AN HISTORIC MOMENT, A TELLING METAPHOR
Subject: Final_Fantasy
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2001
From: Paul
I have just returned from seeing Final Fantasy for the first time, here in Barcelona (and in Catalan!). And I must admit that, as Jase wrote below, I, too, left the theatre with very strange, mixed emotions.
First off, I loved the movie for all the reasons already cited. But beyond that, I feel it safe to say that the movie should be, and will be, regarded as a defining moment in cinematic history. Perhaps as important as the moment sound entered Hollywood and the "talkies" displaced so many silent-film stars... If I were Tom Cruise, I'd be seriously worried: the digital actors have arrived, and boy are they GOOD!
The mixed emotions come from the awareness that the movie represents an historic moment, as well as from my own attempts to understand the ramifications of it all. As Jase so correctly says in his post, these characters were not "acting" - they WERE in their reality.
And in closing, this visually rich film also led me to think about the fact that the existence of SIN on Planet Earth could be readily likened to the "infestation" of the phantoms portrayed in the movie. As we later see in the film, the Earth is finally "cleansed" and renewed (I won't reveal too much, don't worry!). This led me, as a Christian, to remember the promise of God in Revelation where He says "Behold, I make all things new" as He creates a new Heaven and a new Earth.
This "final cleansing" of SIN from the Planet is also possible due to a miraculous "cure", as in the movie: the shed and holy blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary. We need it more that ever: to cleanse ourselves and to renew the Planet. I appreciate this site immensely, by the way. Thank you David for your vision, and for all the interesting people who contribute to the forums! I hope you'll have room to post this message.
Paul Fleming
Barcelona, Spain
THOUGHTS ON THE FILM
Subject: Final_Fantasy
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001
From: Jase
A very interesting Film indeed. At first I was stunned to see the level of detail in the imagery, to the degree of reality to the Human characters. Then, for a couple of Days after my experience (I call it an experience, not a viewing) I was haunted by a feeling of melancholy and a deep inner pain that I still find hard to explain, or understand.
The core of this result is the fact that these characters in this Film, as realistic as they are, are completely fictitious, they simply do not exist. I know that most people have felt that sense of feeling very close to a fictitious character, a cartoon or such as a child. In this film, the people are so real, you find it difficult to accept that they do not exist, and are left with a feeling of loss inside.
There are a lot of things involved here, one is that this is the closest thing we have had to simulated Humans on screen, and so we dont have the usual separation of the Actor and the Character. You feel for the character in the Film, but you have the knowledge afterwards that it was a film and not reality. With Final Fantasy, the characters are in their reality, they are not Actors, even though they do have Human Actors providing the voices, you still don't get that psychological separation. This is the core of my melancholy and I would love to know if others have had the same after effects.
There is more I would like to say on this matter, even as a form of self analysis and therapy of sorts, as I slowly work out exactly what it is that disturbed me so much about this Film.
I did love the Film and in twenty minutes from now, I will be seeing it for a second time, which is why I must stop my writing and submit this collection of thoughts right now. Thanks, hope to be back soon.
Jase
THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS
Subject: Final_Fantasy
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001
From: Alex
"Gaia" is the Greek goddess of the earth. Director Sakaguchi's Gaia is not original at all; rather, it is clearly based on the Gaia Hypothesis, made popular by James Lovelock in The Ages of Gaia (published 1989).
"What is the hypothesis of Gaia? Stated simply, the idea is that we may have discovered a living being bigger, more ancient, and more complex than anything from our wildest dreams. That being, called Gaia, is the Earth. More precisely: that about one billion years after it's formation, our planet was occupied by a meta-life form which began an ongoing process of transforming this planet into its own substance. All the life forms of the planet are part of Gaia. In a way analogous to the myriad different cell colonies which make up our organs and bodies, the life forms of earth in their diversity coevolve and contribute interactively to produce and sustain the optimal conditions for the growth and prosperity not of themselves, but of the larger whole, Gaia. That the very makeup of the atmosphere, seas, and terrestrial crust is the result of radical interventions carried out by Gaia through the evolving diversity of living creatures."
(Quoted from erg.ucd.ie/arupa/references/gaia.html)
This Gaia Hyposthesis is not Hollywood fiction; there are many people who actually believe that Gaia is the nature of reality on earth. Sakaguchi's account of Gaia is a clever (and entertaining) way of introducing the concept in a more palatable way to the general public.
Read more on the Gaia Hypothesis at: http://www.magna.com.au/~prfbrown/gaia.html or http://www.sprl.umich.edu/GCL/paper_to_html/gaia.html
or find a zillion different references by searching for "Gaia Hypothesis" under any search engine.
MY THOUGHTS
Subject: Final Fantasy
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2001
From: Kevin Hooper
First things first, the movie carries a PG-13 rating, not PG as mentioned in the review under the cast listing. This is due to the violent nature of the film, as well as some profane phrases which were spackled into the script. Secondly, seeing as how none of the sequels of the game used any of their predecessors for back-story and were basically 9 (so far) mostly unrelated games, Brian's rant about the movie not being based on the games is rather a moot point. Thirdly, and possibly most important to the theme behind this site, is the fact that there is about a 99% chance that no pre-meditated Christian influence went into the screenplay for this movie. That does not say, however, that you cannot get something out of this movie that is relevant to our daily effort to walk with God. (This from a guy who once used Monty Python's "Dead parrot" skit for a group devotion). I am a huge fan of the games, and have noticed that, in all of the games, no matter how powerful the enemy, or how hopeless the situation, the Heroes always come out on top. Otherwise, how could you beat the game? Many times, the heroes cannot make it on their own, & have to put their faith in other things that were once strange to them, whether it is Espers, Gardian Forces, or whatever. Kind of familiar, don't you think? Many christians still cannot explain alot about their faith, & noone here on earth can ever know everything about God, yet we put our faith in Him, and through Him, we overcome obstacles that are much bigger than ourselves. Expect the same type of parrallel in the movie. Thank you for your time.
-Kevin Hooper
JUST THE BEGINNING
Subject: Final_Fantasy
Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001
From: ictnet
Is not easy to speak about a film not yet aired. But my feelings are that this fila, as 7th art, will be among the good ones. Because the acting, the script, the story, the sound? and not because the actors are computer generated. This will be the success for this film.
I?m really waiting to see it. The trailer is exciting and full of promises. I hope those promises will become true too.
FANTASY BECOMES REALITY
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001
From: Vincent
I can't believe it; my dream since 1987 is finally coming true - they're making the popular Square video game series, Final Fantasy, into a cinemagraphic full-length feature movie! From Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy IX, each game was a masterpiece set in it's own world. The script I am already assured will flow like water, just as all their other great story lines have! If you have already experienced one of the video games in this series, you know that the writers at Square KNOW what they're doing! I hope that this movie will be easily categorised as a groundbreaking new angle, for not only the graphics, but also for a well-thought-out story line.
BASED ON OTHER GAMES
Subject: Will the Fantasy Continue?
Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2000
From: Brian
This film has boundless potential, and I am eagerly awaiting it. The one thing that bothers me is that this film is in no way based on any of the many games, but I suppose Square knows what they are doing... Thank you.
SWEET MOVIE
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000
From: PHAT
i think final fantasy is goning to be a sweet movie.i have the games and they r good too.i can;t wait for it. please post my comment please thank you |
