FFVII: Advent Children - Illustrated Plot Report
Warning: Use of undefined constant Date - assumed 'Date' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /mnt/web203/e0/91/54654191/htdocs/news/news.php on line 76
Sep 05, 2004Warning: Use of undefined constant Story - assumed 'Story' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /mnt/web203/e0/91/54654191/htdocs/news/news.php on line 78 Warning: Use of undefined constant Story - assumed 'Story' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /mnt/web203/e0/91/54654191/htdocs/news/news.php on line 79 Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - or a 25-minute ‘trailer’ of sorts, at least - premiered last night during the Venice Film Festival (see alhana’s article), and was met with high acclaim and praise all-round. Since full, non-spoiler details of the festival are covered in the sister article linked above, it seemed only right that this one focused upon the opposite end of the spectrum.
The spoilers. Or, rather, what plot information we’ve found out so far from various sources.
Keep in mind that this screening was only 25 minutes long, and you’ll realise we only have one-third of the total film to work off, but what points were revealed seemed very definite, and appear to be the outline of the whole movie’s plot.
Just to be safe…: Everything below this line contains whacking-great spoilers about the plot of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. If you don’t want to know anything about the film’s plot, or a minimal amount, please close this page and hide in a corner until the film is released. Thank-you.
Okay, please be aware that this plot synopsis is constructed from various other articles by witnesses of the Venice screenings. Dialogue has been kept in context, but edited into proper English (due to some clumsy grammar/sentence structure mistakes). This is all unofficial, and as such everything may not be 100% accurate and is subject to change. Any vague areas will be placed in italic text to show that it happens, but we’re not sure how. Yeah, that was the disclaimer for all those interested in that stuff.
 |
Marlene’s voice filters on over a black screen, retelling the events of Final Fantasy VII. She speaks of ShinRa Inc., of their planet-sucking Mako Reactors, the battle to stop Sephiroth’s dastardly plan, Aeris’ sacrifice and, finally, Meteor’s descent upon the planet and the ravaging of Midgar.
 |  |  |
We’re now two years from the events described above. The planet is at peace, and ShinRa have collapsed, weakened by the vacuum created in the death of its President. Not all is well though; in the time since the struggle against Sephiroth, a mysterious disease known as ‘Geostigma’ has hit the survivors of the world, and it prays without prejudice on any - especially children - who are in its path. As far as anyone knows, there is no cure, and to be afflicted is to be as good as dead…
Marlene, Barret’s adopted daughter, sits at the bedside of a young boy named Denzel. He, like so many on the planet, has been struck down by Geostigma, and is fighting daily against the disease. She’s able to do little but watch her friend’s effort against the virus in his system. “Please don’t take him away from me,” she whispers.
Downstairs, Tifa Lockheart is alone in her work. During the last two years she’s become somewhat more distant, and there’s a definite sadness in her eyes that she carries with her day by day. Her phone rings, and with an answer of, “Strife Courier Service, how can we help you?” she takes the call. It seems that she and Cloud both run a business together, and in her spare time she looks after Denzel, Marlene and other orphans. The voice on the other end of the line simply asks for Cloud, leaving a minimum of details, and hangs up. Frowning, Tifa dials a number into her PHS.
 |  |  |
Sitting atop his motorcycle, Fenrir, and gazing vacantly out over a dusty wasteland, Cloud Strife listens as his phone starts ringing. He, like Tifa, has changed in the two years since the Meteor Incident, and is far more closed off to the world than he ever was. He answers his phone brusquely, and half-heartedly listens as Tifa informs him that Reno, formerly of the ShinRa Turks, has a job for him. With barely a word back to her he ends the call, and then gazes down at his left arm. Not only limited to children, it seems Geostigma has him within its grasp too…
Three silver-haired warriors appear, riding motorbikes similar to Cloud’s. “Where is Mother!? Where did you hide her, Brother!?” one of the men screams. A battle ensures, but Cloud manages to evade them and make his way towards the Healin Lodge; a new settlement located between Midgar, Kalm Town and the Chocobo Ranch.
 |  |  |
Now standing in a room, either near or within the Lodge itself, Cloud finds himself face-to-face with Reno, Rude, and a wheelchair-bound man shrouded in a white cloak. The white-shrouded man has a voice that’s apparently very similar to that of Sephiroth’s, but he talks about the former demi-god in the third person. “Our ultimate purpose is to restore the world,” he mentions. With the head of Jenova, they could even create another Sephiroth.” He, along with both the Turks, asks Cloud for protection, but is turned down by the weary man. Cloud then leaves.
The three silver-haired warriors - Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo - attack the Healin Lodge, overpowering and defeating the two Turks. They surround the white-shrouded man, and what passes between them suggests that they know each other, and that what’s happening isn’t all that unexpected…The white-shrouded figure is taken by the trio.
 |  |  |
Meanwhile, Tifa and Marlene have travelled to Aeris’ Church in Midgar’s Sector 6 slums. They’re clearly looking for Cloud, because Marlene asks, “Is this where Cloud lives?” “So it seems,” Tifa replies, and is disturbed when, moments later, Marlene discovers bandages lying on the floor. Having tended Denzel for so long, they both recognise that Cloud’s infected with Geostigma. Tifa ponders that Cloud is attempting to fight the disease alone, away from any possible aid from others, but then stops herself…
…She knows Cloud better. She knows he’s lost so much hope in the last two years that he’s not going to fight.
Loz appears, armed with a wrist-mounted energy gauntlet. Pushing Marlene away, Tifa moves to intercept him, and the two fight through the building. Sadly, Tifa’s no match for the silver-haired warrior, and is defeated only after taking a real beating. With her out of the way, Loz kidnaps Marlene and leaves the Church. The trio also kidnap all the other children Tifa’s been looking after.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  | |
Arriving too late, Cloud is helpless to do anything but gather up her unconscious body and take her back to her house. She regains consciousness long enough to tell him of Marlene’s fate and to question him about his own Geostigma affliction, and he realises exactly where the trio are heading; the City of the Ancients. Reno and Rude turn up to look after Tifa.
Speeding along through the Sleeping Forest on Fenrir, Cloud’s having trouble concentrating. His thoughts keep drifting inwards, until suddenly he’s standing, apparently alone, within a white void. It takes him several moments to notice the flowers underfoot, and he suddenly realises he’s within a flowery meadow that seems to stretch on as far as the eye can see.
It doesn’t take him long to work out that he’s not alone; that he’s standing back-to-back with someone dead these past two years. Aeris Gainsbourgh, the woman killed by Sephiroth while praying for the salvation of Gaia.
 | |  |
“I think I want to be forgiven…” he tells her. “Yes…I want to be forgiven.”
“Forgiven? By who?” Her reply is lighthearted, almost laughing at the absurdity of his turmoil. “I never blamed you for anything.”
“But I let you die!”
”You have to learn to forgive yourself,” she reassures him. He’s so torn and fragmented by the guilt over her death that he’s literally just prepared to give up and let himself die. She tells him all that mattered was he tried to save her.
Denzel, the little sickly boy at Tifa’s, is held up as an example to him. The child fights the disease with each day of his life, so why shouldn’t Cloud? With this in mind, Cloud’s resolve is strengthened some, but when he turns to try and catch a glimpse of Aeris’ face, he’s back in the Sleeping Forest, speeding along on his bike, and directly in front of him stand Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo.
A battle erupts between the trio and Cloud. Outnumbered and outgunned, Cloud is helpless to do anything but fall back against his adversaries. To make matters worse, children are being used as a human shield, to prevent him from reaching his foes, and the fight ends with Cloud on the ground with Kadaj’s twin-bladed katana at his throat.
 |  |  |
 | |  |
It transpires that Kadaj has enlisted the child victims of Geostigma’s help by telling them that he has a cure to their ailment. In return, the children are willing to go against the world that has shunned them. With Cloud defeated, Kadaj takes the time to point out that Cloud is their brother, but also a traitor (it’s unlikely they mean biological brother, of course; it’s likely to be a symbolic title).
Help comes from an unexpected quarter as Vincent arrives to spirit Cloud away, and Marlene follows as they flee. Relocating to a lake, the two men argue about their differing points of view. Sensing that Vincent knows more - much more - than he’s letting on, Cloud asks his old friend just what is going on.
“Geostigma is the reaction of human bodies that are trying to expel certain toxins: Sephiroth's gene, Jenova’s cells, whatever you may want to call them. There is a thing like the Lifestream that flows in our bodies, and it is fighting against the wicked substance that has penetrated us. Geostigma is the result of all that.
Still wallowing in self-doubt, Cloud states he still wants to do things his way. Marlene, unwilling to just sit back and listen to his defeatist attitude, is enraged by this, and her challenging his fate awakens something within Cloud. He finally realises what he needs to do, and prepares himself for a struggle greater than any he’s faced before… Now determined, he asks Vincent to take Marlene to safety, but the request is refused. Vincent will travel with Cloud, and both men will seek redemption for their sins. They depart for Midgar.
 |  |  |
|  | |
Back in that same city, things are going from bad to worse. Monsters of an unknown origin have spawned and begun attacking inhabitants of the city, and all the infected children kidnapped by the silver-haired trio are milling aimlessly around the square, seemingly possessed. Overlooking the proceeding from above, Kadaj is growing increasingly frustrated. To create yet more chaos, he charges up a single, glowing material, whirls around, and fires it into the clouds…
 |  |  |
 | |  |
Even as this is happening, a recovered Tifa is battling through the fleeing civilians to try and reach Denzel, who’s one of the children in the square. He says nothing, but turns to look at her with power flaring in his eyes…
As if from no-where, a group of familiar figures appear to turn the tide of battle. Barret, Cid, Red XIII, Vincent and Yuffie all launch themselves into the square in a bid to defend the people of Midgar, and find themselves up against the power of Bahamut; the result of the energy burst fired into the clouds. Tifa explains to Denzel that, “they’re our friends.” They defeat both the monsters and Bahamut.
 |  |  |
 | |  |
As Cloud tries to re-enter Midgar on Fenrir, he’s ambushed by Yazoo on his own bike. The two clash with both gun and blade. Meanwhile, Reno and Rude confront Loz…
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Kadaj, however, rides alone to Aeris’ church, cradling a metal box. He moves to the middle of the flower field within, whispering, “Ah, Mother,” and opens it, only to find that something’s seemingly wrong. Enraged, he is helpless to do anything but cry out, “Mother!” over and over…
The final sequence of the 25 minute film has been described as, “nothing short of insane.” Cloud, surrounded by explosions, is shown wielding a sword in each hand. Debris is being thrown in all directions, and he’s in the air, a huge cloud of rock and masonry heading right for him. He breaks his fall momentarily by jamming his blades into the side of a building, then launches himself into the heart of the debris, cutting and twisting his way through.
“I won’t be just a memory…” a voice echoes around him. Through him.
As Cloud ascends, his nemesis hurtles towards him. Clad in the familiar armour, wielding that familiar sword…Sephiroth smiles.*1
 |
*1 - It isn't stated in any of the sources exactly how Sephiroth is appearing. It could be Cloud experiencing a flashback to the razing of Nibelheim, or it could be Sephiroth himself, resurrected, back to fight his old adversary. It's just not known, and so remains open for speculation until further footage is released.
As originally said, this may not all be 100% accurate; I’ve compiled it from a total of three sources made by observers at the Venice Film Festival, and there’re some places where their reports differ. However, I’d say it’s accurate enough, for the most part.
 |
Because all of this was shown in a mere twenty-five minutes (leaving a good hour of the film unshown), there’re obviously some moments in the film that we know to exist through trailers and screenshots, but which may not have been shown (and were certainly not chronicled) at the Film Festival. Below is a list of known scenes, as well as a guess at where they might slot into the movie.
Scene #1: Kadaj Vs Cloud on the Highway
Shown in Trailers One through Three, Kadaj and Cloud’s epic, almost anime-like fight on and around the Midgar Highway doesn’t appear to have been ‘placed’ within the shown film at the Festival. Since Cloud only seems to do battle with the Silver Haired trio in Midgar towards the end of the film (his fight with Yazoo) it’s highly likely that this may actually be the final showdown between the two men.
 |  |  |
 | |  |
Scene #2: Cloud visits Zack’s final resting place
Seen in Trailers Two and Three, this scene shows Cloud, alone, standing on a cliff overlooking Midgar. There he finds Zack’s old Buster Sword, along with a handful of withered flowers, and taking it in hand he drives it point-first into the ground. The three likely locations for this scene are:
1) The very beginning of the movie, prior to Tifa’s phonecall about Reno’s call.
2) Following the scene between Vincent and Cloud in the Sleeping Forest, just before Cloud arrives to fight Yazoo.
3) Right at the end of the movie, following all the fighting. It could be a way for Cloud to say goodbye to his guilt and his past.
 |  |  |
Scene #3: Kadaj addresses the children
In Trailer Three, Kadaj (flanked by Loz and Yazoo) is seen speaking passionately to a crowd of gathered children. Since he’s clearly in the City of the Ancients, this scene must be where he promises them the cure for Geostigma, assuming that they help him in his fight. It’s likely to take place just before Cloud’s dreamscape talk with Aeris in the Sleeping Forest.
 | |  |
Credits:
Article written by Pulsar for Final Fantasy: Worlds Apart.
Sources:
Advent Children.net
Gamespot
Final Fantasy Dimension
Related Links:
News Article - Advent Children in Venice becomes a success
News Article - Advent Children Venice debut information
News Article - The Scoop On Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Forum Thread - FFVII:AC General Discussion Thread (Part the Third)