Regardless of how you felt about Square Enix's first Final Fantasy film, The Spirits Within, it was hard to deny the quality of the groundbreaking CG animation. While it boasted an impressive voice cast, the film's major drawback with gamers was that it wasn't based on any of the actual FF video games. No Cloud, no Tifa, no Squall. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is attempting to make amends with the gaming community for that little omission.
However, if the new film's sales statistics in Japan, or an extensive screen shot gallery and plot summary still have you wondering if it's worth the effort, relax - it was a hit in Spain! The Sitges International Film Festival has awarded the Honorary Maria prize (OK, so it's not Oscar) to Advent Children and a festival rep even claimed its encore screenings saved the event. Apparently, The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance weren't big draws.
