A plot dense with sci-fi conventions and calculated action moments, rife with contrivance and banal banter, and wrapped around a high concept conceit that pits the natural and spiritual worlds in scientific co-existence, the story of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a send up to all the campy fun Hollywood can muster. Even the alien designs are evocative of H.R. Geiger's Alien creations; some of the ship designs reminiscent of Star Fleet Academy vessels; the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Earth straight out of any number of films from Road Warrior to Escape From New York. Needless to say, the film marks a distinct departure from the hybrid rustic/technological aesthetic of the popular video game franchise.

However, the judgment of art should at first begin against pieces in the same form, and as a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster, Final Fantasy has more to offer than most industry fare - the human relationships are earnest, and played by voice actors that understand nuance over caricature; complex political dynamics between the military and the scientific community, though not necessarily original, serve to heighten the axis between hubris (embodied in the character of General Hein) and consanguinity with the ethereal (embodied, ironically, in the film's scientists, Aki and Sid); and the story drives toward an uplifting ending but with the kind of sacrifices required of truly tragic figures.

The film's weaknesses, though, derive from the creator's attempting to appease both the video game enthusiasts and the lowest common denominator of the mainstream audience. Square Pictures erroneously believed that the cross roads of the two markets would be the technological marvel of the computer graphics, painstakingly programmed to replicate the anatomical features of humanity closer than any computer generated characters thus far created. The result is impressive, but takes an immediate back seat when the film dives into its story, which could have afforded to shed some of its video game and Hollywood blockbuster conventions to unleash the gripping tale of the Earth's Gaia (spiritual force). Moments meant only for sheer dramatic effect wedge between the fluid beats of Aki and Sid's quest to discover the mystery behind Gaia.

But that quest is a compelling science fiction epic worthy of attention by the public at large, and especially by fans of the genre. Removed from the hype and expectations surrounding its cinematic release, the film is by far the best science fiction film of the year.