Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (Review)
By: Mithrandiel[yasr_multiset setid=6]
Warning - Spoilers Ahead!
I love Rotten Tomatoes. It's really useful for me to head over there and see what critics think of the latest movies, and I know I'm not the only one. So, when the Final Fantasy XV movie, Kingsglaive, hit theaters, I was curious to see what they had to say. In the immortal words of Hagrid: "I should not have done that."
Now, to be fair, consider two things. First, Rotten Tomatoes is only counting 13 total reviews. Second, the audience score is nearly 10 times higher - and that's to be expected. Square Enix didn't make this game to win Oscars - they made it to introduce the world of Final Fantasy XV to the eager fans who now have to wait another two months before it comes out.On that front, Kingsglaive does an admirable job of introducing the major players and events in the first half of the movie. We are first introduced to the feuding kingdoms of Lucis and Niflheim. Lucis, home of Final Fantasy XV protagonist Noctis, is protected by the magic of the immortal Crystal as well as King Regis' formidable magical abilities. Though Niflheim lacks the crystal, its investments in technology have helped it grow into an effective war-machine that has successfully captured the majority of the continent with the exception of the grand capital of Lucis - Insomnia. Protected by a magic wall generated by the crystal, Niflheim has been unable to advance on this final bastion of freedom.Within the wall, we learn more of King Regis and his elite guard. 12 years earlier, King Regis had traveled to the allied kingdom of Tenebrae to help cure Noctis after he suffered a serious injury. While visiting, Niflheim attacked and killed the Queen of Tenebrae, subjugating the rest of the kingdom and taking the young princess of Tenebrae, Lunafreya, hostage. Following this tragic incident, King Regis diverted some of his magical ability into an elite group of warriors known as the "Kingsglaive". These men and women take the fight to Niflheim using the magical ability bestowed upon them by the King - but they continue to fight an uphill battle.Among these elite soldiers is a man named Nyx Ulric. A skilled fighter, Nyx is your stereotypical daredevil-hero who puts his life on the line for his friends, and of course has a tormented past to boot. Is he the most original or interesting hero ever? No, but Aaron Paul does a good job bringing him to life.
After a particularly grueling battle at the start of the movie, the chancellor of Niflheim appears in front of King Regis and offers up terms for peace. Though the wall continues to protect Insomnia, King Regis wishes for an end to the fighting and entertains the idea of a peace treaty. There are two conditions - Lucis is to surrender all remaining territories with the exception of Insomnia, and Prince Noctis is to marry the former princess of Tenebrae - Lunafreya. The negotiations and treaty-signing that follow serve as the catalyst for the rest of the movie.Central to the political intrigue is King Regis - brought brilliantly to life by the one and only Sean Bean. He is undoubtedly the standout performance in Kingsglaive. He actively struggles with the guilt of letting Niflheim capture Lunafreya, the mounting deaths of his people outside of the wall, and his concern for his son, Noctis. Seeing him in action makes me want a prequel, as the King at his prime was no doubt quite the badass.
The peripheral characters seem interesting enough, but suffer from inconsistent voice acting quality. Libertus, another member of the Kingsglaive, has some particularly painful lines that are an effective distraction from his overall performance. Lunafreya, voiced by Lena Hedley (AKA Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones) probably has the most perplexing performance. Lena's voice certainly has an air of regality and authority, but when combined with Lunafreya's self-sacrificing attitude and commitment to "Make her own miracles" without the use of magic, she becomes an unwitting source of comic relief.For all of the inconsistent voice acting, the animation of Kingsglaive helps to balance the overall quality of the film. From start to finish, the CGI animation is gorgeous. I'm looking forward to more cutscenes and CGI of this quality once Final Fantasy XV arrives, but in the meantime it was extremely impressive to see how far we've come since Final Fantasy's first CGI film - The Spirits Within. The final 30 minutes or so is a visual tour de force that offers up some breathtaking action sequences, though it has its fair share of disorienting moments.
Many critics have said that the story is "muddled" or "confusing". I disagree. I think that there's a clear central plot that runs its course, and I don't think it's hard to follow even if you aren't a fan of Final Fantasy. That being said, there are certainly elements of the story that, if given just a little more explanation, could have helped to flesh out the underlying political tensions even further. One example - there's a recurring element of the story surrounding the Kingsglaive being a bunch of "immigrants". Apparently, the majority if not all of the Kingsglaive were former inhabitants of the cities and territories outside of the wall. Therefore, when King Regis accepts the peace terms to surrender all of the territories outside of Insomnia, this is understandably seen as a slap in the face for the many Kingsglaive members who still have family and friends in Niflheim-controlled territories. This is an intriguing plot-point that has a profound impact on the overall story, but the movie doesn't piece it together for you.Despite its opportunities, Kingsglaive is a beautifully animated journey into the world of Final Fantasy XV that is sure to entertain. Though there are a number of loose ends and plot-points that seem to buckle upon closer inspection, the larger story and dramatic conclusion is a compelling spark that sets the plot of Final Fantasy XV in motion. Critics pan the film as "one long video game cutscene" as if it's a bad thing. Trust me, it's not.
