorcycle action scene and the music) I think they should of focused more on the story and the characters since they were both incredibly well done in FF VII

You know, I dont MIND the ripping off. The wachowski's ripped off ghost in the shell, X, John Woo, and a variety of other asian genre's that only a niche audience outside of japan and/or hong kong have seen before. Thing is as wonky and uncomplete as the matrix storyline was by the time revolutions rolled around, I still felt the parts they ripped off from those genre's was done with a fairly consistant level of quality.

Problem with Advent is that it focuses so much on the "gee kids, isn't that cool" factor that they thought they could leave the quality out. They ripped off the style, but left the quality, the thoughtfulness, the inventiveness all behind. The cool factor only works if advent is the first time your seeing a guy flip with a motorcycle, shoot dual guns stylishly while flipping and kung fu fighting, seen chi blasts or vehicles thrown like tennis balls, or seen a hand to hand fight scene in the same genre's as tifa vs loz. I've seen ALL that. Ive seen it done DAMN well as well. Ive seen films where the final fight sequence involves shaolin monks come up with inventive ways too knock out the villains teeth to teach them a lesson, as well as a six way hand to staff to sword fight sequence directed and performed by living martial arts legends, with a story that is halfway involving as well. Compared to something like that, Advent isn't cool at all. It's actually rather cheesy and stupid.

[Amaru]

Have you seen all that in CGI? I believe the answer is no. Stop comparing ancient martial arts classics to a completely computer rendered project.

[Ishin Ookami]

Have you seen all that in CGI? I believe the answer is no. Stop comparing ancient martial arts classics to a completely computer rendered project.

If advent children wasn't trying (and failing spectacularly) to imitate martial arts classics, I wouldn't make the reference. Mayhap you should hit up some hk film websites and view some of the films AC is referencing.

Have I seen anything that compares to the sheer kick assery of Eight Diagram Pole Fighter in CGI, hell no. The film is a quarter century old and there are still few films that can match it's incredible, and 100% wirework free fight sequences. But have I seen other cool action sequences rendered in CGI? Hell yes. Macross Pluss and Appleseed both come to mind. Macross used a incredibly slick combo of CGI and cell animation while Appleseed was entirely CGI rendered using CGI and action sequences that Puts Advent Children to shame.

Thing with both of these films, is that they BOTH had a story that holds water, and had some logic and creativity to their action scenes making them more impactful. Advent isn't even at the cutting edge with their CGI (that would be arguably appleseed), which means they definitely could have used some good storytelling or choreography to make the film more absorbing. Like I said, the whole cool factor only works if you HAVN'T seen the genre's AC is imitating. if you have, then AC just comes off as a lame imitator. It's the Cinematic version of a bad elvis impersonator.

Impersonating the fat elvis.

Badly.

[Amaru]

In your opinion, your opinion isn't fact, no matter how much you dress it up. 9 out of 10 people who saw Advent Children were blown away by the CGI and the action sequences the first time that they saw it. Regardless of The Matrix or any other film that uses such a style. It's completely idiotic to compare the film's CGI sequences to martial arts classics with real life actors and martial arts skill. How in the world could it? CGI can never beat watching pure martial arts in motion. Furthermore, it is completely idiotic to compare a videogames movie at all to anything classic. The fact that you try to do so with Advent Children confuses me no end.

You can continue on this hate campaign of this movie all you like, but you aren't altering any one else's opinions.

[Ishin Ookami]

In your opinion, your opinion isn't fact, no matter how much you dress it up. 9 out of 10 people who saw Advent Children were blown away by the CGI and the action sequences the first time that they saw it.

Note the "first time" part of that statement. I can watch martial arts classics time and again, and still be entertained by the choreography, storytelling, and martial prowess of the stars. Ditto with Macross Plus, Appleseed, Spirits Within, and other CGI works. thats because they have something called storytelling and competent direction.

Also, using referencing group mentality to prove points is often a sign of an already shaky argument. Everyone I know hated advent Children. Even Square's premier hype magazine EGM bashed Advent Children's storytelling after seeing the film. But I dont need to reference anyone's opinions or thoughts to prove my own points or to say why I consider AC to be a poor film.

Regardless of The Matrix or any other film that uses such a style. It's completely idiotic to compare the film's CGI sequences to martial arts classics with real life actors and martial arts skill. How in the world could it? CGI can never beat watching pure martial arts in motion.

Not entirely true, martial arts anime manages to often be very absorbing. Dragonball Z and Rurouni Kenshin both come to mind as anime that manage to deliver martial arts entertainment that rivals the classics. That's because they both have storytelling and focus on martial principles rather then gee whiz cinematography ripped from other sources. When the storytelling is solid, and the choreography well thought out and interesting, martial art displays can work in ANY medium. Even early CGI works like Beast Wars and Reboot, managed to support some genuinely engrossing action sequences with lesser technology and funding.

Furthermore, it is completely idiotic to compare a videogames movie at all to anything classic. The fact that you try to do so with Advent Children confuses me no end.

That statement in itself is the definition of idiocy. Thats like saying different genre's or films based on novels or myth's should never compete at the Oscars. Advent Children is a movie, it will be judged as a movie, and it is a very poor one at that.

[Amaru]

Also, using referencing group mentality to prove points is often a sign of an already shaky argument.

Except, I'm not arguing anything here. Your opinion is simply that, your opinion, as is my own. I was simply stating that the majority of people were blown away by the action sequences in the film when they first saw it, clearly evident in the majority of opinions expressed on this very board, amongst others.

Everyone I know hated advent Children. Even Square's premier hype magazine EGM bashed Advent Children's storytelling after seeing the film. But I dont need to reference anyone's opinions or thoughts to prove my own points or to say why I consider AC to be a poor film.

Of course you don't need anyone else to back up your thoughts, as they are your thoughts.

Not entirely true, martial arts anime manages to often be very absorbing. Dragonball Z and Rurouni Kenshin both come to mind as anime that manage to deliver martial arts entertainment that rivals the classics.

Absorbing - yes, classic beating - absolutely not.

That's because they both have storytelling and focus on martial principles rather then gee whiz cinematography ripped from other sources.

Advent Children is not a Martial Arts film or falls anywhere in this filming genre.

When the storytelling is solid, and the choreography well thought out and interesting, martial art displays can work in ANY medium. Even early CGI works like Beast Wars and Reboot, managed to support some genuinely engrossing action sequences with lesser technology and funding.

Beast Wars featured inhuman CGI and Reboot never featured such amazingly human character likenesses or close-combat fighting as Advent Children.

That statement in itself is the definition of idiocy. Thats like saying different genre's or films based on novels or myth's should never compete at the Oscars. Advent Children is a movie, it will be judged as a movie, and it is a very poor one at that.

Movies based on videogames are the bottom of the literacy ladder. They are usually created soley for the fans. It is idiotic to compare them to classic films. Completely.

Whatever. I loved it for what it was, pure fanservice. It's a shame that others can't see and judge it as such.

[Ishin Ookami]

Whatever. I loved it for what it was, pure fanservice. It's a shame that others can't see and judge it as such.

Hey, Im one of those who let out a instinctual "wickedness" when X-3 gave us the cinematic incarnation of the fastball special. I dont mind fan service, but it helps to use some thought to the preceedings. The fastball special, a classic aspect of old school X-men itself, was backed up with referrences to classic X-story, days of future past. X-III also had the sense to involve some creativity and divergencies from the Dark Pheonix saga, and develop characters sperately from the comics. Thus it had fan service, but managed to be it's own incarnation at the same time. A fairly well written, acted, and filmed incarnation at that.

Advent Children however, not at all. What's the point of the intro? 498 years earlier eh? What was the point? The rest of the film followed suit. Sephiroth rising from the dead, Aerieth rising from the dead (multiple times), cloud rising from the dead. Nyah nyah, you cant kill us. The franchise is too successful, muahahahaha. All of that was basically the film masterbating over it's heritage, instead of celebrating it's roots as fan service tends to do.

[LunarWeaver]

I think we all understand you hate the movie at this point :O_O:

[jecht 567]

good but needs more action

[Halenite]

Except, I'm not arguing anything here.

Really? Looking back at the last few posts by you and Ishin, it would seem the both of you are arguing.

Yes, the story was focused on Cloud. It was meant to. But Cloud wasn't alone. I'm surprised you guys haven't added what the wolf was supposed to symbolize.