This film just goes to show that great 3D animation doesn't make great film. Final Fantasy is little more than a showcase for an early, and then very good, dynamic treatment of hair -- a particularly difficult effect in 3D animation. We're treated to long shots of the main character -- Dr. Aki Ross -- with her hair swaying, blowing in the wind, etc. Now, just a few years after the film's release and compared with Golum in The Lord of the Rings, the animation looks dated. In particular, the facial animation is lifeless (and looked so at the time).
Final Fantasy may remind some of some of the Tarzan and similar movies of the 30s -- a time before wildlife documentaries and before most people had ever seen footage of lions or elephants. Whole films were effectively travelogues. But unlike those 30s serials, Final Fantasy lacks acting, and ultimately realism, despite the extraordinary animation efforts.
The film reported cost $137 million to make. It bombed -- for good reason.
Final Fantasy may remind some of some of the Tarzan and similar movies of the 30s -- a time before wildlife documentaries and before most people had ever seen footage of lions or elephants. Whole films were effectively travelogues. But unlike those 30s serials, Final Fantasy lacks acting, and ultimately realism, despite the extraordinary animation efforts.
The film reported cost $137 million to make. It bombed -- for good reason.