“Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” (2001 American/Japanese animated movie) review



I remember this movie sucking when I was a kid.  Fast forward over a decade to see if my thoughts have changed one bit.


In the distant future, Earth is being taken over by an alien life form called “phantoms”.  These phantoms are capable of killing human life upon physical contact and at the moment, there were no possible ways to defeat them due to the lack of technology and they are immune to mortal weapons.  Aki Ross and Dr. Sid, her mentor, are scientists looking for an alternative way to defeating their nemesis by infusing them with a rare special spirit that would negate their invincibility.

Another group, led overall by General Hein, suggests using brute strength and muscle to vanquish the evils.  It is a race to see which side can save humanity from Armageddon.


I liked that the creators of the Final Fantasy series worked on it which meant that they got a say in the final product.  It was a twist of Japanese and American style of animation.

I also liked that at the time it was used with computer animation instead of it being hand drawn like traditional cartoons.  The characters looked so real.


Seriously, this movie really did suck.  It had nothing to do with the entire Final Fantasy franchise.  As a fan of the series, I was hoping that at least there would be some reference to any of the previous games up to FFVII, but no, there wasn’t.  I watched this movie wondering “WTF, am I watching?” during the entire ordeal.  I felt it was a slap in the face to longtime supporters of the video game series especially it was made from the team that created the video game series.

I thought that I didn’t understand the movie as a kid when I watched it initially, so I watched it again as an adult.  There was the same result with me wondering, “WTF, am I watching?”  I literally wasted about four hours of my life that I’ll never get back.  I lost two hours as a kid, and two hours as an adult.


I watched this movie as a kid hoping that it was like the video game series with the swords, magic, and battles.  I was stuck with a world of disappointment.  I do have a hard time learning lessons.  I thought that I’d learn not to watch this movie ever again, but that was not the case as I watched it again just for this review.  I am writing this review in a state of depression that I saw this movie.  I guess the animation was a highlight.

Overall rating: 1.5/5

Reviewed by: Mr. Timtastic

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