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:

Prepare to embark on an epic adventure.

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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

This is Alec Baldwin and Steve Buscemi's First Animated film together, their next would later be The Boss Baby (2017) 16 years later.

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Goofs

After Aki removes the phantom particles from Gray, she picks up a canister that's hovering in the air, when she originally placed it on the table further away.

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Quotes

Neil: Looks like you've gained some weight.
Jane Proudfoot: It's called upper body strength Neil. Get a girlfriend.
Neil: I'm working on it.

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Alternate Versions

Disc 2 of the DVD release opens with a specially-shot faux "behind the scenes" sequence in which Aki finishes acting a scene from the movie, then walks past the camera and talks to the director. Characters from the movie can be seen mingling with the live-action creators in the background. The alternate opening sequence on DVD uses a different version of Aki than seen in the final movie. The DVD has a special feature in which Aki's dream sequences are edited together into a mini-movie.

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Connections

Referenced in Life Is Strange (2015)

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Soundtracks

The Dream Within
Written by Elliot Goldenthal and Richard Rudolph (as Richard Rudolph)
Produced by Elliot Goldenthal and Matthias Gohl (as Teese Gohl)
Performed by Lara Fabian
Courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

Underrated

First of all,I would like to point out,that I haven't played any of the "Final Fantasy" games,so I don't know how much this movie follows them.On it's own however the movie is very well made and it's much,much better than a lot of other video game based films like "Street Fighter" or "Super Mario Brothers".

A lot of people complain that the characters are less-then-riveting.In my opinion,that is not the case.I mean,Captain Edwards' squad members were kinda flat,but the other characters were alright.Our protagonist- Aki was very well developed.At first glance General Hein seemed like a stereotypical bad guy,but we get an explanation as to why he is taking such radical measures.

Again,I don't know if the plot has anything to do with the video games,but it was,in opinion,very original and well thought-out.Some may think it's your cliché "aliens have taken over the world and the survivors must fight back with what little they have" plot,but that is not the case.The movie has both fantasy elements(the "spirits")and sci- fi elements(the technology).Sure,you have seen that in other movies,like the force in "Star Wars" and so on,but the idea they went with here is completely different.

"Final Fantasy:The Spirits Within" is most famous for it's animation-and I can see why.This is the first movie to actually use CGI to create genuine looking human beings.It's still good,even by today's standards.The visuals and music work together to create some very amazing and powerful scenes,especially in the ending.

"Final Fantasy:The Spirits Within" is a truly amazing movie.I strongly recommend it.