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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

  • 20012001
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
83K
YOUR RATING
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Theatrical Trailer from Columbia Tristar
Play trailer2:14
2 Videos
99+ Photos
AnimationActionAdventure
A scientist makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms.A scientist makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms.A scientist makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
83K
YOUR RATING
    • Hironobu Sakaguchi
    • Motonori Sakakibara(co-director)
  • Writers
    • Hironobu Sakaguchi(story)
    • Al Reinert
    • Jeff Vintar
  • Stars
    • Alec Baldwin(voice)
    • Steve Buscemi(voice)
    • Ming-Na Wen(voice)
    • Hironobu Sakaguchi
    • Motonori Sakakibara(co-director)
  • Writers
    • Hironobu Sakaguchi(story)
    • Al Reinert
    • Jeff Vintar
  • Stars
    • Alec Baldwin(voice)
    • Steve Buscemi(voice)
    • Ming-Na Wen(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 799User reviews
    • 91Critic reviews
    • 49Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
    Trailer 2:14
    Watch Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
    Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
    Trailer 2:04
    Watch Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

    Photos195

    Ming-Na Wen in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Ming-Na Wen in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Peri Gilpin in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Ming-Na Wen in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Ming-Na Wen in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Steve Buscemi, Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames, Ming-Na Wen, and Peri Gilpin in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Alec Baldwin, Ming-Na Wen, and Peri Gilpin in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Steve Buscemi, Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames, Ming-Na Wen, and Peri Gilpin in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Hironobu Sakaguchi in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Ming-Na Wen in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Ming-Na Wen in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, and Ming-Na Wen in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Alec Baldwin
    Alec Baldwin
    • Captain Gray Edwards
    • (voice)
    Steve Buscemi
    Steve Buscemi
    • Neil
    • (voice)
    Ming-Na Wen
    Ming-Na Wen
    • Doctor Aki Ross
    • (voice)
    • (as Ming-Na)
    Ving Rhames
    Ving Rhames
    • Ryan
    • (voice)
    Peri Gilpin
    Peri Gilpin
    • Jane
    • (voice)
    Donald Sutherland
    Donald Sutherland
    • Dr. Sid
    • (voice)
    James Woods
    James Woods
    • General Hein
    • (voice)
    Keith David
    Keith David
    • Council Member #1
    • (voice)
    Jean Simmons
    Jean Simmons
    • Council Member #2
    • (voice)
    Matt McKenzie
    Matt McKenzie
    • Major Elliot
    • (voice)
    John DeMita
    John DeMita
    • BCR Soldier #1
    • (voice)
    • …
    Matt Adler
    Matt Adler
    • Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    Steve Alterman
    Steve Alterman
    • Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    David Arnott
    • Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    Cathy Cavadini
    Cathy Cavadini
    • Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    • (as Catherine Cavadini)
    Lanei Chapman
    Lanei Chapman
    • Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    Vicki Davis
    Vicki Davis
    • Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    Judi M. Durand
    • Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    • (as Judi Durand)
      • Hironobu Sakaguchi
      • Motonori Sakakibara(co-director)
    • Writers
      • Hironobu Sakaguchi(story)
      • Al Reinert
      • Jeff Vintar
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first computer-generated animated motion picture with photo-realistic characters.
    • Goofs
      In the beginning of the movie when the protagonist is logging her dream the date info for the it is 12.13.01 when in fact it's supposed to be 12.13.65.
    • Quotes

      Aki: With the hope of new life has Gaia changed the phantom within.

    • Alternate versions
      Reportedly, in the work print, right before Gray dies, Aki tells him that he must not die because she is pregnant with his child. The audience at preview screenings hated this plot point so much that it was out for the thatrical release.
    • Connections
      Edited into Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: Aki's Dream (2001)
    • 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 reviews799

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Eye Candy But Nothing More
    For a movie based on a video game, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was very good. Next to such atrocities as Tomb Raider and Street Fighter, it positively shines, and when compared to the complete gibberish known as the Super Mario Bros. Movie...

    Having said that, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within could have been A Lot Better.

    If you paid attention to the Final Fantasy games, to any of the hype surrounding the movie, or to the CGI industry in general, you already know the computer animation for this movie is far-and-away the best ever done. Back when Square first started producing the movie in 1998, they were progressing at a rate of about one second of film PER DAY, because of the immense quality of the graphics, and none of that quality was lost as technology caught up and time passed. The backdops are jaw-dropping and the CGI actors look more real than some actual actors. Really simply, Square declared itself the current king of CGI animation. Pixar, Dreamworks, move over--the studio that cut its teeth on PlayStation games is in the house.

    Unfortunately, having been a fan of the Final Fantasy games since it first sprouted on the original Nintendo, I'm a little jaded towards visual grandeur. And when you take that away, there isn't much left.

    The plot is pretty standard--Earth is a wasteland; most of Terra's population has been wiped out by the unexpected invasion of mostly-invisible aliens called Phantoms. The remaining Earthlings struggle to survive. Aki Ross (the main character) and Dr. Cid (there's been a character named Cid in EVERY Final Fantasy production since 1991) have isolated eight Earthborn Spirits--not ghosts, but tangible lifeforms; one of them is a plant, and don't ask me how the plant has a spirit--that, if combined, can wipe the Phantoms off the planet entirely. With the help of Captain Grey Edwards and his crack band of soldiers, the Deep Eyes (Final Fantasy also has a knack for weird names--I mean, who came up with 'Premium Heart'?), Aki sets off to find, capture and use those eight Spirits. And then finally there's General Hein, a megalomaniac fellow who's just trying to blow everything up using a a very large gun.

    No problem there. Anyone who plays Final Fantasy is used to Fetch Quests (in which the main characters perform a service to a ruler, generally retrieving a stolen object of enormous power, in return for help from that ruler). What I want to complain about are the characters themselves.

    They are FLAT.

    A lot of them die, and we don't miss them except that they don't speak any more lines. Grey and Aki (male and female lead) don't really evolve over the course of the story--and Cid is just there to provide technobabble. Oh, and by the way, there's almost no 'fantasy' elements in this movie, with the sole exception of the Spirits.

    My two favorite games in the Final Fantasy series are numbers Eight and Ten. They are my favorites because they have unique, interesting, convincing characters. True, most Final Fantasy games take 40 hours or more to play, giving the writers a lot of time to flesh the characters out, but generally within the first five minutes of being introduced to a character (sometimes within the first few SECONDS, as with Zell and Kimahri) you know most or all there is to know about them--they are already convincing, already realized in the player's mind. Square's GOOD at doing that sort of thing.

    If Square had bothered to invent real characters for Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the movie would have SOARED. As it is, it just barely limps along under the power of a few snappy lines of dialogue and a lot of pretty vistas.

    It's worth seeing once, for the same reason any museum is worth visiting once--you'll get to see things you've never seen before and may not see again. But if you're like me and prefer your movies to have interesting characters and plotlines, be prepared for a disappointment.
    helpful•64
    63
    • marblespire
    • Oct 10, 2002

    Memorable Movie and TV Video Game Adaptations

    Memorable Movie and TV Video Game Adaptations

    "The Last of Us" and more video games that have made the leap to the screen.
    See the gallery
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    FAQ1

    • Does this movie have any relationship with the games?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 11, 2001 (United States)
      • United States
      • Japan
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Chris Lee Productions
      • Square Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 46 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby

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