Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

A scientist makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms.

Directors:

Hironobu Sakaguchi, Motonori Sakakibara (co-director)

Writers:

Hironobu Sakaguchi (story), Al Reinert

Stars:

Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Ming-Na Wen

3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ming-Na Wen	...	Doctor Aki Ross (voice) (as Ming-Na)
Alec Baldwin	...	Captain Gray Edwards (voice)
Ving Rhames	...	Ryan (voice)
Steve Buscemi	...	Neil (voice)
Peri Gilpin	...	Jane (voice)
Donald Sutherland	...	Dr. Sid (voice)
James Woods	...	General Hein (voice)
Keith David	...	Council Member #1 (voice)
Jean Simmons	...	Council Member #2 (voice)
Matt McKenzie	...	Major Elliot (voice)
John DeMita	...	BCR Soldier #1 / Space Station Technician #2 / Additional Voices (voice)
Matt Adler	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Steve Alterman	...	Additional Voices (voice)
David Arnott	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Cathy Cavadini	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Catherine Cavadini)

Storyline

In the year 2065, the next great assault against an invading race of phantom-like aliens is about to be launched. Dr. Aki Ross, a brilliant young scientist, races to find the invaders' secrets, not only to save the planet, but herself as well after her body is infected by alien particles. She teams up with the prestigious Deep Eyes military squadron, led by her old friend Grey Edwards. But as Aki, her mentor Dr. Sid, and Grey work toward a peaceful end, the scheming General Hein devises a plot to eradicate the aliens in one swift, destructive blow...even if it destroys the Earth right along with them.

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Plot Keywords:

based on video game | motion capture | profanity | weapons fire | scientist | 

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Taglines:

The land where dreams mix up with reality and love to bring you a beautiful epic.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence

Details

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gaia: Final Fantasy

Box Office

Budget:

$137,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,408,853, 15 July 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$32,131,830, 26 August 2001

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$85,131,830

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chris Lee Productions, Square Company, Square USA

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (Digital DTS Sound) Dolby SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes place in 2065.

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Goofs

Deep in the Gaia crater, Gray tries to fend off Phantoms, and shoots a group of them to his right. After a brief cut where he stops shooting, he's pointing the gun to his left.

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Quotes

Capt. Gray Edwards: I want you two back on the ship.
Neil: We're doing fine, Captain.
[Turns to see Jane fending off a horde of phantoms]
Neil: Jane is negotiating with extreme prejudice.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD comes complete with a series of six animated bloopers and goof-offs.

• Grey shoots through the hangar window, and then knocks himself out as his attempt to jump through it fails.
• The animators go a little too weird with the scene where Neil drives through the building with the others. After they crash, we can see that the animators have placed debris (pipes, tools, stop signs) through their heads, and yet they continue to act as if nothing has happened.
• In the Wasteland, Grey stumbles and accidentally shoots Aki. After realizing she's not moving, he nonchalantly sets his gun aside and starts running.
• Aki drives her spaceship into Grey during the shoot-out in the hangar.
• During the conference, Aki enters the room and smacks Sid upside the head.
• In the final scene where Aki is solemnly carrying a dead Grey out of the Crater, she happens to sneeze, which causes both her and the dead body to break out into laughter.

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Connections

Referenced in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix (2017)

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Soundtracks

Spirit Dreams Inside
Written by Hyde (as hyde)
English Translation by Lynne Hobday
Performed by L'Arc-en-Ciel (as L'Arc'en'Ciel)
Produced and Arranged by L'Arc-en-Ciel (as L'Arc'en'Ciel) and Hajime Okano
Courtesy of Ki/oon Records, a Group of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.

User Reviews

Good Film

I don't know why nearly all the critics bashed this film. I thought it was great! The main reasons people have dogged it is because they don't follow the plot and they don't think the animation looks real enough.

I did not have any problem following the plot. The second word in "Final Fantasy" is a description of the type of movie this is. It deals with the supernatural. The spirits, or "essences" of earth are gathered to fight the alien gaia, as the arms and weapons used against the alien spirits are ineffective and in fact destructive.

This movie introduced me to the concept of the gaia, which I believe is a great metaphor for understanding how all life on earth shares a common spirit. I don't truly believe there is a gaia, and you don't need to either to enjoy this film. But perhaps some found that this conflicted too much with their beliefs.

Now as far as the animation, this is the most realistic portrayal of human characters to date generated by a computer. If you watch some anime films, where there is a lot of action, they will show a frame for a long time with only the mouths moving. People enjoy these animations. Then why is this movie criticized so heavily for not looking real enough? It's rather ironic. You should watch this movie expecting an animation, not a full-feature film with real actors.

One explanation for this reaction is that, like figures in a wax museum, characters that look too real but are not creep us out because they remind us of dead people. But perhaps this is fitting for this movie, because the soul of the earth is sick and life on the planet is reaching its end.

In any case, I enjoyed this movie, and I liked the message. If you like animation and enjoy a good fantasy story, you will like this movie.