Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is an exquisite digital relic

Hironobu Sakaguchi rose to prominence after proposing a game in 1987 titled Final Fantasy, which launched a franchise spanning 40 years and 16 core titles. He later directed the 2001 photorealist animation Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Despite its title and origins, the film reads as military science fiction set on a post-apocalyptic Earth.

Dr Aki Ross (Ming-Na Wen) searches for a way to end a war between humans and Phantoms. Her allies include her mentor Dr Sid (Donald Sutherland), a nod to the recurring Cid, and the Deep Eyes unit led by Capt Gray Edwards (Alec Baldwin), Aki's former flame. They must find eight life forms carrying spirits that, once joined, can end the conflict, while Gen Hein (James Wood) seeks a more violent solution.

The movie frames a fantastical version of the Gaia hypothesis and echoes the environmentalism of Final Fantasy VII, though its philosophy can be obscured by dense science-fiction exposition.

hironobu sakaguchi, final fantasy, spirits within, photorealism, aki ross, ming-na wen, donald sutherland, alec baldwin, gaia hypothesis, environmentalism