FF7: Advent Children - From hero to zero and back again!

This is one of the most spiritually insightful films ever. It is a full-length movie sequal to a role playing game called Final Fantasy 7. It starts off recaping what happened in the game, after a short and mysterious introduction scene, for anyone who hasnt played the game.

Just in case the recap doesnt provide enough of a background for you, I will try to give you a summary of what the story is about. But if you wish to just watch, just try to focus on the main character, Cloud Strife, and his personal growth within the story.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3457533799664391

The game story BEFORE the movie: (Im really trying to paraphrase here but the game is 3 discs long)

On an unknown planet, an electric company named Shinra holds a monopoly on an energy supply called Mako. This energy is derived from the very life force of the planet called the lifestream. This company tried to control the planet as well by using a special group of warios named Soldier. These warriors had a certain genetic make up derived from a human like female entity that fell from the sky mellennia ago called Jenova. The greatest of the Soldiers was a man named Sephiroth. He was feared and respected throughout the world, until he vanished after destroying an entire village. He had learned of what he truly was and began to hate his makers and then he began to hate everything.

The game starts off with the main character, Cloud Strife, a supposed ex-Soldier and new member of a 'terrorist' group called Avalanche. Throughout the game he is set upon a journey that will save an entire planet. Along with his best friend Tifa Lockheart, Avalanche leader Barret Wallace, and love interest Aeris Gainsborough, Cloud meets many other new friends along the way while strugling with his own identity and willingness to fight a battle he didnt choose. We learn in the game that he was not a part of Soldier, but in fact a good friend of his named Zack was. Cloud took on his identity after Zacks death while protecting Cloud.

Part way on the journey, Aeris makes a plea to the planet to stop Sephiroth from destrying the world with the power of a giant meateor. She was the only one who could even make this request because she was the last of an ancient race of peoples with a special connection to the lifestream. Sephiroth could not allow her to succeed, so he killed her while Cloud hurried, but failed, to rescue her.

Sephiroth had then unleashed ancient monsters upon the land and stole the sleeping Jenova to resurect her power. Meanwhile we learn that Cloud was a fluke experiment of the Jenova program that created Soldier, and he was being manipulated by Jenova herself until he broke free and discovered who he really was, after living Zacks life and not his own. He then gained a new confidence and the final battle began. Cloud eventually defeats Sephiroth but was unable to stop the meteor.
When the chosen day came, we learn that the planet had indeed heard Aeris' plea for help and defeats the giant meteor using its own energy, and we discover that Aeris herself now exists within the lifestream.

My apologies for the long summary but it was a long game... and the movie is better understood with this information. The movie is alot like the matrix in terms of the fight scenes(theres alot of action but I think the fighting can be taken symbolically), and there is even a twist of comedy from two bodyguards of Rufus Shinra named Reno and Rood. A very enjoyable movie in my book; please enjoy!

~ Akaeus ~