Gray Edwards (voiced by Alec Baldwin) in "Final Fantasy."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: The voices of Alec Badwin and Ming-Na Wen Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi Rated: PG-13, with action violence Length: 106 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(July 11, 2001) -- I'm sure our great-grandparents viewed The Jazz Singer with mixed feelings. They saw how corny and stilted the movie was. But they also heard actors talk for the first time.

That's how I felt watching the new animated space adventure, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

As sci-fi adventures go, it's a forgettable mishmash, obviously structured along the slim narrative lines of a video game.

But, as film technology goes, Final Fantasy is a landmark. It's the first animated film to re-create human reality.

It should be seen, not for the movie itself, but for the way it has been made.

Though the characters of Final Fantasy have been created on computer, they look human, with hair follicles, pores, freckles and glistening eyes whose pupils open and close with the light. They even move like humans.

The effect is disturbing: When you see Shrek, you don't worry that Shrek doesn't look like Mike Myers, because you know he's not real; here, it's as though some new Hollywood hunk has had his dialogue dubbed by Baldwin.

The reality of the characters is enough that some Hollywood professionals are worried. Perhaps this film is the real reason the Screen Actors Guild decided not to strike.

The reality concept isn't perfect: Movement is sometimes animatronic, and the eyes lack the spark of life, though it's hard to say why.

Final Fantasy has been brought to the screen by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who also created the video game in 1987. He's apparently responsible for the film's two stylistic influences: video games and Japanese anime.

The film features a resourceful, strong heroine, Dr. Aki Ross, a human scientist-adventurer (voiced by Ming-Na) trying to save the Earth of 2065 from the aliens who now control it. She and her mentor, Dr. Sid (voiced by Donald Sutherland), believe they can combat the aliens with "spirits" that together form the spirit of the earth. (The script revels in New Age philosophies.)

Helping Ross is a more traditional space warrior (voiced by Alec Baldwin), and his crew (Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi and Peri Gilpin). The chief antagonist is a power-hungry Gen. Hein (voiced by James Woods), along with the ghostlike aliens.

Trust me, you won't care about the story -- or remember it.

You'll spend your time closely watching the characters of Final Fantasy, just to see whether they breath.

Deep down, you'll be convinced they do.