FF7: Avent Children

[DevNall]

I liked this movie but it made me realise one thing. My computer sucks. I can't run Divx on my bronze age iMac. The player I use to play avis and Divx files couldn't display the subtitles. So my fiance and I sat there through the whole movie kinda filling in the blanks.

Did you try videolan client (VLC)? It can play a bazillion formats and is available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, .etc .etc. (And yes, it can show the subtitles too.)

[Wolfman_Samurai]

I'm running VLC. I don't know what happened. Oh well... I'm gonna borrow my dads laptop .

[Angelalex242]

I think I'll just wait till it comes out in theatres. Give me something to do instead of Holiday Shopping.

[Ardekh]

But yeah, If you don't have found memories of raceing your chocobo in the S ranks at Gold Saucer and feeling giddy when you unleashed Knights of the Round on an unsuspecting cactuar, you might not get as much joy out of this movie as my fiance and I did.

I actually do have those fond memories, except I was really young...but that doesn't make it any less my least favorite FF.

Oh, yeah my bad. But I've always loved Zack as well, so I'm glad he's getting some spotlight soon.

Zack? It really HAS been a long time! The name sounds familiar, but doesn't really ring a bell.

[DevNall]

I think I'll just wait till it comes out in theatres. Give me something to do instead of Holiday Shopping.

I think it's a straight to DVD release.

Zack? It really HAS been a long time! The name sounds familiar, but doesn't really ring a bell.

[spoiler]Black-haired guy, close friend of Cloud's, you see him in some of the later flashbacks. IIRC, a lot of Cloud's memories were actually Zack's.[/spoiler]

[Greensky]

Yeah, the Buster Sword (Cloud's huge sword) isn't actually originally his, it was Zack who weilded them, and it was Zack who gave Cloud the Buster Sword.
[spoiler] Actually... I think Cloud just took the sword after Zack was shot by Shinra Inc [/spoiler]

[Ardekh]

Ohh, I think I remember now. Kinda. A little. Not really.

I just remember some flashbacks with Cloud in some army...

I should really play this game again. But I don't really wanna invest all that time into it when I can be...drawing. Plus, it's VII. And I beat Sephiroth when I was eight, pretty easily. Actually, VII was the first game I ever played through myself.

[NallOne]

Yeah, the Buster Sword (Cloud's huge sword) isn't actually originally his, it was Zack who weilded them, and it was Zack who gave Cloud the Buster Sword.
[spoiler] Actually... I think Cloud just took the sword after Zack was shot by Shinra Inc [/spoiler]

[spoiler]He actually took it when he went to attack Sephiroth, after Sephiroth had already messed Zack up a bit. I don't seem to remember if Cloud kept it from then until during the truck ride to Midgar or not. It's possible Zack got it back and then Cloud claimed it again on the outskirts of Midgar.

Sadly, a lot of that was changed in Last Order. [/spoiler]

[Angelalex242]

Changed? Changed how?

[Greensky]

I hate when they mess with the original storyline!!! They did the same thing for Xenosaga: The Animation. They didn't change a lot, but a couple of well-know Xenosaga facts were completely switched around.

[NallOne]

Changed? Changed how?

[spoiler]A few things. Rather minor, but...

- In FF7, Sephiroth fell into the Lifestream by accident as a result of Cloud attacking him. In LO, Sephiroth willingly leaps into it with Jenova's head. I suppose they did this to tie it in more with AC, and make it seem like Sephiroth's plan all along way to cause Geostigma, etc.

- In FF7, Zack is killed on a mountain overlooking Midgar. (Seen in AC with Cloud's sword stabbed into the ground) In LO, they make it seem as though Zack dies on the truck itself - As they are about to be shot at and Zack covers Cloud to protect him. He may not have died there - It's hard to tell as the movie ends with Zack leaping on him.[/spoiler]

[DevNall]

I haven't seen either Last Order or the Xenosaga Animation. Are either worth checking out?

EDIT: Also...
[spoiler]Who is Denzel, he seemed important -- Did I miss something?

And what was with the Dog/Wolf at the end?[/spoiler]

[NallOne]

I haven't seen either Last Order or the Xenosaga Animation. Are either worth checking out?

EDIT: Also...
[spoiler]Who is Denzel, he seemed important -- Did I miss something?

And what was with the Dog/Wolf at the end?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Denzel is one of the many orphans in AC. He also appears to be living with Marlene, Tifa, and Cloud. A part of their 'family' that Tifa mentions. Besides that, he doesn't seem to have much of a point.

The Wolf shows up a few times in the movie, but I don't really get it's purpose. Most people seem to look at it as a representation of Cloud's "lone wolf" nature, but I couldn't say myself.[/spoiler]

As for your other questions. Last Order is worth checking out if you like Final Fantasy VII. Otherwise I'd pass on it as it is very short and somewhat difficult to follow if you aren't familiar for Final Fantasy VII.

I'd just pass on Xenosaga unless you are a diehard fan of the game. Even then you'll probably be disappointed. The animation itself is very low budget and many plot points are changed from how they appear in the game.

[Ozone]

Okay, three things. One, if you've lived in the dark for the past 7 years, or however long it has been since FF7 was released, you won't understand it at all. Anyway, I lied, that's all I could come up with for a negative. Granted the storyline isn't spectacular, but then again, I don't think it was meant to be. This came out a high-octane, beautifully animated piece of cinema, if you're expecting LotR, you're out of luck. The beginning moved a bit slow, but, man, when the action kicked in... it didn't stop. I loved it, not because it was brilliantly acted, or the story was awesome, but because of the fact that the action animation almost made me crap myself.

On a side note: When I took my film criticism classes, my teacher was amazing, but she always reminded us of one thing. Be able to turn off that critiquing view of a movie, and remain able to watch it for enjoyment. Yes, this movie has flaws, yes, the story is predictable and kind of weak, but it's not meant to be a piece of cinematic genius, it's meant to be a big bang action animated extravaganza, and it succeeds in spades in that department.

Oh yeah, Vincent is just freaking nasty in this movie.

[Greensky]

I loved Vincent in Advent Children. Just his presence alone brought a look of pure terror to Yazoo's eyes. Actually... it was a really odd look. Probably the oddest look in that movie. In fact I think he may have sneezed slightly for some odd reason right at that moment...

[NallOne]

I loved Vincent in Advent Children. Just his presence alone brought a look of pure terror to Yazoo's eyes. Actually... it was a really odd look. Probably the oddest look in that movie. In fact I think he may have sneezed slightly for some odd reason right at that moment...

Yes, Vincent was a highlight for me. That thing he did to rescue Cloud reminded me an awful lot of Spawn. The way his cape moved as though it had a mind of it's own. I can't wait until DoC comes out.