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8/10
fans will be pleased!
12 September 2005
but the sad thing is... not many others will understand it. Being a sequel to the old Final Fantasy 7 game, the story is already set and as such those who don't know anything about the game are likely to be more than confused. think of it as watching *Lord of the Rings: The Two towers* without checking out the two others. you'll be missing half the fun because the movie makes a ton of references to the game... and that goes for characters, locations and storyline. in fact the only new main characters introduced in the movie are a new gang consisting of Kadja, Loz and Yahoo... but even their part in the tale is confusing if you don't know the story well enough beforehand.

with that said how was the movie u might ask... one word: AWESOME. I'm pleased to say that this lived up to ALL my expectations. being a fan of the game did i expect a new revolutionary storyline with an exceptional twist? of course not. all i wanted was to see my favorite characters in action on screen.

And the way it looked and the action... WOW. no wonder it took so damn long to make because the action scenes are absolutely breathtaking. blink for a second and you're likely to miss out on whats happening. i think that around 70-75% of the movie consists of action alone ranging from fist fights, chase sequences on motorcycle, gun fights and sword swinging. so yeah, the total package is included. everything is detailed in this movie: hair and clothes sway in the wind, the numerous expression on the character's faces... everything!

before i come off as another fanboy let me address the issues i have with this movie and how many newcomers would think about this movie.

character development: newcomers will definitely point out the lack of character development and the introduction of too many characters which seemingly serve no purpose whatsoever which only adds to the confusion... but the only thing i can say to this is that these characters are all from the game and as such their introductions have already been made and we already know each of their personalities. fans definitely know who barrett, vincent, yuffie, cid, and redXIII are while newcomers would describe them as *man with machine gun, red lion with his tail on fire* etc.

a personal gripe i have with this movie is the lack of on screen time for many of my favorites. i was thrilled when i saw all the familiar faces joining together battling evil... only to realize after that scene was over we wouldn't be watching them in action again which is really sad.

story: first of all the story only seems like a setup for all the action. if i remember correctly the trailers seemed to emphasize the importance of children but the more i watched the more the movie seemed to drift away from that purpose even though the movie is called Advent Children. second of all, as said before, the story is very confusing for those who haven't played the game. the result of this is that many people will consider the movie to be all eyecandy and no substance whatsoever while they still forget that the story has *already* been set.

Think about this though... WHY was the movie created? was it to draw in a new audience or was it to satisfy old, loyal fans who still consider the game to be one of the best RPG's created? the producers already knew the movie was gonna be a hit... the fanbase was already set and any newcomers who would be attracted to the movie was probably just considered as a bonus.

some might think of it as a cheap popcorn flick... but others like me will find a copy of this movie resting nicely besides my old, old copy of final Fantasy 7 for the PS1.

8/10
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...ing (2003)
9/10
afraid to watch it again...
4 July 2004
Telling the story of a teenage girl who lives with her mom we follow the life of Mina who has only a couple of months left to live in because of a disease. Her mom is trying her best to encourage Mina to live life to the fullest and enjoy herself and be happy. One day a guy moves in downstairs and Mina is about to experience love for the first time.

The story seems so deceptively simple but still its like this movie is pure magic and that everything just seems perfect: the mood, the setting and the characters and also featuring a gorgeous soundtrack to accompany the movie.

Since this is a romantic movie there are of course ups and downs and heartfelt laughter and warmth and also VERY emotional scenes. while watching the events unfold the viewer knows deep down inside that it is in the end a tragic movie. I have rarely (if ever) shed my tears to a movie but everything in this movie comes across as being perfectly natural and none of the emotional scenes look forced or fake (lord of the rings as an example). The relationship between the mother and daughter looks truly genuine and the love teenagers experience also looks genuine (by korean standards anyways) and shows just how deep the characters really are.

after watching i could not hold back my tears... when my eyes had dried up i reviewed some of the scenes...and the tears all came back! this is the first movie that has ever done that to me and I'm afraid if i watch it again i wont be able to hold back.

truly a korean masterpiece. watch it!

9/10
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Original Korean horror Masterpiece!!
21 June 2004
The horror scene has been literally dominated by Japan with their extremely high quality horror movies but all this is about to change with *A tale of two sisters*

In this day and age where almost every movie has the plot served to u on a platter, this psychological horror movie is a true gem for anyone who wants something to challenge their mind.

Telling the story of two sisters who have to cope with life living with their father and their dominant step mother the story seems VERY simple at first...but i guarantee you it isn't.

everything about this movie is riddled with quality and genuine scares and the plot is extremely well thought out with many twists. some people don't like this movie because they say its too confusing and the plot is too sloppy and whatnot... but to that i can tell you that almost everything that happens in the movie has an explanation... but its up to yourself to find that explanation!

I was lucky enough to read some reviews before watching the movie which said that in order to appreciate the subtlety of the movie you have to pay attention to it!

rarely (if ever) has a movie given me this amount of satisfaction and after watching it i quickly returned to it for a second viewing which caused me to notice the extremely high attention to detail in this movie... and the more you pay attention... the more satisfied you get when u finally understand the movie(for instance pay extra attention to the father whose given role is much more important than it first seems).!

its pretty much unfair this movie is almost unknown to ppl especially here in Europe since it pretty much gave me the same impact when i first watched Ringu, and after this movie I've gotten a new found respect for korean horror cinema.

WATCH IT...but more importantly...PAY ATTENTION TO IT!

A true mind-boggling experience: 10/10
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10/10
mesmerizing till the very end
18 May 2004
when i first started watching this movie i had some insecure thoughts about actually wanting to watch it mainly because it seemed too *cute and childish* for a person my age(20)...

i cant express how glad i am that i didn't follow through with those thoughts... cuz this movie is pure emotional bliss from the moment it starts and it keeps ur attention all the way to the end...

VERY rarely can a movie and its characters manage to make u feel what they feel

when the 2 sisters are excited, YOU become excited... when they are scared, YOU become scared... when they are happy, YOU become happy...

the only thing that bothered me is that it was too short... i cant recall the last time 86 mins went by so fast!!

the only thing i can blame myself for is that i haven't watched it until now, 16 yrs after it was made... to everybody else...don't make the same mistake i did... get it any way u can (ive only watched the japanese version cuz if u ask me English is pure poison to anything japanese/asian)

10/10
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