Advent Children won't mean anything to people unfamiliar with the Final Fantasy VII setting, confuses the casual viewer no end, but that's because it's essentially fan-service on steroids.

This is one of the movies you have to go with an open mind to it, because I admit: It ain't easy to fully understand. Following the events of verious games and putting them into a 101 minuted movie is not a very simple thing to do. For the works, the movie was incredible aas well as intense. The CGI was...oh, I'm so dazzled. There are no words for the quality this movie contains. It is and will always be the best Final Fantasy ever.… Expand

It even says iit is not a game, why the hell is this in the psp games section?

Oh, that's cool, evidently movies are filed under games in the PSP section of Metacritic. I mean, it's on a game console, and it comes on a disc, and the games on the game console also come on the same format of disc, so the only logical conclusion is that Advent Children is a game. I love playing as Cloud but I can't get him to do anything besides the same thing he does every single time during the first two hours of gameplay. It's like Final Fantasy XIII all over again! Wait, did I say first two hours of gameplay? I meant only two hours! This game is such a rip-off, it's so short, way shorter than any other Final Fantasy. I remember the original Final Fantasy VII had four discs (or was it twenty-seven?) and lasted at least three hours. For shame.… Expand

The movie is decent, but it really butchers the story of Final Fantasy 7 and has many things which upset me. I didn't want to list them here, since most people reading these reviews have not seen the movie, but if you're a Final Fantasy 7 fan this may not be worth watching. The visuals are great, but the story is hard to follow and many other things, but the revised version released in 2009 is much better (still not great though).… Expand

I have no problem admitting I'm a Final Fantasy fanboy. I adore this film. Great visuals, being based on FFVII it has great characters who's voice acting was superb. the action scenes are "cool" enough to be enjoyed by anybody and there are enough nods towards the original game, from the obvious (Tifas 'Victory' ringtone) to the more subtle (like the limit breaks within the film)

If you can't understand what is happening, then you can either try to pay more attention instead of playing on your phone through the entire damn movie, or maybe just go back to your wooden 'fit the hole' toys.

This film gave all the ups and downs you expect.

and Aeris....

what else do you need.… Expand

Perfect movie made for fans, its been 6 years since the release and still has the best animation made so far. If you don´t know the story you will probably don´t get most of it, but still its worth seeing for its animation.

This movie was AMAZING! if you listen and actually took athoghut about what was happening you would undersytand what is going on(Chris H. and Mike C.)! It had an awesome storyline, great characters good acting, unlike spirits within, (Chris H.) and I thought overall it was infact a good movie!

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was certainly entertaining, and that's where it gets its 5. If the fight scenes weren't so utterly ridiculous, i.e. Cloud's friends, throwing him futher and further in the sky, while in the air themselves, seemingly defying the laws of gravity with absolutely no reason as to how they can do this. This and other absurdities really let the movie down for me, otherwise the storyline was half decent, script/voice acting pretty good and there were a few laughs in there. Otherwise, poor form Square.… Expand

The Good: Amazing visuals -Exciting action -Does well in slightly extending the FF7 storyline without breaking the magic of it -Good music overall The Bad: -Writing leaves something to be desired -Most of the English voice actors are acceptable but others(Tifa, in particular) will make you cringe -Laws of physics are defied slightly too much to be believable(I realize it is an alternate reality, but still...)
-Sephiroth doesn't take over the world. ;)… Expand

I don't know whether I should be surprised or not by the huge hype this movie received since it's nothing more than pwetty fanservice for adolescent girls. I, myself, have not played the original game so I base my review on that. The movie was very flamboyant and CGI top-notch. But there was absolutely no coherent substance and no glittery sparkle can compensate for the lack of an actual plot.

Cloud x Sephiroth fangirls will probably find this movie very pleasing, but other than aesthetics - this movie offered nothing to me.… Expand

I have changed my mind after watching this movie many times and have decided to give this movie a ten because the atmosphere seemed very real. The weather and the tone of the movie were perfect. I think that the fight scenes are all O.K now but I still feel like they lack something. I love the script, music, character personalities and character voices for this movie. Clouds personality and Red XIII's voice was the best in the movie and barret had the best design improvement of all in my opinion. Ithought that the script for this movie was fantastic because I really enjoyed hearing all of the things that the characters had to say(especially cloud). I… Expand

First of all this review is here because i cant find this in the dvd or blu-ray sections of metacritic (it was released on these also) and the recently released advent children complete on blu-ray brings the score up a point.
Yes you have to have played the games to get the film, why does this offend people when it is clearly sold that way? you wouldnt watch an anime movie based on a series and complain you didnt have sufficient back story, so put those complaints aside and deal with the film itself.
It is by far one of the best cg films ever created, everything from marlenes explanation of the lifestream of the planet to tifas fight in the church feels exactly as it should be and for those of you with a bluray player and 15 pound to spend will fully appreciate the extended scenes in the complete edition, this film is a massive acheivement and while final fantasy 7 may not be my favourite final fantasy game it would be hard to create another cg film to rival this… Expand

The visual effects were amazing but it was a little lacking, the plot was confusing at least but it was great to see all of my favorite Final Fantasy characters on the screen again. I liked it.

The visual effets were outstanding yet the plot would be confusing for others who have not played the game but an amazing movie.

The 3D effect is amazing and outstanding. Luckily i have played the Final Fantasy game before so the plot is not too confusing. It is the best movie.....

A revisit to a world that Final Fantasy fans love, and it was worth the wait. Excellent voice dubbing, a stunning soundtrack, and a wonderful end to the story of Cloud and crew. This was the first movie I've ever gotten seriously worked up about, especially during the final fight scene. During that scene I couldn't help but have my mouth hang open. Insanely good movie, might be confusing for those who haven't played FFVII.… Expand

They went all out on this movie and I think it was awsome and the story line was brilliant.

Movies based off of video games are not only made for fans, but made for movie-goers and people who show interests as well. Advent Children is beauitfully done and it answers most of my questions about what happened after Final Fantasy VII. Like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, both were displayed beautifully and both had brilliant concepts. However, Advent Children had better direction, dialogue, good moments where folks would gasp for air hoping that Cloud would be the hero of the day. The only thing I have against this film... I wish it were longer.… Expand

This movie is freakin' sweet! Although I am not a rabid final fantasy fan I still highly enjoyed the plot, visual effects, and action in this movie. I give this game two thumbs up.

i love manga movies like this one cloud is really cool and esopaciaslly the end attle is really exciting.

Quite possibly the best game-to-movie translation I've ever seen. The movie includes all of the classic VII characters like Cloud, Yuffie, Sid, Red 9, Tifa, Vincent Valentine, and Garret. The movie looks like a lengthy game cinematic, but is presented like a movie. Overall the movie looks gorgeous and can be breathtaking at times. The movie climaxes with a terrific battle (which I won't spoil for those who haven't seen it yet) and it ends in a rather emotional way. Those of us who have or even haven't ever played FFVII will and can appreciate the flair and power this movie has and one will most likely want to see it again and again.… Expand

I could not understand a damn thing that was happening.

How could this film turn out so bad? I thought that Square would really put a lot into this film, but it has far more flaws than good things about it. The best thing I can say about this movie is that the CG is good and most of the action is as well. That's about it. Normally I love Nobuo Uematsu's music, but it's integrated into this movie at the most horrible times that it's very puzzling. And although the CG is good, it's not as smooth as other animated films like Shrek 2, The Incredibles, or even Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The action scenes are sometimes exciting, but sometimes the action is hindered by poor direction. The worst thing about this movie, however, is the script. The story and dialogue are terrible. I also wish they had put the other supporting characters in it earlier on rather than having them all in the final fight in very brief cameos. See it if you're a fan I guess, but if not just pass it up.… Expand

Terrible film - the other Final Fantasy film, Spirits Within, was excellent with a good plot and interesting characters. This was junk. Too many silly battles and no story.

Crazy movie 10/10.

Action Packed. Beautiful Artwork. Love the Continuation on the Story line. Amazing. In my Top Three movies of all time, should be in yours too.

Despite, or perhaps because of, my status as a great fan of the original Final Fantasy VII, I cannot bring myself to enjoy this movie. It took everything the original Final Fantasy VII plot was, then metaphorically ripped out its throat and threw glitter on it to make it pretty. I think it's fairly obvious that this follow-up was designed to be nothing more than two hours of flashy fan service, and if you haven't extensively played the original, don't even bother. Advent Children does nothing in terms of plot, music, characters, or story that makes it worth watching, instead relying on it's admittedly beautiful looks for enjoyment. Save yourself some money and just look up screenshots on the Internet if you want to get a feel for this one.… Expand

This is, in my opinion, one of the best 3D-rendered movie i've ever seen. Fantastic battles, interesting storyline and very realistic characters. Also music is great, Nobuo Uematsu really done good job. I think you should watch it, even if you see words "Final Fantasy" first time in your life. Beautiful show.

This movie is one of the reasons why I am no longer a big fan of final fantasy.what I hate the most about this movie were the fight scenes because the action was to fast and most of the time I coudn't understand what was was going on,it was very confusing,also the directing for the fight scenes could have been much more better.The music, voice acting and all scenes except for the fight scenes were all good though,it's what I would expect from people who mostly work on video games.The only parts of the movie that I really enjoyed was the fight scene with bahamut and the ending of the movie after the fight with sephiroth.… Expand

This movie was the Final Fantasy movie everyone was waiting for. Spirits Within was an ok movie but there just wasn't anything Final Fantasy about it really. It was more or so like Halo mixed with spiritual influence from various religions. This movie however had what fans wanted, and that was actual homage to the games. Or call it fan service if you want to. The game they picked wasn't the most perfect but is the most loved out of all the others. Many people complain about the fighting scenes saying that they are too fast, I was never lost in the action and ended up being the one to fill in others who were watching it. Also there was no reason for the storyline to expand very much due to the fact that everything was covered in the game. Even those who didn't have much of a character in the movie didn't need more screen time because the movie wasn't about them. The movie was mostly about Cloud and his inner demons which were the results of what he'd been through in the game. All in all this movie was great and has become one of the most watched in my DVD collection.… Expand

I thought the movie was fantastic. The only reason it drops a point is perhaps having a less-than-coherent plot (or maybe it was just the English translation). Maybe it wasn't the plot, though... Maybe it was the lack of explanation on certain things. By the way, Metacritic.com's description of the movie gets a 0 for getting the plot synopsis absolutely wrong. No one investigates geostigma; it becomes unraveled in the course of the film. The only ones trying to "strike back at the planet" are the villains, while the heroes logically try to protect it. Mention Sephiroth, dammit! The most awe-inspiring and fearsome villain of all time deserves to at least be mentioned.… Expand

The storyline? Heal yourself from a deadly desease TAKING A BATH. Really, i'm not joking. The graphics? Well, i guess they are cool, actually, altough way too much "emo". Everyone is either depressed or a clown. Music? Yeah, it's ok. Overall, this blows: only a fanboy could like it, everyone else will surely notice it's huge shortcomings.

It's script relies too heavily on the assumption you've played the games. (I did, but it was a while ago). Although, it was very well crafted. The editing, camera work, CGI, music, seam together, it's no doubt very well directed and made. Maybe my opinion will change if I play FF7 again.

This movie was designed for the people who have played the original game. To those who haven't played the original game, a lack of understanding for the original story line is understandable, and animosity towards the movie is acceptable. However, what isn't acceptable is the mere fact that one will judge and reduce the movie to what it isn't, by stating too much and stating what is untrue.

" Heal yourself from a deadly desease TAKING A BATH". - AlessioP.

One who has played the game will know that it's not a **** "bath". The only reason why Geostigma was able to be cured there was because that church in the slums of Midgar was the only place in Midgar that was flowing with Lifestream, which is also why flowers were only able to grow there, for those who remember the original game.

Such levels of animosity shows ignorance. Of course I'm not blaming people for not understanding it, but don't judge the movie when you don't have the full picture, go do a little **** research. The story did not offer anything new to the franchise, however, this is not **** Harry Potter, there was a plot to the movie, and to understand it, only those who have played the original game could see how the plot fitted in, the plot made sense. Given all this in mind, the plot wasn't fantastic, and you had to be a fan to really appreciate it. And even then, the plot kinda destroyed everything the game was going for. 4/10.

The music was a remastered version of the original game soundtrack, but it was remastered well. 9/10.

The graphics were amazing, that's all there needs to be said. From the fight scenes down to the level of detail in the cityscape, it's no surprise that this movie was "Final Fantasy". 9/10.

By the way, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within had no affiliation to the series "Final Fantasy". You would be a fool to think so. In summary: This movie is only aesthetically pleasing, but very aesthetically pleasing at that. Original players of the game will appreciate some of the "Finishing Touches" made to the film, but beyond that, the plot only serves as detrimental to the story. 7/10.… Expand