Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is an anime film serving as prequel to
the Final Fantasy XV game. It’s set in the alternate world called Eos, which
is divided into kingdoms that hold magical crystals. However, in recent years, the
militaristic and technologically-advanced Niflheim Empire has conquered all of the
kingdoms except for Lucis, which is protected by a magical wall raised
by its reigning king, Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII (voiced in English by Sean
Bean. Yes, the Sean Bean, the beloved actor that played Boromir and Ned
Stark), by using the magic of the kingdom’s crystal. Beyond the wall, at Lucis’ borders, the
advancing armies of Niflheim are being fought off by the Kingsglaive, an elite
guard made up of recruited immigrants capable of being empowered by the king’s
magic. After years of destructive war,
Niflheim sues for peace in exchange for Lucis’ territories outside of its
capital and the marriage of its Prince Noctis (the main character of the game)
to Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret (voiced by Cersei Lannister herself, Lena
Headey), former princess of the kingdom of Tenebrae, which has been made an
Imperial Province after being invaded by Niflheim. The plot centers on a Kingsglaive member
named Nyx Ulric (voiced by Aaron Paul, Breaking
Bad’s Jesse Pinkman), who gets caught up with Lunafreya and King Regis’
struggles against Niflheim’s treachery.
I was easily enthralled by the
stunning animation and the richness of its lore and setting. As a science fantasy, I love the way it did
its merging of science fiction and fantasy – building a world that features modern
designs, architecture, fashion, and technologies, but with science fiction and fantasy
tropes and elements added to the mix as well.
I found it immensely delightful to see magical characters fighting
demons, monsters, robots, and futuristic aircraft, and then in a later scene,
they’re in a 21st century metropolis that has roads, cars,
televisions, skyscrapers, and street food; or a council made up of people in
robes and business suits. As far as
worldbuilding and visuals are concerned, this movie is a joy to watch.
Unfortunately, considering it’s a
prologue to the game, it feels like an underdeveloped story, with many
unsettled plot points. The narrative is convoluted
and muddled. The characters and dialogue
aren’t much interesting, coming off as flat and cheesy several times – negating
the advantage of having such likeable voice cast. And the pacing is so uneven and the editing
disjointed that this movie feels like one of those Youtube videos that compile
all of a game’s cutscenes in chronological order (usually, when the cutscenes
are combined, the resulting length time is similar of that of a feature-length
movie).
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is beautiful. But it just doesn’t work as a standalone
movie. It’s simply the exciting, glorified
trailer for Final Fantasy XV that it
is. And in that context, watching it would
definitely incite fans and gamers to play the game.
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