Movie Membership: Remaining Fantasy VII: Introduction Kids Full

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There are nice video games after which there are legendary video games, and Remaining Fantasy VII (FFVII) has greater than earned its place as one of many latter. Hailed for its writing — together with its use of the unreliable narrator and explorations of PTSD — together with its graphics, excellent soundtrack, and plot, it’s extensively thought-about one of many biggest video games of all time. And whereas growth initially started on the Tremendous Nintendo Leisure System, that fairly famously didn’t work out for Nintendo in the long run.

It might take 22 years for Sq. (or slightly, Sq. Enix) to carry FFVII to a Nintendo console, with the 2019 launch of the sport on Nintendo Change. That was adopted by Disaster Core: Remaining Fantasy VII Reunion on Change in 2022.

Nonetheless, in 2005, Sq. Enix launched a very console-agnostic FFVII expertise that might go on to affect the world and continuity of FFVII in actually important methods: the animated movie, Remaining Fantasy VII: Introduction Kids. I turned 15 in 2005 and hadn’t but performed FFVII, however I used to be conscious of it and thought the solid of characters was actually cool, Cloud and Vincent specifically. So regardless of realizing actually nothing in regards to the sport, I made a decision to look at it as a result of, in my teenage mind, the cool issue of the characters was all that basically mattered and I used to be fairly positive I may fill within the blanks within the plot as I watched.

One of many greatest criticisms of Introduction Kids is that its plot is complicated, even for individuals who’ve performed the sport. I gained’t lie and fake like I adopted the plot simply after my first viewing. Or my second. It undoubtedly took a handful of views. It took lots of people a handful of views, so in 2009, a director’s minimize of the movie was launched: Remaining Fantasy VII: Introduction Kids Full. With 26 minutes of further footage, it undoubtedly clarifies a lot of the formerly-muddy particulars of the unique movie, however I’d by no means bothered to sit down down and watch it. However to advertise the discharge of Remaining Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Sq. Enix re-released Full in choose theaters for under two nights earlier this month (one evening for the sub, one evening for the dub). I went to the exhibiting of the dub, desirous to see it in on the large display for the primary time and to lastly clear up the plot’s confusion.

Synopsis

The setting, in short:

Two years after the occasions of FFVII, the survivors of the destruction of Midgar have shaped a brand new metropolis referred to as Edge.
Cloud and Tifa run a courier service and dwell with Barret’s adopted daughter, Marlene, and an orphaned boy named Denzel.
Cloud, grief-stricken over what he considers a private failure to save lots of Aerith, ostracizes himself from his household and buddies, taking refuge within the stays of Aerith’s church.
The residents of Edge are bothered by an sickness going round that they’re calling Geostigma. There isn’t a recognized remedy.

Rufus Shinra, former president of Shinra Electrical Energy Firm who was presumed lifeless, reveals he’s very a lot alive and requests Cloud’s assist in defeating a trio of Sephiroth lookalikes named Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz. They’re the bodily manifestation of the vestiges of Sephiroth’s spirit, and are trying to find the stays of Jenova to be able to resurrect Sephiroth. The Turks first encountered the group on the Northern Cave, the place they had been additionally trying to find Jenova’s stays and had been attacked. Rufus suspects that there’s a hyperlink between Geostigma and Jenova, which is why he despatched The Turks to retrieve the stays.

Cloud, who’s already had a violent run-in with the group (who name him “brother”) after they ambushed him on the highway, appears mildly involved and presumably keen to assist Rufus, till Reno makes the error of claiming they might rebuild Shinra collectively. Cloud leaves, tired of getting concerned.

Shortly afterwards, Kadaj tracks down the place Rufus, Reno, and Impolite are staying, subdues Reno and Impolite, and makes an attempt to intimidate Rufus into admitting that he and the Turks have Jenova’s stays. Rufus insists they don’t, and Kadaj reveals Tseng and Elena’s blood-covered IDs, suggesting he could have killed them within the assault — one other try at attempting to unnerve Rufus. He then abducts Rufus, however not earlier than revealing that he and his brothers plan on having a “Reunion” to resurrect Sephiroth.

In the meantime, Loz and Yazoo are rounding up youngsters contaminated with Geostigma, taking them to the Forgotten Metropolis to conduct the Reunion. They’re telling the youngsters that they’ve a remedy to be able to persuade them to depart with them. Tifa and Marlene go to Aerith’s church looking for Cloud and, whereas they don’t discover him there, they discover his crate of Materia and previous, stained bandages that reveal he has Geostigma. Loz occurs upon them and, after defeating Tifa in a combat, takes Marlene and the Materia. Denzel, additionally contaminated with Geostigma, will get talked into going with Loz and Yazoo by the opposite neighborhood youngsters who’re contaminated and determined for a remedy.

Cloud returns to the church and finds Tifa there, barely acutely aware. As she tells him what occurred, he has a spasm brought on by Geostigma that causes him to go out. They’re discovered by Reno and Impolite and brought again to Tifa and Cloud’s bar; after they wake, Reno and Impolite inform them that Loz and Yazoo took the youngsters, however Cloud makes an attempt to distance himself from the state of affairs, telling Reno and Impolite to go rescue them. Tifa, angered by Cloud’s fixed evasion and disappearing for lengthy stints at a time, snaps at him, and Reno tells him to get the youngsters himself.

On the Forgotten Metropolis, Kadaj infects its waters and instructs the youngsters to drink them, who immediately develop into his puppets. Cloud rides his bike to the Forgotten Metropolis and fights the trio, however barely survives due to the sudden look of Vincent, who takes him to security. Vincent, who’s been spying on the trio, says that Tseng and Elena had been dropped at town half-dead after being brutally tortured by Kadaj and his brothers. He did what he may to save lots of them, however their destiny is unknown. Marlene manages to flee and finds Vincent and Cloud, begging Cloud to take her again to Tifa. Once more, Cloud makes an attempt to distance himself and asks Vincent to take her; this angers Marlene, who accuses Cloud of by no means being attentive to her, Tifa, and Denzel. Cloud asks Vincent if sins are ever forgiven, however Vincent says he’s by no means tried — so Cloud vows to attempt, leaving for Edge with Marlene.

It’s chaos again in Edge, the place Kadaj summons Bahamut SIN to destroy a monument throughout the metropolis that he believes could also be hiding Jenova’s stays, whereas Rufus appears to be like on, captive. After failing to search out something, Bahamut begins operating rampant and the members of AVALANCHE and their buddies seem to cease it. Cloud, lastly freed from the guilt that’s consumed him, takes out Bahamut with the assistance of his buddies. Rufus then makes the grand disclose to Kadaj that he’s had Jenova’s stays in a field all alongside, then throws it over the facet of the constructing they’re on the high of. He and Kadaj dive after it, and Rufus shoots it, damaging the field. He’s saved simply in time by Tseng and Elena. Cloud, Kadaj and his brothers, Reno, and Impolite then have a combat in a freeway tunnel; Reno and Impolite blow up the tunnel with Loz and Yazoo in it, leaving Cloud to pursue Kadaj.

Kadaj makes an attempt to cover in Aerith’s church, however her spirit summons a deluge of Lifestream-infused water from her flowerbed, which heals Cloud’s Geostigma. Fleeing to the stays of the Shinra Constructing, Cloud fights and defeats Kadaj, who then absorbs Jenova’s stays and transforms into Sephiroth. After a brutal combat, Cloud triumphs over Sephiroth, who reverts again to Kadaj, who then dies and returns to the Lifestream. Out of the blue, Loz and Yazoo, brimming with Materia and barely alive, seem and shoot Cloud by way of the chest; Cloud, enraged, assaults them, and all three are engulfed by an enormous explosion.

Cloud is introduced again to life by the spirits of Aerith and Zack. He wakes within the pool of water at Aerith’s church, surrounded by the kids who’ve already soaked themselves to remedy their Geostigma. Denzel is the final, so Cloud lowers him into the pool. As the group cheers, Cloud sees the ghosts of Aerith and Zack within the church doorway, who wave and smile, reminding him issues might be alright. Cloud lastly acknowledges that he’s not alone and doesn’t must push his household away.

Total Ideas

Visually, Introduction Kids was forward of its time and nonetheless appears to be like nice right now 19 years later. Full reanimated various completely different scenes to accommodate for the inclusion of a lot extra story element, however the brand new animations don’t look pretty much as good to me as the unique. The brand new animations are somewhat too crisp and sharp, and in addition somewhat too brilliant in comparison with the washed out, muted colours and textures of the unique movie. When you by no means watch the unique and solely watch Full, you’ll probably be unable to acknowledge new versus previous footage. When you’ve seen the unique as many instances as I’ve, you’ll discover the distinction simply.

Full is meant to be a grittier, extra violent film. Scenes the place there was previously no blood now have blood spatter, characters have extra battle injury, and the combat with Sephiroth has been edited to incorporate him impaling and lifting Cloud into the air as an homage to that scene within the sport. I assumed that was fairly cool and made the fights really feel extra practical.

Many of the 26 minutes of added content material is far welcomed, because it does main work in clearing up fuzzy or straight up complicated moments within the authentic. Different content material was pointless, like together with Denzel’s backstory (I completely don’t care about Denzel) or added scenes involving the random youngsters within the neighborhood who’re contaminated with Geostigma. The scenes the place the results of Geostigma had been revealed, together with the sudden excretion of black thriller goo from the physique, had been creepy however helpful at truly making Geostigma look like one thing extra than simply “random sickness we got here up with however don’t do something to reveal.” It was additionally good to see Cloud have a second with Zack, serving to encourage him in his dire second of want.

By the point the workforce received round to engaged on Full, the kid voice actors for Denzel and Marlene had gotten too previous to rerecord their strains and needed to be recast. Once more, should you’ve seen the unique, the distinction is noticeable and sure strains don’t hit the identical method as they did within the authentic.

When the unique film launched, one reviewer referred to as the film “soulless” and “impenetrable,” and complained that anybody who didn’t play FFVII wouldn’t have the ability to comply with the film. At 15 years previous, I used to be in a position to comply with the film effectively sufficient the primary time I watched and higher with every subsequent viewing regardless of by no means having performed the sport. Since watching Full, I used to be in a position to verify that the issues I’d deduced or assumed had been roughly appropriate, and the couple of issues that also remained murky received cleared up. So I disagree that the film is “impenetrable” with out enjoying the sport, however on the similar time I’m undecided why you’d go right into a film marketed as going down after the occasions of a sport and never assume some backstory might be unclear to individuals who haven’t performed it.

“Soulless” can be extremely unfair. The scene the place Kadaj hears Aerith calling to him as he’s dying, telling him he can let go and doesn’t want to carry on any longer, at all times hits me type of onerous. It makes me consider how they are saying that many individuals see or hear family members lengthy gone after they’re dying, beckoning them to “come residence.” And Cloud’s moments with Aerith and Zack are tender and heart-wrenching, significantly as they inform him it’s not his time to go earlier than resurrecting him, and waving to him a ultimate time earlier than fading out the door of the church. Even earlier than I performed FFVII, these moments had been actually highly effective. Having performed it now, I discover it very onerous to know the usage of the phrase “soulless” to explain this film.

Wrapping It Up

Introduction Kids is an entertaining movie primarily based on one of the crucial beloved video games of all time, however it’s removed from excellent, even in its Full state. Nonetheless, should you go in principally for the FFVII fan service and an open thoughts, there’s rather a lot to love about this film and it’s enjoyable to look at. The combat scenes are nice, it’s cool seeing the characters combat in methods the unique sport may by no means depict, and seeing former enemies unite to cease the return of the largest menace to humanity may be very cool. Not like so many antagonists in media today, Sephiroth is allowed to be evil with out attempting to justify his actions or make him appear sympathetic in a roundabout way. He’s simply nuts, and that mixed along with his energy make him terrifying.

I’d suggest watching each variations of Introduction Kids, however should you’re going to look at only one, make it Full. Whereas not all the further footage was obligatory, a lot of it was genuinely useful in clearing issues up and making the story simpler to comply with.

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