DVD Movie Review | Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (Lights, Camera, Action!)

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (UK Rating: 12)

Like most Final Fantasy stories, a great crystal is at the heart of this one, and also at the heart of the great and powerful kingdom of Lucis. In this world, Lucis is the final kingdom left standing as the technologically advanced conquerors of Niflheim march across the land, subjugating all nations and kingdoms beneath them. With the power of the crystal and the magic of King Regis of Lucis, the kingdom has been able to fight back against Niflheim, thus far. Along with two great "walls" defending the crown jewel of Lucis, its capital city, "Insomnia" is also defended by an elite fighting force called the Kingsglaive, a team who receive magic passed to them from King Regis himself, the magic handed down through the bloodline of the Lucian Kings.

The story first gives a glimpse of a pivotal point in the war - King Regis taking his eight-year-old son Noctis to the land of Tenebrae for healing by the Tenebrae royalty. Niflheim jump on the opportunity to wipe out the Regis and his family but fail, instead killing the Queen of Tenebrae and taking her two children - Lunafreya and Ravus - hostage. Jump to 12 years later and the war is not going well for Lucis; every battle is costing them more ground and the elite Kingsglaive is no match for the demons of Niflheim, and then suddenly Niflheim offers a peace treaty to Lucis, and a generous one at that. If Lucis gives up all of its lands outside of its capital city of Insomnia, it will be left to rule independently from Niflheim in peace, although they also ask for a marriage between Lunafreya and Prince Noctis to seal the bargain.

The main story is mostly centred around the hero of the Kingsglaive soldiers. A man named Nyx Ulric, saved by King Regis himself at a young age, is fully dedicated to his King and his brothers in the Glaive. The story follows Nyx from the front lines to the capital city and against some impressive foes. He's certainly up to the task, though; the magic granted to him and the other Kingsglaive members allow him to use various spells familiar to any Final Fantasy player, along with giving him the ability to "warp" to his sword, a familiar sight from the gameplay glimpses seen of Final Fantasy XV. Final Fantasy stories are often critiqued for being hard to follow or overly convoluted. This is not the case with Kingsglaive as it's a simple "Damsel in Distress" style story with some basic political machinations.

Whilst the character development is rather lacking, the world building is superb and really whets the appetite for the main adventure to come, perfectly marrying the fantastical, fantasy vibes, and near-future technology. Insomnia has plenty of vibes of Midgar at points. The universe built for FFXV is an impressive one and has tons of potential. Of course, there are also plenty of Easter eggs and nods to keep long-time Final Fantasy fans happy. Fans will find themselves grinning as characters complain their food tastes like "Chocobo Turd," noticing a familiar jingle from one of Nobuo Uemetsu creations, or annoying their friends explaining that the giant Octopus monster thing is an Ultros.

It's difficult to convey just how good Kingsglaive looks. It is by far some of the best CG ever produced in games or animation. Character designs are not photo realistic and instead a unique blend of realism and anime-esque design, which makes for a signature and stunning end product. Faces and expressions perfectly capture and convey the feelings of the characters. Where the visuals shine the most, though, are during combat scenes. This is where the visuals become a spectacle, brilliantly directed and choreographed to make for some amazing battles. From the opening of the movie, which feels like Tarantino, Starship Troopers and Dragon Ball Z had a baby, to the climax that manages to include a huge Kaiju battle sequence, which causes more collateral damage than a Marvel movie.

Voice acting is not the easy gig many seem to think it is; many voice actors have such iconic voices it's impossible not to hear them instead of their character. Nyx does not suffer from this, as Aaron Paul's performance is one that is wholly original, with no trace of Jesse Pinkman. The other major voices here are hit and miss; Lena Heady, for instance, has some moments where she truly becomes Princess Luna, whereas at other times she seems to lose the Princess' voice and returns to her familiar dulcet tones, a voice that sounds far too old for the character, and just begins to sound like Cersei Lannister. In these moments, the Princess' lines feel emotionless and flat… it's very strange. Sean Bean's King Regis is great, though, with lines delivered perfectly. Weirdly, however, the lip synch seems to slip from time to time. It's not regular enough to majorly impact the movie but it is noticeable at points. It will be interesting to see if the Japanese dub suffers from the same synch issue and how the Japanese voice actors compare.

7/10

Very Good - Bronze Award

The main purpose of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is to get people interested and invested in the upcoming game, and it succeeds completely. It establishes a world and sets the pieces in motion, leaving viewers eager to get their hands on the RPG adventure and to find out how this story plays out. Not only that, but it looks superb while it does it. Any fans of Final Fantasy or those planning on buying Final Fantasy XV need to see this. 29th November for Square Enix's latest can't get here soon enough!