Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Two years have passed since the final battle with Sephiroth. Though Midgar, city of mako, city of prosperity, has been reduced to ruins, its people slowly but steadily walk the road to reconstruction. However, a mysterious illness called Geostigma torments them. With no cure in sight, it brings death to the afflicted, one after another, robbing the people of their fledgling hope.
Advent Children is a visual showcase first and a story second. The CGI cinematography and action choreography are genuinely stunning for 2005, with fluid, hyper-kinetic swordplay sequences that remain impressive — earning a well above average mark there. The novelty is moderate: it delivers a distinctive aesthetic and tone that is unmistakably its own, but it is fundamentally fan service for FFVII devotees, leaning heavily on the source material's established lore rather than forging bold new ground. The plot is its weakest link — thin, laden with melodrama, and largely inaccessible to non-fans, with underdeveloped villains and a reliance on emotional shorthand. The voice acting (and motion-capture performances) is competent but uneven, stronger in the Japanese dub than the English. The ending delivers the expected cathartic spectacle but resolves conflicts too neatly and telegraphically for those not already emotionally invested in Cloud's arc.