Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Name: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Fantasy
Released: July 11, 2001
Duration: 106 min
Rating: 49
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi

2001

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 142 Ratings

See All

6.2

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.2	Your Score
6.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 142 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Now Playing: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Movie Details & Credits

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: July 11, 2001 | PG-13

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi

Summary: Set on Earth in the year 2065, an invasion threatens to extinguish the remains of mankind and quite possibly every living creature on the planet. The fate of all life on Earth relies on one woman's determination. But time is running out. (Columbia Tristar)

Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi and Moto Sakakibara and Motonori Sakakibara

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Fantasy, Animation

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 106 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

New Times (L.A.) Luke Y. Thompson

Spectacular entertainment. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Unlike anything you've ever seen before, Final Fantasy is, finally, one for the history books, and tremendous fun to boot. It makes Lara Croft look like an old maid. Read full review

Steven Rea

Is Final Fantasy decent sci-fi? Yes, more than decent. Read full review

Michael Atkinson

The techies still can't manage to make two characters look convincingly into each other's eyes -- it's like watching Disney World animatronic figures do soap opera. Read full review

Sean Axmaker

For all the grace of the animation and visual splendor, the stilted script and emotionless "performances" give this digital artifact a distinctly stiff, wooden flavor. Read full review

Ken Fox

The movie exists only as a showcase for the animation technology known as hyperReal, a photo-realistic simulation of space, figure and movement that hopes to one day erase the line between animation and live action once and for all. Read full review

Stephen Hunter

As monotonous as Muzak, and when it comes to the plot, both bewildering and trite. Read full review

SEE ALL 28 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

MatthewG

Nov 11, 2008

Should of done very well, and could of change how we did film if it had done well. Very easy my favorites

1 of 3 users found this helpful

Chempion1

Apr 20, 2020

Фильм явно сделан не для фанатиков игр Final Fantasy. То есть, для таких как я!
Когда в 2002 году, я случайно взял этот, тогда ещё думал художественный фильм, в прокате, то даже не подозревал, что беру не кино, а чудо технологической мысли того времени.
Я играл в Final Fantasy толи на nes,Фильм явно сделан не для фанатиков игр Final Fantasy. То есть, для таких как я!
Когда в 2002 году, я случайно взял этот, тогда ещё думал художественный фильм, в прокате, то даже не подозревал, что беру не кино, а чудо технологической мысли того времени.
Я играл в Final Fantasy толи на nes, толи на чем то ещё. Это было давно и игра мне не понравилась, плюс ко всему она была на японском. Я про неё давно забыл.
"Последняя фантазия: Духи внутри" не имеет ничего общего с играми. Это редкий случай, когда фильму реально мешает название. Поэтому я оценивал его как самобытное произведение.
А как самобытное произведение, этот анимационный фильм, просто бесподобен.
Качество анимации для 2001 года просто запредельное. "Беовульф" так же показал бесподобную графику, но это было уже в 2007 году.
Сюжет захватывающий и не имеет, как это принято, счастливого конца. Что, опять таки, выделяет фильм из общей серой массы.
Герои мне так же очень понравились. За них хочется переживать, им сочуствуешь.
Единственное, чего не достаёт фильму, на мой взгляд, это более подробного описания того, что произошло с Землёй и героями во время самой катастрофы. А так же какой, никакой истории пришельцев. Короче, фильму очень нужен приквел! Хотя надежды на это никакой.
Ещё раз говорю, что оценивал этот анимационный фильм, как самостоятельное произведение и другим советую сделать то же!
Если кто пропустил или просто не видел ещё, советую даже сейчас. Фильм смотрится очень бодро. Только убедительная просьба, выбросите из головы все упоминания о Final Fantasy!!!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Rox22

Sep 15, 2013

The greatest criticism I will have to this movie is its name. Yes it was made by Squaresoft, but it is Final Fantasy in name only. It offers and deliver very little to give it any connection to the franchise. A few small nods here and there, but nothing substantial enough to make theThe greatest criticism I will have to this movie is its name. Yes it was made by Squaresoft, but it is Final Fantasy in name only. It offers and deliver very little to give it any connection to the franchise. A few small nods here and there, but nothing substantial enough to make the connection. This is likely why allot of fans really raged against the movie. I didn't rage, I was just a little disappointed.

That aside as a movie, on its own forgetting the name, it is beautiful. Considering the animation was done in 2001 it was utterly breathtaking and mind blowing. Character are great and the voice acting absolutely fantastic. Story was a little limp though. I felt there was too little focus on the main plot and more on the main characters. This constant sidetracking from the main plot really get a little boring and does ruin the pacing. Making the movie a little boring at times. But when the action kicks in, it really kicks in! In fact it kicks in far to quickly and is over before you know it.

Overall:
The Spirits Within (I ignore the FF part) is a decent enough movie that perhaps could have been longer, simply to add in more relevant plot points and perhaps cut down on the character development a little.

A great movie that you will love the first time you watch it, but can be a bit dull as a rerun.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

Kai82

Feb 21, 2021

Technically it was a masterpiece back then and there were even some people that thought that it could lead to actors becoming obsolete. Sadly it lacks in the story and character parts. Lets start at the beginning. The Final Fantasy franchise is a long running series of role playing games byTechnically it was a masterpiece back then and there were even some people that thought that it could lead to actors becoming obsolete. Sadly it lacks in the story and character parts. Lets start at the beginning. The Final Fantasy franchise is a long running series of role playing games by Square (later Square Enix). It is one of the most recognized and successful franchises in the industry with a loyal fanbase. So many people including me were hyped when a Final Fantasy movie was produced. The trailers and animation looked amazing. It was the first time that we got realistic animated human characters. It blow away the minds of many and the attention reached even people that never played videogames or have heard of Final Fantasy. It was a new milestone in animations and creating realistic characters. What we did not know back then was that this made the movie really expensive and it was a ton of work. We noted that the trailers did not look like it was related to any Final Fantasy game which was not strange as the games are no sequels of each other in this regard. They are set in different worlds with new characters and sometimes really different mechanics and ideas (There are of cause some staples and reoccurring themes). Then we watched the movie and it was a bit divisive. It is neither a masterpiece nor garbage. As fans we would say it is not Final Fantasy or to be more generous not Final Fantasy enough by far. It uses a few recognizable themes but is more like a post apocalyptic science fiction movie. Recently I read that they wanted to make something that is for everyone and does not rely on knowledge of the games. This is the kind of decision that seems good on paper but annoys the viewers. For fans of the games it is unrelateable and for others it is just a standard movie with some good or unique ideas. A perfect example for the middleground being the worst case. The story is set in the year 2065. Earth has been overrun by alien live forms that came to us via a meteorite. Humanity is nearly wiped out and hides in cities with shields as no human can survive on the outside. This is caused because the alien live forms called Phantoms have ghost like characteristics. They are invisible to the naked eye and physical matter is not effecting them like us or how it should. What makes them even more dangerous its that they can kill by touch and seek out lifeforms. However there are some strange or unfitting things like the Phantoms not using their advantages in a tactical way or seem not cooperating (They could have won and ended humanity long ago with ease even if slightly competent). The protagonist Aki Ross is on a mission that could change the status quo but has to be secretive about as there is more to it then it seems. I stop here with this basic set up. The story is actually good and has its moments. I think it is a fresh approach and a bit unique. I must also admit that it sounds better on paper and is not in the realm of the better stories in the genre. It uses themes from the Gaia theory that can be a bit confusing if you are unfamiliar with. Like already said technically this was a masterpiece of the era. Everything looked amazing and the movie itself set the new standards. It comes with a slight weakness in facial animations as the emotions are sometimes not transferred well enough. For the voice actors we got a dreamteam. For Aki Ross we have the great Ming-Na Wen who is now far more famous thanks to Agents of Shield and the Mandalorian. Then we have James Wood as general Hein who can be described as antagonist but I refuse to call him evil as I clearly see his motives and care for humanity. Alec Baldwin as Gray Edwards and Donald Sutherland as Dr. Sid are an amazing addition to the cast. I think they have chosen a great team. I don't remember much of the soundtrack so I wont rate it. For me the negatives are that it is not Final Fantasy enough, the character development is just decent and the story itself misses the last push or pushes to awesomeness. The ending while fitting is also a bit unsatisfying. For itself the reception was average except for the animations which were amazing. From box office standpoint it was a bomb and hurt Square Enix financially. Overall I would have rated this movie a bit higher but after a few years I came to the conclusion that being a fan of the franchise made me less critical. Still worth watching as it has it moments and set new technical standards. Far away from videogame movie adaptation garbage.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Broyax

May 24, 2017

Sans aucun doute le meilleur avatar de toute la série des Final Fantasy, car en passant d'un média à l'autre, elle s'est libérée -forcément !- de ses infâmes et insolvables problèmes de jouabilité et de "game design" complètement pourravenazes. L'adaptation s'est donc bien passée etSans aucun doute le meilleur avatar de toute la série des Final Fantasy, car en passant d'un média à l'autre, elle s'est libérée -forcément !- de ses infâmes et insolvables problèmes de jouabilité et de "game design" complètement pourravenazes. L'adaptation s'est donc bien passée et constitue esthétiquement (et techniquement) un ravissement pour les yeux.

En termes d'animation en images de synthèse, ce Final Fantasy est en effet toujours aussi beau et impressionnant, même aujourd'hui. En outre, on ne s'y ennuie pas une seconde (chose impossible sur les "jeux" débilitants de la série) et le film sait maintenir l'attention et la curiosité.

Car il est clair qu'il s'agit d'une "curiosité" et d'une histoire bizarroïde et bancale qui a retenu (hélas) les tics et les TOC (troubles obsessionnels compulsifs...) de la franchise vidéo-(pas)-ludique... On a donc là en vérité une fable écolo-bobo emballée dans de la poésie de supermarché, une fable d'une grande naïveté qui ne tient pas debout, puisque directement inspirée d'un folklore bouddho-shintoïste ou assimilé très gnangnan (sans parler du Greenpeace concentré en boîte !).

Le film reste donc beau et esthétique (le bleu contre le vilain orange...) mais se révèle beaucoup trop bêbête pour réellement espérer convaincre.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

EpicLadySponge

Apr 18, 2016

Once again another example of great video game franchises turning to be great movie franchises, but eventually fails to hit the bargain bag at any cost.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ArkonBlade

Oct 26, 2010

complete and utter crap. now im a fan of the FF games played them all but this doesnt resemble any thing to the game peroid . now i wasnt expecting them to remake one of the games in movie form but i was expecting them to capture the feel of the games like swords , magic , summong monsters ,complete and utter crap. now im a fan of the FF games played them all but this doesnt resemble any thing to the game peroid . now i wasnt expecting them to remake one of the games in movie form but i was expecting them to capture the feel of the games like swords , magic , summong monsters , with a interesting villian . well all that was tossed out in the crapper for some kind of millitary shooting at ghost aliens which was boring as hell. the voice acting was bad the story was terriable. the CGI did look nice but it was so coverd in all the **** that this film was . with in 10 minuites i was getting bored and i actaully walked out of the movie in the last 15 minuites it was that bad and ive never done that when seeing a movie at the theaters and ive sat through crap like judge dread , Aliens reserection , and last action hero . this film was so bad that when the good charicters where dieng i was happy because i knew i wouldnt have to see them again. this film is definitly on my top 10 list of worst films ive ever seen.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

SEE ALL 28 REVIEWS

38	#38 Most Discussed Movie of 2001
85	#85 Most Shared Movie of 2001