FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN

FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN (vt listed on IMDb: Fainaru Fantaji [2001] [JAPAN], Final Fantasy [2001] [USA: WORKING TITLE], Final Fantasy: The Movie [2000] [USA: WORKING TITLE]). Hironobu Sakaguchi, dir., co-script, exec. prod. Al Reinert, Jeff Vintar, HS, story and script. Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Peri Gilpin, Ming-Na (star), Ving Rhames, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, featured voices in US version. Japan/USA: Chris Lee Productions, Square Co., Ltd. (prod.) / Columbia Pictures, Columbia TriStar Films, Sony Pictures (major dist.), 2001.

Proponents of The Gaia Hypothesis and various schools of depth psychology can usefully study the imagery of FF, but the film is of interest here for fighting suits in the tradition of R. A. Heinlein's Mobile Infantry; alien and human warriors and machines designed to appear insectoid or like crustaceans (or, much less frequently, to suggest dinosaurs); a po-mo mise-en-scène where matter/machines and spirit are contrasted.

(RDE, 11/07/01), RDE, Title, 22Aug19