The Final Fantasy VII juggernaut has gathered pace recently, continuing to successfully roll on twelve years after the PlayStation classic had us purposely running round Midgar and, even more importantly, lobbing legions of successful basketballs in the Gold Saucer. E3 saw the franchise sneakily sling an MMO surprise over us, revealing that FFXIV would be a seemingly endless open-world orgy. Footage of FFXIII continues to randomly spill out from Square-Enix’s tightest, most impenetrable defence, all in the knowledge that it’ll whet our appetite for a filling feast of RPG splendour over the next few years. Of course, the tastiest and most relevant nugget of information came with the news that Final Fantasy VII would be heading onto the PlayStation Network, ready for download within 24 hours. Following this trend, we got our grubby mitts on the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Blu-Ray, settling down to view it in HD and English for the first time.

For those who haven’t witnessed Advent Children before, there’s a face-squinting plot to get your head round. Set two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, the survivors of Midgar have relocated to the outskirts of their war-torn dystopian city, opting to start a new life in Edge. Cloud, fresh from his showdown with the infamous Sephiroth, has been living in Edge with Tifa. Unfortunately, three mysterious men, all of whom are hunting their “Mother” with a sadistically robotic insistence, suddenly attack the spiky-haired assassin in belief that he is their runaway brother. Led by the insanely camp Raiden-look-a-like Kadaj, it’s quickly discovered that their missing guardian is in fact Jenova, the extra terrestrial life form from Final Fantasy VII that allowed Sephiroth to gain such terrifying power. As ever, things aren’t stacked in Cloud’s favour as he faces a constant struggle to eliminate the return of his relentless foe, even more so when it’s revealed that many inhabitants of Edge are infected with the Jenova-based “Geostigma” disease. With the three Remnants rounding up children faster than a Gary Glitter tribute act, it’s up to Cloud to call on some old friends for some much-needed firepower before they are turned into mindless minions of the soft-voiced, leather-clad enemy.

Luckily, the slow start to the film can be forgotten once the action begins, as Advent Children’s previously praised but not celebrated face fully benefits from the lip-gloss and eyeliner of a HD makeover. Puckering up with greater confidence (especially during the Remnant’s assault on the townsfolk of Edge) the stylish, break-neck speed of the latter half’s action is so effortlessly slick that it’ll turn the most stern-legged DVD enthusiast into a quivering believer of all things Blu-Ray. We had to pick our jaw up off the floor when behemoth explosions raged across the bridge leading to Midgar, engulfing the city with a smattering of dust and the audience with a slackening of the cheekbones, as the visual experience is undeniably impressive. With Nobou Uematsu’s excellent score tinkling beautifully in moments of reflection and screeching powerfully at the height of action, Advent Children offers some scenes of true brilliance for fanatics of the series who expect to connect with the extreme emotion that’s so thoughtfully poured into every heartfelt situation.

With Final Fantasy VII gaining a greater contemporary fan-base through the re-release, there’s far more importance on this Blu-Ray title than what could have been expected pre-E3. Long-time veterans of the series will most probably own this on either DVD or UMD (yeah, right), and will have witnessed all the nods to the father game that this FFVII spin-off so happily applies. We loved identifying the sharp, iconic locations from Advent Children and remembering them in the days where a fully 3D game was the real innovation. Hearing Loz’s ringtone cry out the unforgettable chirp of FFVII’s victory music, revisiting Aeris’ flower-caressed church, and even seeing her laid to rest in the lifestream is something that’ll have fans fondly remembering the scale of what is one of videogaming’s most important products. It’s almost ridiculous to understand that, even twelve years after the original title hit stores, we can still be riled with the emotion and determination that overran our veins in 1997 by watching a movie based on the same universe.

Luckily, if you’ve owned Advent Children on any other format, the Blu-Ray proudly boasts an additional thirty minutes and over one thousand new edits that allow the film to be an easier to understand, more complete product. We loved seeing the gang turn out in full force to take on the likes of legendary summon “Bahamut SIN,” in a battle that’ll have newcomers and series aficionados excitedly wide-eyed and ready to soak up the ultra-slick, smoothly flowing action. There are also some intriguing extra features to plough through, including an excellently sharp and to the point Legacy of Final Fantasy VII, a look back at the game over a decade on, and even one of the “On The Way To A Smile” anime spin-off episodes. Although the full feature can be viewed in Japanese, English, or a host of other languages, these additions must disappointingly be viewed with English-subtitles for the non-speaking Japanese population. With that said, for fans looking forward to Final Fantasy XIII, there’s a remarkably in-depth sneak peak at the new game, which highlights footage that is so far unreleased on the Internet, and had us relishing the prospect of a ‘proper’ current generation FF title.

There’s an air of greatness wedged inside Final Fantasy VII’s almost bullet-proof armour; something that Advent Children manages replicate through the latter half of the film. It’s a shame that, for those who haven’t experienced the game yet, this Blu-Ray release may fail to hold their attention past the opening thirty minutes that stumbles and stutters to produce a narrative worth listening to. Arguably there is enough in the second half to render this one a success, as it’d be entirely unfair to announce we didn’t enjoy the energy-sapping finale. If, like me, you were captured by the charming inhabitants of Midgar back in ‘97, there really isn’t any other way of viewing this delightfully vibrant production. With the whole gang ready and waiting to tackle Sephiroth once more, it’s time to experience the amazingly immersive world of Final Fantasy VII alongside the unprecedented clarity and visual splendour of the Blu-Ray generation.

Grade: B-