I don't know why I'm reviewing Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within for a cartoon site, since according to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences it's not even animated.
 But maybe we shouldn't get into the absurdity of Oscar's new rules. There's more than enough about this movie that is absurd.
You'd think a film called Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within would have something to do with the games, but apparently they only share the name and director. You would also think that an original movie with no ties to a videogame that you've never played would be easy to follow. But you'd be wrong about that, too.
The story takes place in the year 2065 AD. Earth has been under attack from these alien Phantoms, and mankind is on the brink of extinction. Scientist Aki Ross is convinced she is Earth's only hope, due to her ability to collect spirit plants or something. I really don't know. Partly it's because once you start talking about Spirits and Gaia, unless you're talking about Captain Planet, I lose interest. But it's also because they never explain where the "Spirits" come from or what these "Spirit Waves" are. It may also reflect a culture clash. It was originally supposed to be a Japanese movie, but rising costs led them to redo the script and lip-sync in English voices to appeal to American sensibilities. Unfortunately, it still retains a very Japanese, spiritual, tree-hugging feel and an odd ending I just couldn't get my head around. I'm not sure these elements work on American audiences the way they do or would with Japanese audiences.
It also didn't help that I really didn't care for the main characters. The supporting cast are quite likable and relatable, but (SPOILER) they get killed off. The voice cast is great, though. Mulan's Ming-Na does a pretty good job as Aki Ross, though it's not her best work. Then again, that fault may just lie in how uninteresting her character is. But James Woods does a great job as General Hein, and really brings to mind his recent role as Owlman in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Steve Buscemi also provides a great voice performance and some rather funny comic relief as Neil.
Visually, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is fantastic, at least until the characters—who are supposed to look very realistic—fall into the "uncanny valley". This was also the first mo-cap feature, beating out Polar Express by three years. Due to the film being early mo-cap—years before Avatar would come along and make mo-cap look convincing—most of the acting looks wooden. You have to give the Final Fantasy staff credit, though. They were quite ambitious and planned on having Aki be a "virtual actress" who would go on to star in many other films. At least she was the first fictional character to appear on Maxim's Top 100 Sexiest Women Ever list. That's an accomplishment, I guess.
 The 2-Disc Special Edition DVD comes with tons of goodies, including multiple entertaining commentary tracks, an alternate opening, and lots of behind the scenes footage, including a random Michael Jackson's Thriller music video with the characters from the movie. Don't know how that got there.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a mixed bag: an impressive movie that Roger Ebert rightly called a "technical milestone," but one that suffers from a confusing and unconvincing story. It was just too ambitious for its own good, but at least it's a worthwhile curiosity.
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