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FFVII Advent Children Complete, The Changes and Extras


FFVII Advent Children Complete, The Changes and Extras

FFVII:AC Complete is finally available complete with English dub but no subs.

Seems they've made quite a number of changes - Re-recording the audio tracks, remixing the music and making slight changes to directions and scenes. They've toned down the coolness of the movie and have expanded on covering subjects such as Geostigma to give the disease a more emotional impact whereas before, you would have to have read On the Way to a Smile to know what it was. It's also a lot gorey and violent now.

Also great watching the movie in HD resolution. The rays of lighting, dust, textures are much more pronounced. So here I'm going to run through the changes they made and what extra 30 minutes of new scenes they threw in. Note that it is by no means an exhaustive listing.

Needless to say, there are big spoilers that links to fairly much the whole FFVII series whether as a game, movie or animation so don't read on if you hate them.

FFVII:AC Complete

Right from the start of the movie, there's a new scene with Kadaj taking Rufus up to the building discussing why humans repeatedly destroy and create. Rufus responds they can't get a grip over their memories thus, this was how they overcame them.

In the Northern Crater, the shooting sounds are prolonged. I feel they kind of overdid it.

A little intro talk.

There's a better tour of Edge City so the viewer actually has a better idea of the kind of life people lead after the disaster. We get to watch a gruesome scene of a guy dying from Geostigma as all the black pus comes gushing out of his body. Good addition because it shows how deadly the disease is. Reminds me of Resident Evil actually, the scene.

Midgar Edge City

Addition of Tifa listening to a radio in 7th Heaven reporting about the Lifestream and Geostigma.

Cool radio.

Also a book and some Geostigma related photos on Cloud's desk about medicine which links to another new scene later. The bike fight that follows afterwards is extended and changed adding in more dynamics with Loz and Yazoo. I think it's better than the original.

Cloud's studying medicine.

Brief scene showing Denzel gazing at the photos of his parents before Cloud brought him to 7th Heaven... And a new reference to a chocobo!

Denzel photos and a chocobo!

The lodge has changed names from "Healin" to "Healen". There are also changes to the existing scene and script once Cloud is inside. Besides Rude returning into the room before being locked out, there's more explanation about Geostigma from Rufus and how he thinks it's Sephiroth's conscious in the Lifestream causing it.

The lodge is renamed.

A brief new scene showing the badly wounded Tseng and Elena as they are attacked by the materialising Kadaj and the other remnants.

Here comes the remnants.

Reno and Rude talking about their comrades until Kadaj and the others find them, streaming through the door. Like the part where the screen goes blank and Kadaj says menacingly, "I found you."

A little down time.

New scene that is actually from Case of Denzel, 1-4 which means anyone who missed the first story in the novella On the Way to a Smile will have a better idea of how Denzel came into Cloud and the other's lives so, another good addition here I think.

Case of Denzel.

More Geostigma coverage as the girl with the moogle gets knocked over and no one wants to help. Links in nicely with the gruesome scene near the start of the movie. I think her extra screen time in this version of the movie has something to do with the staff agreeing "She's so cute" commentary track from the Japanese LE DVD.

Cute girl loses her brother.

Extended flash back scene for Zack, part of it coming from the PSP's Crisis Core's ending. Makes me want to listen to the OST again... We then hear Sephiroth's voice too as Cloud comes back to the present, taunting Cloud about how he's just a doll pretending he's sad and angry.

Crisis Core ending.

Detail in the CG is more pronounced in the HD version. Notice all the dirt on the character's skin.

Such dirty scenes.

And they fixed the disappearing glove.

The gloves are fixed.

When Cloud passes out next to Tifa, they changed the music to "Anxious Heart" from the game instead of using the original "Water" track from the FFVII:AC OST. Quite nostalgic hearing the tune again.


A new scene showing the children being taken away. Looks like they re-used the backdrop from the PS2 Dirge of Cerberus cutscenes.

The backdrop looks familiar.

More explanation about Kadaj's plans when Loz brings back the Materia to the Forgotten City, revealing that he knew Rufus was hiding JENOVA somewhere and was going to use the children to find it. The original short scene felt pretty pointless.

Run Marlene!

We also actually see Vincent shooting from under his cape now when he rescues Cloud. I think I've seen this from Dirge of Cerberus too...

Here comes Vincent Valentine.

New scene showing Cloud dropping off Marlene and explaining why he left them, linking up with the added Geostigma photos and medical book in his room from earlier. He's been trying to find a cure and also bothered that he can't protect anyone but, now he's finally decided to be the one who will protect them back and everyone precious to him.

A little catching up.

It seems Nomura fairly much decided to make the movie more gruesome, throwing in more blood, bruises and dirt.

He's bleeding!

New scene showing Tifa holding Denzel's hand reassuringly when he is reminded of the Sector Seven collapse. She gets another fight scene too instead of staying passive while everyone battles it out with Bahamut in the background.

Tifa kicking ass again.

However, she gets blown away by an explosion while Denzel is surrounded by the Shadows. For that brief moment as Cloud speeds to the rescue, he remembers Zack and Aerith's sacrifices which I think helps build on the scene from earlier that he's finally made up his mind he wants to protect people instead of worrying whether he can or not. He manages to save them both just in time as we him maneuver his way through the falling debris with Tifa behind him.

Cloud's regrets.

New scene showing Denzel making his way back alone to 7th Heaven and gets a chance to kick some ass too, building on the whole theme that everyone's filled with hope and determination at this point of the movie.

Crowbar attack!

The literally big fight scene with Bahamut that follows afterwards where everyone is working together is kind of ruined because they added in a few too many extra shots of Barret shooting from afar. It just breaks the tension during that fight because you have to wonder if those bullets are actually doing anything...

Turks get some more action screen time and comic relief...


As they help out Cloud by trying to take Loz and Yazoo out in a helicopter. Just watch Loz

They never give up.

New scene where Sephiroth gets revenge. I like how they added that resonating sound effect to his Masamune as they fought.

Very familiar.

He gives Cloud a taste of Omnislash, the very limit break that was used to finish him off at the end of the FFVII game... Ouch. Then Zack appears from the Lifestream to give him some encouragement, reminding he must have the heart of a Soldier.

I actually find it stupid how the Japanese likes to portray their characters as almost immortal in their movies - Lots of bleeding, abuse, lethal hits but the characters just get back up as if they simply got a punch in the face.

I am invincible.

Now you don't have to wonder how the children gathered at the church. Quite a good joyous scene with all the phones ringing and everyone rushing out of their houses.

Lets hold hands.

And the movie ends with more tribute to Zack as Cloud moves his Buster Sword to the church.

The Buster Sword joins Aerith at the church.


All in all I think the additions and changes to the script was generally good, clarifying on many points of the plot which were too shallow unless you read the novella, "On the Way to a Smile" beforehand. Of course, some of the plot still requires you to have played the original game to understand what's going on such as Sephiroth's "resurrection".

I think it's worth picking this up again, even if you already own the DVD. The new direction makes the movie feel much more rounded compared to the over-coolness of the original.

With all the new music, you have to wonder if they'll release a "Complete" version of the OST later.

Why not take a break?



Captcha What is 1 + 2?


I've watched the movie around five times or so...I never noticed the disappearing gloves. LOL.



LHY Author

I never would have either if it wasn't for the Japanese thread I came across. It's only in the original DVD version though and very brief ^^;




Thanks for the commentary! I just saw this movie and I loved it! I didn't see the DVD version so I had no idea what changes were made. Thanks, too, for taking the time and effort to put up this site. You've done a great service to FF7 fans all over the world. Watching the movie and reading the content here take me waaaaay back to more than a decade ago when I first played this game. I found it fascinating then and I still do now. :-)



Xcomp Author

I'd have to watch through the movie again but I don't feel like doing that just now. The differences are listed in order and you should be able to tell where they fit in anyway ^^;




Hello, thank you for this. I was wondering if you could tell us where these clips are on the time line? like 01:34:00 etc... I have the original and have watched it probably 25 - 30 times and I just got the complete and I don't want to watch the whole thing again as I don't have a lot of time lately. If it's a problem then don't worry about I was just curious.




Thanks so much! Awesome commentary, I found this very helpful. ^-^




Oh my god... You moan because the movie isn't gore infested and now that it is, your all bitching. It's the same damn movie, a few more cuts and scenes added and abit more blood, if your gonna be wise asses about the thing why did you play it in the first place huh? You should expect this sort of stuff come on people sephiroth was flying around like jesus in the game and you wine because of a few little cuts Cloud's recieved in non-lethal areas? the only serious cut i saw was the one through his chest. Either watch it or don't, but don't sit here complaining over something like this. You watch movies everyday like this for example lethal weapon when Mel Gibson get's shot to hell he's still getting his ass up. get a freaking life...




All you people do... is complaint... :(

The comments its for the purpose good... and FOR THE FANS (REAL FANS)...




"oh and please dont send me P#@$ off letters because of what i write"

I'm sending you a piss off letter because of HOW you write. Learn to type, God damn it!

Although, your overall complaint IS simply moronic. Wutai WAS designed after Japan, NOT China, & Tifa--& ONLY Tifa--looks more Japanese now, not that it really matters.

Now, on to other stuff that annoys me:

Sephiroth does not use "octaslash" or "omnislash." I wish fans would stop going, "actually, he does this," because they're wrong. It's an unnamed stabbing move, & it's not even implied to be a Limit Break--note the absence of the aura.

In Crisis Core, Sephiroth's version of "Octaslash" was a few slashes (which were blocked), & a final slash move, where he lands on the ground. That move is joked to be called "octastab," because it IS similar, & it DOES have 8 hits, but it's just a random stabbing move. Sheesh.

Final complaint (I swear): The complaint about near-immortality is out-of-place. Really, if you can accept the moves they do, you have to accept that they wouldn't be killed by the same shit normal humans would be killed by.

But that's not even why the complaint is out-of-place. It's put on the scene where Sephiroth stabs Cloud a bunch of times. In that scene, Sephiroth made it a point to stab Cloud in non-vital--but very painful--areas. Namely, the shoulder, the legs, and ONE stab through his foot & out his knee that scraped his face.

Granted, there is smashing him back down on the concrete, but personally, I'm not really sure that constitutes a lethal fall even in THIS reality. Either way, I don't think that's any worse than the shit that happens in your average American action movie.

That said, Cloud's jumping & sword bug me more than anything else in the movie.




Eh im still kinda pissed that event children was taking away to feel of European decent....Squarsoft intended when they made ff7 for ps1 to be more like america europe then japan Cloud..blonde hair and in ff7 in the part in kalm when it goes back to the past his mom aswell has blonde hair
at some point in FF7 i think it shows clouds eyes being blue...notsur and most of the characters in this game Varrier from alot of places japan not being one of them i really felt that they tried to make most of the characters look Japanese tiffa out of every one looks japanese and barret.....i dont even know if thats the same barret they screwed him over...Vincent seems more secluded and Even they tried to mka eyuffie who is clearly chinese look more Japanese and red x barley gets to talk he say Grr at some point iv read Dezel smile and all the cases http://xcomprandomness.co.uk/ff7novels/ incase you wanna check up on them and it seems some pretty twisted stuff goes on just saying as an avid FF fan i hope they make more games that include most of the characters Dirge of Cerberus kinda sucked only played it for the story Crisis core erm....I know zacks cool n all but hes dead,,,,no offence
and sephiroth is he trully ever going to come back and stay alive all he did was borrow Kukadj's body not that hot and thats all i gatta say But really even if theres no Violence they should update ff Frequently i think they are saving 14 Slot just for that reason lol Final Fantasy X2=14! because they are coming out with final fantasy 13 and then versus and versus and 13 are completley different but they both have 13 in front of them btw those games are cool aswell bye! oh and please dont send me P#@$ off letters because of what i write



Licorice allsorts

ACC is not exactly like a different movie, but it is such a major improvement on the original- and this is coming from someone who was blown away by the original. I went and bought a blu-ray player specially for this. The problem is, all other movies look bland now. As well as all the additions, some more dialogue was added, and the whole thing now makes sense even to nubes. Being a Turk fan I loved all the additional Shinra footage; it is always a pleasure to see Tseng. I remember that in the commentary on the original Nomura said they left out the blood "so that nice children could watch it", a phrase which has never ceased to delight me. But the blood and dirt is a great improvement. To be honest it could have been four hours long and I would have watched it and still wished it was longer.
I still haven't worked out exactly why Rufus and Kadaj end up on top of that building. They seem to be getting along quite well, don't they?
But Vincent's shoes are stupid. They are clown shoes. They ruin his otherwise epic coolness.




And is it just me, or did they add the original Omnislash to the fight. In AC Cloud gets thrown against the wall and stabbed through the shoulder, then proceeds to use Omnislash .5 (which is a lame version if you ask me.) But in this he flies through the wall, and then seemingly attempts to use the original Ominslash(which is promptly blocked, leading to Cloud being stabbed through the stomach.) I guess having been defeated by it before Sephiroth was ready to block it. I'm actually quite sure that's what was intended by that scene, because alot of people were mad that they crapped on Omnislash in the original.



Xcomp Author

Really? I never paid attention to the skill names in the game and just played through it enjoying the presentation and story ^^;

Thanks for the correction!




Actually, Sephiroth does 'Octislash' on Cloud, not Omnislash. It's one of his moves in Crisis Core.



Xcomp Author

I might... If it's different enough. Hope I don't end up buying a second copy of the OST too.




I'm sure you'll be covering the complete ost review should it come out heh!

I don't really want to buy this..again, I've bought it twice already... But maybe if I ever get a ps3 for blue ray player ahaha