Movielogr
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016)
Directed by Takeshi Nozue
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
The magical kingdom of Lucis is home to the world’s last remaining Crystal, and the menacing empire of Niflheim is determined to steal it. King Regis of Lucis commands an elite force of soldiers called the Kingsglaive. Wielding their king’s magic, they fight to protect Lucis. As the overwhelming military might of the empire bears down, King Regis is faced with an impossible ultimatum – to marry his son, Prince Noctis to Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae, captive of Niflheim, and surrender his lands to Niflheim rule. Although the king concedes, it becomes clear that the empire will stop at nothing to achieve their devious goals, with only the Kingsglaive standing between them and world domination.
Rated PG-13 | Length 115 minutes
Actors
Go Ayano | Shiori Kutsuna | Ayumi Fujimura | Keiji Fujiwara | Kouichi Yamadera | Shozo Iizuka | Tomokazu Seki | Yuichi Nakamura | Wataru Takagi | Tsutomu Isobe | Mitsuaki Kanuka | Fuminori Komatsu | Banjou Ginga | Tatsuhisa Suzuki | Mamoru Miyano | Tetsuya Kakihara | Kenta Miyake
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/03/2020 | TV | Blu-ray | Library | 6.5 stars |
| (Average) 6.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
Not available streaming so I had to get the Blu from the library.
When I was in Japan in 2016 this movie was in theaters (released July 9) and I considered going to see it. However, I knew it would be strictly the Japanese language version and I was concerned about how much I would understand given the nature of the dense Final Fantasy plotting. So I didn’t see it. Forgot about it until I saw a Blu on sale at Goodwill. Instead of buying it I just requested it from the library.
Welp it’s a good thing I didn’t go see it in Japan b/c even with the English language dub (led by Aaron Paul, Lena Headey, and Sean Bean) this movie still has the usual Final Fantasy convoluted storyline with an Empire attempting to overthrow a Kingdom and a mad chase for a magic ring that will give its holder all the power. Plus there’s inexplicable kaiju and giant statues that come to life in the background of a wild chase that consumes the entire third act.
This is pretty movie that looks like it took years to render. I haven’t played FFXV but I sorta think it would be helpful in understanding the foundation lore of this movie. It’s a bit surprising that they would invest so much into this to create a film that seems entirely geared toward a very niche audience. The story is dense and seems nearly impenetrable for any casual viewer or of little interest for most. I’m curious why they wouldn’t go with a more universal story (a hero’s journey a la FFVII) if they’re gonna spend the resources and commit the time.
For as beautiful as this is, I really can’t see myself wanting to revisit it, which is a shame. The world-building is also quite strange with a city like London yet full-on fantasy structures and whatnot. Urban fashion and wild fantasy costumes. Hey they drive Audi sportcars in this realm but still fight with swords! They have machine guns and monsters. Just crazy mishmash of styles.
I watched all the extras which are pretty neat. Aaron, Lena and Sean in the studio talking about the voice acting is cool. The motion capture stuff they did plus the world building design is nifty. Too bad the story isn’t all that compelling. Also wish we knew more about guardian statues that fight the kaiju and could’ve had more time with that.
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