Poetry Spotlight: Jessica Wood
Prayer to Saint Anthony my dad sent a package to me that I never received. maybe it got…
A movie first in Final Fantasy
Imagine the Earth as a scorched wasteland. Picture a fraction of the human race surviving in enclosed domes built high upon the ruins of former great cities. Stir in a little science fiction and a pinch of sorcery and you’ve found the ideal blend for a fantasy movie. Now do the unthinkable — remove all the actors and any real locations.
Welcome to a universe created through the power of computer generated graphics. Welcome to the world of Final Fantasy. Hironobu Sakagushi, brainchild behind the popular video game series, picks up the reigns as director of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
In the year 2065, the Earth is in a post-apocalyptic state. A fierce alien race has ravaged the Earth and continues to slowly kill all living creatures through some supernatural means. Enter the heroine Dr. Aki Ross, voice provided by actor Ming Na Wen. Ross and her mentor, Dr. Sid, played by Donald Sutherland, scramble to find a way to eliminate the threat and allow life to prosper once again on Earth.
But Ross soon discovers a terrifying truth about the alien entities and her own relationship to the so-called alien “Phantoms.”
Aiding Ross in her quest is the Deep Eyes Squad, a military group helping her seek the key to the Earth’s salvation: the eight Spirit Waves. Lending their vocal talents to the Deep Eyes, is the renowned Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Steve Buscemi (Fargo), Ving Rhames and Alec Baldwin, who plays their leader, captain Gray Edwards. Also present is James Woods as the evil General Hein, a mad man whose stubbornness puts the life of the entire planet at risk.
And what movie would be complete without a musical score? The music, composed by Elliot Goldenthal (Batman Forever), is reminiscent of Capcom’s Resident Evil video game series, bearing that creepy and haunting overtone that fits quite well with the movie’s dismal atmosphere. Sadly, Nobuo Uematsu, composer for the Final Fantasy game series, is absent from the list of music credits, as is his unique style that has long been a favourite to so many fans.
FF:TSW is breathtaking and a refreshing change in movie genre. The characters are stunningly realistic and beautifully rendered in this $140-million Honolulu production. Dr. Sid stands out in particular, as simply staring at his age spots and wrinkles make you almost forget that he isn’t real. The characters move with amazing fluidity, and even express emotions quite convincingly.
Of course, this comes as no surprise, considering Square Pictures invested $40 million in a state-of-the-art graphics studio. According to Playstation Magazine, a total of 960 super charged CPU’s were used to render the graphics. Even with all the computing power, it would take up to 20 minutes to render a single frame of animation and then another 10 minutes simply to save it.
All in all, FF:TSW has something for everyone. Avid Final Fantasy fans will find the story bear some thematic similarities to Final Fantasy VII and even carry a hint of Chrono Trigger. Movie buffs unfamiliar with the franchise will discover a pleasant science fiction movie mixed with a little humour and a love story for good measure.
Welcome to a universe created through the power of computer generated graphics. Welcome to the world of Final Fantasy. Hironobu Sakagushi, brainchild behind the popular video game series, picks up the reigns as director of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
In the year 2065, the Earth is in a post-apocalyptic state. A fierce alien race has ravaged the Earth and continues to slowly kill all living creatures through some supernatural means. Enter the heroine Dr. Aki Ross, voice provided by actor Ming Na Wen. Ross and her mentor, Dr. Sid, played by Donald Sutherland, scramble to find a way to eliminate the threat and allow life to prosper once again on Earth.
But Ross soon discovers a terrifying truth about the alien entities and her own relationship to the so-called alien “Phantoms.”
Aiding Ross in her quest is the Deep Eyes Squad, a military group helping her seek the key to the Earth’s salvation: the eight Spirit Waves. Lending their vocal talents to the Deep Eyes, is the renowned Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Steve Buscemi (Fargo), Ving Rhames and Alec Baldwin, who plays their leader, captain Gray Edwards. Also present is James Woods as the evil General Hein, a mad man whose stubbornness puts the life of the entire planet at risk.
And what movie would be complete without a musical score? The music, composed by Elliot Goldenthal (Batman Forever), is reminiscent of Capcom’s Resident Evil video game series, bearing that creepy and haunting overtone that fits quite well with the movie’s dismal atmosphere. Sadly, Nobuo Uematsu, composer for the Final Fantasy game series, is absent from the list of music credits, as is his unique style that has long been a favourite to so many fans.
FF:TSW is breathtaking and a refreshing change in movie genre. The characters are stunningly realistic and beautifully rendered in this $140-million Honolulu production. Dr. Sid stands out in particular, as simply staring at his age spots and wrinkles make you almost forget that he isn’t real. The characters move with amazing fluidity, and even express emotions quite convincingly.
Of course, this comes as no surprise, considering Square Pictures invested $40 million in a state-of-the-art graphics studio. According to Playstation Magazine, a total of 960 super charged CPU’s were used to render the graphics. Even with all the computing power, it would take up to 20 minutes to render a single frame of animation and then another 10 minutes simply to save it.
All in all, FF:TSW has something for everyone. Avid Final Fantasy fans will find the story bear some thematic similarities to Final Fantasy VII and even carry a hint of Chrono Trigger. Movie buffs unfamiliar with the franchise will discover a pleasant science fiction movie mixed with a little humour and a love story for good measure.
