Look, I'm going to lay it on you straight. I genuinely think 2001's Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is one of the best video game movies ever made.
Now, is that really the highest bar to clear? Probably not. I mean, in a world where I think the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie is still the best video game ever made (until the Elden Ring movie comes along, that is), the medium still has a long way to go before we can start coming up with a real top ten list of genuinely excellent video game flicks.
Be that as it may, ever since 2023, I think video game movies and TV shows have gotten really good, which is why I think that now is the best time to try to make another Final Fantasy film. However, even though I love The Spirits Within, here's how I would do things differently this time around if they were to ever make a new one.
They Should Adapt A Popular Game In The Series This Time Around
Even though I loved The Spirits Within back when it came out, even I – a loyal Final Fantasy fan by that point – was confused with why they went with an original story. When the film was released in July 2001, Final Fantasy X was right around the corner!
Sure, adapting X to the big screen would essentially ruin the story for an upcoming title, but I didn't understand why they were introducing all new characters and a story that had literally nothing to do with the games.
Yes, part of the beauty of each game entry (aside from X-2, and the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy) is that we get new stories, characters, and game mechanics each time, but that's in video game form. Did they have to try that with the movie?
If they ever made another flick, I think they should adapt the story of one of the more popular entries. There was a time when I would have said Final Fantasy VII, but there's already an animated movie from 2005 titled Advent Children, and given the less than stellar sales of VII Rebirth, the ship might have sailed on that story.
Personally, I'd love to see VI, IX, or X adapted for the big or small screen, but given how those are (gulp) “old” titles now, I think the next best possible candidate would be the wildly popular MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV, as people really like it. So, that's ONE thing that they should do differently this time around. Here's another...
They Could Also Do It Live Action This Time
Look, kudos to Final Fantasy creator and The Spirits Within director, Hironobu Sakaguchi, for wanting to make the movie as photorealistic as possible, since I distinctly remember what a beautiful film it was upon release. A lot of care went into making it look unlike any other film back in 2001, and it was the most expensive video game movie ever made up to that point at $137 million.
So, yeah. Part of the reason anybody still even talks about it these days is because of how it looked. That said, if a new FF movie was ever made, I don’t think it should be animated. Similar to the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie, I think a hypothetical FF movie should be live action this time around.
Because here’s the thing. Even though The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is now the highest grossing video game movie of all time, was animated, I think we’ve come a long way from the original Mario movie (which I still love), and can do a lot better with adapting a video game into live action.
I mean, just look at the second highest grossing video game movie of all time, A Minecraft Movie. It was a cultural phenomenon, but I remember people prior to the movie wondering why it had to feature actors like Jack Black and Jason Momoa. Of course, after it released, it made perfect sense, but at the time, hardcore fans of the series were wary.
The thing is, I don’t necessarily think a FF movie should be made for the hardcore fans, but rather, for a more general audience where recognizable celebrities could bring in more people, which brings me to my next point.
A Lot Of Younger People Who Might Be Interested In Final Fantasy Have Likely Never Even Heard Of The Spirits Within
The other day, I was surprised that a kid in my children’s Jiu-Jitsu class hummed the Final Fantasy victory fanfare, as I honestly didn’t know 9 and 10-year-olds these days still played the games.
But, that just made me realize that even though it seems likes kids now only really play Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite , there are still those who may actually be interested in games like Final Fantasy, and if that’s the case, then a new movie might just be the thing for them, as well as those who could potentially become new fans.
That segment of the population probably has no idea that there even was a FF movie. They simply weren’t alive back then, and it wasn’t big or notorious enough for younger audiences to possibly find it on the internet like they might fight the atrociously bad Double Dragon, or one of the Uwe Boll “masterpieces” like House of the Dead, or Alone in the Dark, which are still discussed because they’re so bad.
No, for those young people who know nothing about The Spirits Within, this would be a good time to give them a new movie. And, I’m not necessarily saying that it has to be in the theaters. Resident Evil: Death Island was available on Netflix, and there are a lot of video game-related movies and TV shows that find a home on the streaming platform. So, if a new, live-action Final Fantasy movie appeared there, I think it could go a long way.
There’s one last reason why I think there should be another attempt at a FF film.
Video Game Movies Are Actually Popular, So Now Is The Time
Lastly, video game movies are big business now. This isn’t the early 2000s when studios really were taking a massive gamble by putting out a video game movie. These days, if the franchise is popular enough (Mario, Minecraft, Sonic, etc) people will likely turn up.
Now, I realize that the game franchise isn’t nearly as popular today as it was when The Spirits Within released, but I actually think that works in its favor. Let me explain. Every respective gamer has heard of Final Fantasy, as it just has such an important lineage when it comes to gaming history.
That said, even though it’s not as popular today as it was back in the day, it still has name value, which might intrigue people who want to check out what it's all about. This is important, because the more recent games, like XVI, haven’t really sold as well as Square Enix might have hoped, so the games might be running out of steam.
However, they haven’t tried to really branch out like they did back in 2001 by going into movies, and releasing a film might be the shot in the arm that the series so desperately needs.
Just look at how Nintendo is expanding their brand by making movies and theme parks now. Video game movies are in, and it might be the time for Square Enix to strike while the iron is hot. Because this probably isn't going to last forever.
What do you think? Would you see a new Final Fantasy movie? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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