Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Metascore
49 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 28
  3. Negative: 6 out of 28
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  1. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Paul Malcolm
    30
    A soulless affair.
  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    30
    The lip movements of the animated figures are slightly slow, so you feel as if you're watching a badly dubbed Japanese creature feature from the 1960's. The dialogue is almost as stilted, and after a while you drift into that half-dream state that inert movies can create.
  3. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Ed Epstein
    30
    Although packaged as a movie, is in reality a clever 106-minute promo for Sony's PlayStation II games.
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  4. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Lisa Alspector
    30
    The thin story covering her acquisition of one wave after another while narrowly escaping death time and again is strictly for player one.
  5. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    20
    I never forgot for a minute that I was watching a cartoon, all the way down to the silly, pseudo-spiritual ending, an ending whose very incomprehensibility is actually one of the more endearing hallmarks of anime.
  6. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    20
    As monotonous as Muzak, and when it comes to the plot, both bewildering and trite.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 100 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 46
  3. Negative: 11 out of 46
  1. MatthewG
    10
    Should of done very well, and could of change how we did film if it had done well. Very easy my favorites
  2. ThomasN
    7
    This movie has a visual appeal, rarely seen in movies and a voice acting, i have never seen achieved in 3d animation before, the characters were more alive than i have ever seen before. true, the story was kinda weird but then again, i have seen worse story in many other movies. Definitely worth a watch.… Full Review »
  3. DavidT
    9
    When this movie came out there were a lot of people I knew that felt that because it was SquareSoft making it, it should have have a deep plot. Those that came in expecting a fairy tail were disappointed, but the only way for them to get such depth is with a series of films. I believe for a single film it had a believable environment, likable characters, goals that are usually traditional in SQ games, and a good antagonist. I personally feel they did a good job seeing as they are a game company.… Full Review »
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