Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within **** (2001, voices of Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Ming-Na Wen, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Keith David, Jean Simmons) – Classic Movie Review 8875

Alien ghosts invade Earth in the first totally computer-generated motion capture film to ‘star’ creepy-looking ‘photo-realistic’ humans that won’t put any actors out of work.

Based on a hit video game, directors Hironobu Sakaguchi and Motonori Sakakibara’s Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) is a thrilling, state-of-the-art movie.

It features the voices of Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Ming-Na Wen, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Keith David, and Jean Simmons.

It is 2065, and brilliant young scientist Doctor Aki Ross (voice of Ming-Na Wen) makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a military squadron, led by her old friend Captain Gray Edwards (voice of Alec Baldwin) against an invasion of phantom-like alien spirits. Aki, Gray and Dr Sid (voice of Donald Sutherland) work for a peaceful conclusion, but General Hein (voice of James Woods) plots to terminate the aliens in a big bang.

Alas, despite all its imagination and pioneering efforts, this Japanese-American co-production was a box office bomb. It cost $137,000,000 and grossed $32,131,830 in the US with a cumulative worldwide gross of $85,131,830.

Cert PG.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8875