There will be a screening of AC in Venice on Sept 4-5
Details:
Official Schedule for Venice AnnouncedDate: 01 Sep 2004
Posted by: vilaeth
Square-Enix has announced today the schedule for Advent Children at the Venice International Film Festival, which is starting today.The schedule and planned events are as follows:
4th September, 8:00PM~8:30PM - Public screening
5th September, 9:00AM~9:30AM - Encore screening
5th September, 12:30PM - Reception
5th September, 2:00PM - Official press conferenceAttending the event will be company president Youichi Wada, director Tetsuya Nomura, co-director Takeshi Nozue, scenario director Kazushige Nojima and producer Shinji Hashimoto.
In regards to showing AC at this year's festival Square-Enix said, "It is a great honour for our company to receive a special invitation to show this work made with our computer graphics technology at the Venice International Film Festival, one the three largest film festivals in the world. We would like people to take notice of "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" in the future."
Soulangelsonya had this to say about release date :
"Hey there im pretty new and i saw the ff movie thread and i have a little bit of news but i cant reply to the thread i just wantd to say this.
i heard that the movie in japan i think came out 7/26/2004 i think it has on this web site they have info about few of the charcters www.ffshrine.org maybe u caould put it in for me. well c ya. "
true...
the venice screening is still incomplete but for some reason
i have a hunch someone will sneak a camera in and within weeks it'll be all over the net...
i would still rather DVD i guess i'm like Satsujin i'll rather watch it in Jap
i hate the casting choices of the english dubbed voices of most things ive seen so far...
Well, well. The screening at the Venice Film Festival seems to have gone very well 😱 The 25 minutes shown is only 1/4 of the total product they say, so we're looking at a much longer movie than anticipated. A detailed description is below. WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS!
Spoiler:
ADVENT CHILDREN.As the opening theme (composed by series and soundtrack composer, Nobuo Usematsu) heralded the movie's start -- conveyed in sparkling 5.1 sound, mind you -- scenes of a modern-day Midgar (the movie takes place two years after the conclusion of FFVII the game) fade in and out, spliced together with cuts from the scenes from the original FFVII CG movies. While the stark contrast between the quality of the original CG scenes from the 7 year-old PlayStation game actually hold up quite well, initially, this soon changes the moment the image of a dilapidated Shinra, Inc. comes into view. The huge cannons that once fired death across the sky are now a lifeless, overgrown reminder of its former self. As the viewer is taken on a virtual tour of the new Midgar, a child's voice (orated by the young female character, Marlene) brings the viewer up to speed on what has happened since the conclusion of the highly influential seventh episode of Final Fantasy. "The lifestream. That's what we call the life source of our planet" intones Marlene, as scenes of the lifestream's tendrils undulate across Midgar. As Marlene continues to recap recent events, we see a newly reinterpreted version of the scene where Cloud gently lays the fallen Aerith in the water; Aerith having recently died at the hands of the story's villain, Sephiroth. Finally, as the viewer is by now familiar with the backstory (although, to be honest, players of Final Fantasy VII will have the advantage getting to grips with Advent Children's plot), Marlene's voice-over fades, bringing the prologue to its conclusion, a point highlighted by the arrival of the film's opening credits.
STRIFE DELIVERY SERVICE
Amidst the clink and clank of glasses and dishes, the camera pans to the sight of a young woman cleaning up a dusty, dimly-lit office, as a telephone chimes in the background. The young woman is Final Fantasy VII's Tifa. As Tifa puts away the last of the dishes, she patiently strides over to the phone, picks it up in no particular hurry and recites "Strife Delivery Service." It seems someone has a job for Strife Delivery Service, and Tifa wonders aloud where VII's hero, Cloud Strife, might be.
HE TAKES SWORD IN HAND ONCE AGAIN
The scene shifts to a lone rider on a motorcycle, slicing through the wasteland as a river does through canyons. As the camera moves in closer, it becomes apparent, and hardly a surprise, that the rider is Clud. Tifa has radioed to Cloud that he has a client to visit, and off he goes to his destination.
While the movie up until now has run in sequential order, it is at this point where the events are shown in an approximate chronological order, but are obviously signature points in the currently unfinished product. As Cloud barrels down the dusty, industrial gulley, three other motorcycles erupt in hot pursuit. The riders are Kadaj and his henchmen, Yazoo and Loz. Whether this is an imagined sequence on Cloud's part sor a real event is unclear, as rider's suddenly disappear, and the movie cuts into a rapid sequence of events.
A scene shows Cloud speaking with a cloaked, wheelchair-bound man, bodyguard in tow. The man speaks of how they want to change the world, improve the world, and how he needs Cloud's help. Cloud is, after all, an ex-soldier, the type of man with the strength to lead a revival of Midgar. But Cloud is doubtful. He scoffs at the notion, suggesting he can no longer help anyone. A few scenes later, though, it is revealed in no uncertain terms that the man who will push Cloud to his limits is the young warrior known as Kadaj. Kadaj is driven by a desire to find his "mother" (although it is unclear at this point who his mother is), but the children are the key to this discovery; children who are afflicted with the Geostigma.
The next scene brings us to the abandoned church Cloud calls "home," although it is barely more than a ruin. Tifa and Marlene are here, walking slowly through the flowers blooming in the exposed sunlight, accompanied by the sounds of a gorgeous Uematsu composition played out in acoustic guitar. Uplifting and sprightly, the piece, however, merely foreshadows a torrent of things to come. The sight of Tifa and Marlene is interrupted by a cut to Kadaj "speaking" with the wheelchair-bound man. The wheelchair man's bodyguards lie on the floor, writhing in the agony Kadaj has clearly delivered to them. Kadaj asserts how he must find "mother," and refers to the mysterious cripple as "Mr. President." Back at the church, Tifa and Marlene hear the approach of footsteps, and turn around to face Kadaj's henchman, Loz. Loz demands to know where Cloud is, as Tifa backs away, insisting that the intruder leave at once. Since the uninvited guest has no intention of acquiescing to Tifa's demands, combat ensues, with Tifa bearing down full-force on the ready-and-waiting Loz. Although Tifa gets a rapid-fire series of punches and kicks in on Loz (players of FFVII will recognize Tifa's attack from the game), the burly henchman grabs Tifa by the feet, hurling her against the church wall, where she clings in slow-motion like a cat. The look of concern on Tifa's computer-generated face radiates a grim concern like no other before it. She knows she will not win this battle.
WHY ARE THE CHILDREN ALWAYS THE ONES TO SUFFER?
Before we can see how the conflict resolves itself, the sequence ends with a fast, sharp fade to the present, camera locked on a moogle doll, held by Marlene as she questions a rather dazed-looking Denzel, in a shadowy, industrial part of town. Marlene asks Denzel "You've got Geostigma," and drags him off to someone who can help them. The scene switches back to the church, where Cloud has entered, aware that something has transpired here. As he reaches the flowers, he sees a body prone in the grass, and runs over shouting "Tifa!" As he gently lifts her from the ground, checking for signs of life, time leaps forward a few hours as Tifa awakens from her brutal encounter with Loz. As she discusses what happened, the viewer can see Cloud struggling with an inner guilt, a guilt that is holding him back from his true abilities.
The following scene shows Kadaj, preaching to the dozens of children he has rounded up, each seemingly inflicted with the Geostigma. Kadaj pulses with a manic, restless energy, which literally oozes from his fingertips, revealing an inner power that can somehow touch those with the Geostigma.
As the revelation concludes, the scene switches to what must clearly be Advent Children's money shot. The scene switches to a shot of Cloud, who is standing in a field of flowers, the background a blinding white. Cloud is laying his soul bare, as the camera turns slowly, clockwise, around him. We see him exorcising his demons in a raw confessional punctuated by the admittance "I want to be forgiven." As the camera turns, we see first the boots, and then the bottom fringe of the familiar maroon and pink dress that once belonged to Aerith come into view. Even two years later, it's obvious that Cloud still bears the guilt of her death, and while she's not exactly alive in body, in spirit she has returned to consult, and perhaps console, the tormented hero.
With barely a dry eye in the house, we fast-forward to see Cloud speeding down a night-covered stretch of road, the background spooling off fast behind him. When Kadaj and his phalanx of children come into view at the end of the street Cloud bails from his motorcycle to avoid hitting the wall of children, and comes sliding to a halt at the feet of Kadaj. As the unruly rebel, Kadaj, informs Cloud of his masterplan, he points his sword menacingly at the spiky-blond hero's throat. As the conversation reaches fever-pitch, Kadaj raises his sword to strike Cloud down. As the sword descends, the blade is shot away, and a whirling dervish of black and maroon comes in to sweep Cloud away to safety. Vincent has arrived just in time to save his old friend from an untimely fate.
As the impossibly deep-voice Vincent and Cloud discuss the meaning of what's going on, the sound of footsteps rustling closer is heard, causing Cloud to reach for the handle of his sword. As the mysterious figure explodes into view, it turns out to be Marlene, who begs Cloud to not run away and help the children. After a short discussion with Vincent, Cloud agrees to do the best he can, and sets off to set things right.
There's more.... droolio
Spoiler:And there we have it, folks. Looks like it's shaping up to be qutie an excellent movie 😄 😱
We find Kadaj standing atop a skeleton of a skyscraper, which has either yet to be completed, or is falling apart. At his side is the President, who is in the deepest stages of Geostigma. Kadaj informs us that "Geostigma is what happens when the body overcompensates." What exactly this means has yet to be revealed, but what is already clear is that Kadaj is looking for Jenovah, a.k.a. Mother. Down below, the scene is on the cusp of chaos, with the advent children standing in a circular formation, their eyes now cat-like, due to Kadaj's manipulations. As Kadaj finishes the last of his speech to the President, his face contorts into an evil smile as he holds his hand up, aglow with blue fire. He turns around suddenly to thrust his left had at the sky, emitting a bolt of energy at the clouds. As the clouds begin to spiral down in a darkening vortex, the tendrils of steam and smoke take on the form of a mighty, winged summon whose form resembles that of Bahamut.As all hell breaks loose in the square, Bahamut can be seen raining destruction on the populace, destroying buildings whole, and swooping down to snatch hapless, screaming prey from the ground. As all hope seems lost -- and Kadaj unstoppable -- the heroes finally appear to make their stand.
What follows next is difficult to describe in words, but we'll try anyway. Much like the sensation we once felt when we first viewed the Super Smash Brothers CG trailer, so too did we feel when Barrett first appears, machine-gun arm first, ammo a-blazin' at the Bahamut in the sky. We felt an unmistakeable rush of nostalgia, a wave of jubilation, that reminded us of just how much we miss these characters, how glad we are to see them in a glorious new light, and how we really wish Square did more sequels to their best titles. If the sudden, brave appearance of Barrett wasn't enough to put lump firmly in throat, then perhaps the sight of Red XIII leaping on Bahamut's back, or that of airship captain Cid swinging his huge sword around is. And as a final dash of fan-service, the unflappable Yuffie finally emerges, demanding to know "Who's been messing with my materia?"As the heroes do what heroes do, we switch to a scene of Kadaj riding his motorcycle to the flower-covered church grounds, clutching a technological container of some sort, crying the word "mother." We then hear in Cloud's mind, Tifa's voice, as he plants two swords in the side of a crumbling building. As he braces himself against the tumbling debris by standing on the two swords, Tifa's voice asks "During our last battle two years ago, remember what it was like to be strong?" Cloud mentally nods, and infers that he would like to rediscover that very feeling.
The moment of truth close at hand, Cloud grabs his sword, and leaps into the air, flying against the tumult of cinder blocks and girders that crash down upon him. As Cloud's oversized sword cuts through the rocks as if they were air, the first-ever showing of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Special Edition ends with the line "I won't be just a memory," as instantly familiar Sephiroth suddenly makes his debut, descending from amongst the falling debris, like a dark angel to meet him.
ENDGAME
Also! News that doesn't constitute spoiler tags:
When we first got wind that Square was making a sequel to Final Fantasy VII, we couldn't have been more excited. It may not have been the best Final Fantasy ever (opinions vary wildly on this one ), but it was filled with some of the most memorable characters in the history of the series, with its tortured hero, Cloud, as perhaps Square's most bankable icon besides chocobos and moogles. However, when we learned at last year's Tokyo Game Show that the sequel would not in fact be a game, but a CG rendered movie (and a 45-minute long one at that) we were admittedly a little deflated. We were really excited to play with our favorite characters once again, this time with far superior graphics. While the graphics of a CG movie would obviously be light years ahead of what the 32-bit PlayStation game could approach, a movie would not be interactive, and at 45 minutes, it would be over before we knew it. Not exactly the best way to follow an RPG that clocked in at 55-plus hours in its heyday.
But our fears were misplaced. When Advent Children was first announced, all Square had to show for it was an image of Cloud and Sephiroth, dissolving into a Matrix-like effect, and a vague hint at what the final product would be. All the assembled executives at Square's press conference could squeak out was that it would be digital entertainment. Hell, even our digital watches can be considered "entertainment" if we push the buttons fast enough. They couldn't (or wouldn't) clarify if it was or was not a game, a CG movie, a weird combination of both, or even what system it would be on. Would it be a PS2 title, a title playable on more than one system, or would it be a DVD? While we know now it will be a DVD, Square is still wrestling with various distribution challenges, and how to promote the title to the mass consumer market.
But now that we know Advent Children is in fact a movie, our reaction is now extremely positive. We can say with some certainty that if this had been the movie Square Pictures had released three years ago, and not that dismal failure, Spirits Within, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi might still have a job. Audiences didn't want to see tree-hugging Ben Affleck clones talking about the Earth's spirit, they wanted to see spiky-haired heroes kicking ass, Blade Runner style. Advent Children, even in this unfinished state, brings fans what they want to see, and on the strength of this 25-minute preview version, relieves any doubts we might have had about FFVII's sequel being a movie instead of a game. As far as length is concerned, Tetsuya Nomura tells us that since they are still finishing many of the combat scenes and have yet to make the final cuts, that Advent Children may be in fact four times as long as the preview we saw this weekend. That would bring the movie past the hour and a half mark, the average of most major motion pictures, and over double the original intended length of about 45 minutes.
The movie, unfortunately, will not ship this year as originally planned. The newly adjusted date for Advent Children is Spring 2005. A possible worldwide simultaneous release in multiple languages might be the culprit, as localizing and voice recording for all international markets may delay the movies release, although this is not a confirmed fact. Another factor the team has yet to decide on is what features will or will not make it on to the Sony PSP version. While Nomura tells us that the PSP's proprietary UMD (Universal Media Disc) can handle up to 2 hours of video, there would be little room left over for the extra features intended for the DVD release. That's not to say that Square couldn't release a special 2-disc set for PSP, but as of this writing nothing has been decided, including whether or not to release trailers of Advent Children in theaters, or even to release the movie in theaters as a nationwide release before the DVD. While the failure of Spirits Within has made Square wary of the film industry, the attention drawn to the movie as a result of the Venice Film Festival's invitation (the movie has since been invited to the Montreal Film Festival as well) might cause them to reconsider the notion. If a potential partner or distributor from a major film studio were to step up and help minimize the burden of releasing the film to theaters, it's entirely possible we could see Advent Children on the big screen before we ever see it on DVD. Bear in mind, though, that this is merely theory, although one that could play out.
As for us, Advent Children blew us away, even though we sort of knew what we were in for when we saw a brief trailer at this past May's E3 in Los Angeles. The image quality is top notch, and it's clear that Square's top creative minds (including scenario writer, Kazushige Nojima, and art director, Yusuke Naora, along with Nomura and Uematsu) are firing on all cylinders as evidenced by the movie's excellent pacing, flair for the dramatic, and stylish execution. We'll be the first to admit this is not an art film. The Japanese typically paint in broad, predictable strokes, with Advent Children's palette of heroism painted in the same conflicted-hero-saves-the-world hues of past games like Final Fantasy X, and other traditional RPGs. You needn't read between any lines here, as what's put before you can basically be taken at face value. But despite the transparency here, it works. When Aerith makes her first, subtle appearance onscreen, you'd have to be a true cynic (or be completely unfamiliar with FFVII's storyline) to not feel a tightening in your throat. How could an army of goosebumps not surface on your skin, ready to march, when you see FFVII's stellar cast gather together once more, possibly for the last time? Tetsuya Nomura's surprisingly tiny, yet efficient, staff of 40 people (Spirits Within was completed with over 200 people at its peak) is hard at work finishing what might just be the ultimate piece of video-gaming fan service. When you see the final product for yourself, we feel it would be hard to disagree. But what's more admirable is that for all the stylish poses, for all the epic pronouncements and dire consequences, it's clear that for this development team that fan service isn't enough. It's true that they want to bring closure for fans of one of video gaming's most influential titles, but it's also written on their sleeves that they want to make an excellent movie. Considering what we've seen so far, we'd say they've got their feet planted firmly in the right direction.
Taken from www.1up.com
IN OTHER NEWS!
A specially compiled four-minute long trailer for Advent Children will be screened at this year's Tokyo Game Show. The event will begin on the 24th of September. 😄 Another brand new 4 minute long trailer!!! 😱 Will the spoils never end? I can't wait until the projected release date of February 14th, 2005, in the USA. ✅