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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Play trailer Poster for Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within PG-13 2001 1h 46m Fantasy Adventure Sci-Fi Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
44% Tomatometer 144 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Blurring the lines between reality and computer animation, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is the first feature-length motion picture that brings vivid photorealism to computer-generated, human characters. The thrilling, futuristic action-adventure pits the earth and its people against the ultimate enemy - mysterious aliens that steal the energy from all living things on the planet.
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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

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Critics Consensus

The movie raises the bar for computer animated movies, but the story is dull and emotionally removed.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media Dec 24, 2010
2/5
First computer animated movie to "star" actors. Go to Full Review Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader Apr 12, 2010
I never stopped marveling at the thousands of individually delineated pores and hair strands of the heroine, but the thin story covering her acquisition of one wave after another while narrowly escaping death time and again is strictly for player one. Go to Full Review Todd McCarthy Variety Sep 9, 2008
This bigscreen adaptation of the long-popular interactive computer game is visually impressive if not dramatically cool, and is marked by "acting" that is no worse than that found in the majority of sci-fi films. Go to Full Review Michael D. Reid Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada) Apr 30, 2024
4/5
A strangely exhilarating and mesmerizing experience as it breaks new ground in the never-ending technological revolution. Go to Full Review Dan DiNicola The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) Apr 30, 2024
C
The storytelling here is inane, but the first major release to highlight a complete cast of computer-generated characters is a breakthrough of ominous proportions. Go to Full Review Tony Black Cultural Conversation Feb 16, 2021
2/5
A thuddingly joyless experience that feels twice as long, with a leaden pace, an awful script & phoned in performances. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Daniel L @Hotchopeppa Aug 2, 2026 Ok. Not amazing. Unfortunately it has absolutely nothing to do with the game series and the Final Fantasy universe. It’s just another military sci-fi movie. On its own, it’s entertaining enough but is nothing special. It’s the same story we’ve seen a 100 times before. See more Landon J @Minxsykitty Jul 25, 2026 Super boring, super predictable and generic. No risks taken, no reward reaped. Some CGI from this era is being rediscovered and praised for it's feel but I personally am not a fan of the style. See more Oaklee D @ODie63 Jul 1, 2026 As someone who knows nothing about Final Fantasy, The plot of this film was hard to follow. See more Tom J @RT82748570 Apr 15, 2026 I thought I was going to love it. To say that it disappointed is a complete understatement. Unless you have a thing for computer graphics and are okay with there being no plot and creeping along at a snails pace... This movie is awful, and it bankrupted the makers. See more lala l @LalaLies Jan 6, 2026 Complete boring script. See more Noel L @RT15930389 Nov 15, 2025 A pretty cool film overall. A star studded cast with realistic animation and a confusing plot See more Read all reviews
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

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Cast & Crew

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Hironobu Sakaguchi

Director

Ming-Na Wen

Doctor Aki Ross

Alec Baldwin

Captain Gray Edwards

Ving Rhames

Ryan

Steve Buscemi

Neil

Peri Gilpin

Jane

Movie Clips

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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: Official Clip - The Mega Phantom Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: Official Clip - The Mega Phantom 2:57 Now Playing Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: Official Clip - We're Surrounded Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: Official Clip - We're Surrounded 3:22 Now Playing View more videos

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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) A dedicated member of the Deep Eyes Squadron confronts an alien creature with a shower of gunfire in the Columbia Pictures/Square Pictures presentation, FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN. Scientist Aki Ross (left, voiced by Ming-Na), military captain Gray Edwards (center, voiced by Alec Baldwin) and Aki's mentor, Dr. Sid (voiced by Donald Sutherland). As the Deep Eyes look on, scientist Aki Ross (seated, voiced by Ming-Na) collects one of the eight spirits-a tiny green plant-she believes will save the planet. FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN blends spiritual underpinnings with the energy of the digital gaming medium and the scope of the motion picture environment. Aki (voiced by Ming-Na) is able to communicate with the alien invaders through a series of dreams which carry her across time to their home planet. Representing the continuing evolution of the synergy between gaming and cinema, FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN is the next creative step from the trendsetting and hugely popular game series. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Blurring the lines between reality and computer animation, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is the first feature-length motion picture that brings vivid photorealism to computer-generated, human characters. The thrilling, futuristic action-adventure pits the earth and its people against the ultimate enemy - mysterious aliens that steal the energy from all living things on the planet.
Director
Hironobu Sakaguchi
Producer
Hironobu Sakaguchi, Jun Aida, Chris Lee
Screenwriter
Al Reinert, Jeff Vintar, Hironobu Sakaguchi
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Square Company, Chris Lee Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Sci-Fi Violence|Sci-Fi Action)
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 11, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 9, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.1M
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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