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MOVIE RANT: KINGSGLAIVE - FINAL FANTASY XV
The Good
+ Unparalleled fan service for fans of Final Fantasy
+ The beautiful CGI; the architecture, the characters, the vehicles, the fighting, etc...
+ It actually has a plot! I mean, even Advent Children didn't have much of a plot!
+ Sets up an incredible backstory for Final Fantasy XV, the actual game
+ The star-studded cast of Sean Bean, Lena Headey and Aaron Paul
+ The music! It ain't Nobuo, it doesn't sound like him, but it feels as if he's back!
The Bad
- The dialogue; it is pretty cringe-worthy at times.
- The names. Except for main three of Nyx, King Regis, and Lunafreya, in typical Japanese RPG fashion, all the other characters' and cities' names are a mouthful and are a challenge to remember!
The Breakdown
I entered the theatre not expecting much. In fact, I was hoping and expecting myself to be perhaps one out of the four to five people there... Square Enix has a pretty mixed record when it comes to non-game productions. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was down right awful. Advent Children was awesome even though it could do better with an actual plot. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV is good but it can be better...
But I dare say, Kingsglaive is the BEST movie, or as mentioned, a non-game production, ever from the Final Fantasy franchise!
Firstly, the film is the ultimate fan service. Advent Children was another example. But Kingsglaive goes beyond it. I have shared this analogy with my friends who asked me how it is, think of it as the perfect Suicide Squad we wanted but didn't get. Awesome magic, physical fights, graphics, music, summons, and even a PLOT!
Some background information here. Kingsglaive takes place right before the actual game of Final Fantasy XV, and, I suspect, at the same time as Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV.
Nyx (played by Aaron Paul) took some time to warm up to me. By the first half an hour or so, he became a very likeable antagonist. Without revealing too much, he has a pretty decent backstory too, which isn't revealed explicitly until about halfway through the film. In all, his character has depth.
Lunafreya (Lena Headey) and King Regis (Sean Bean) aren't up there in terms of Nyx's character's depth. But arent' far off either. Firstly, Lunafreya is a looker!! She's really pretty. And she, together with King Regis, Nyx, AND Noctis, has an intriguing backstory that stretches 10 years back in the FF15 timeline. (Yeah, i'm sick of typing out the entire name.)
And even though Noctis doesn't appear in the film, except for that few seconds somewhere in the beginning as a kid, he still has a significant influence on the film's storyline. His father, King Regis' and Lunafreya's love for him is evident, so is Nyx's loyalty to him. If you refer to the poster right at the top, you can somehow make out the overall plot of the movie. Hint: notice Noctis is at the top of the poster.
The villain of the film was slightly predictable, but ultimately still somewhat of a surprise. It goes without saying that the action sequences are awesome; smooth, explosive, HUGE, and satisfied my testosterones.
In all, Kingsglaive more than serves its purpose of preparing the perfect backstory to FF15. I'm looking so forward to the game right now!
And the bonus comes from the film's custom Audi R8, which is my favourite car!!
It's on a very limited release in Singapore right now and is an exclusive of one of Singapore's famous cinemas. Catch it before it's gone! If you're an FF fan, you MUST watch it!
And lastly but not least, do not close this tab until you have viewed our awesome Final Fantasy collection here!
