Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is a rare example of a director’s cut that transforms a flawed work into a masterpiece. It respects the audience’s intelligence by restoring lore, deepens the original game’s themes of ecological grief and mental health, and sets a gold standard for how to update CGI films for new media. For fans, it is the definitive ending to the FFVII saga – until Remake challenged that notion. For scholars, it represents a key text in transmedia storytelling, where a film, game, novella, and Blu-ray technology converge to complete a 12-year narrative arc.
Final Verdict: Essential viewing. Not a cash-grab, but a creative restoration. Cloud’s final smile – held for two seconds longer in ACC than the original – says everything. He is finally complete.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is the definitive 2009 "director’s cut" of the original 2005 CGI film. It isn't just a remaster; it’s a significant overhaul that fixes the pacing issues and narrative gaps of the original release, making it a mandatory watch for fans of the What Makes "Complete" Different? The "Complete" version adds roughly 26 minutes of new footage , but its impact goes beyond just runtime: Deeper Emotional Stakes: The new scenes focus heavily on
, giving the "Geostigma" pandemic a human face. You actually see the suffering of the children, which makes Cloud’s quest for a cure feel urgent rather than just a series of cool fights. The "Lifestream" Sequence: Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children Complete 10...
The battle between Cloud and Sephiroth is expanded significantly. It’s more brutal, showing Cloud taking realistic damage (including the iconic "Great Gospel" inspired healing moment) and clarifying how he taps into his old strength. Visual Polish:
Beyond the 1080p upgrade, the film added grit. Characters get dirty, sweat, and bleed—details that were largely absent in the sanitized 2005 version. Legacy and Connection to Remake While the original film felt like a flashy tech demo, Advent Children Complete feels like a cohesive epilogue. It explores Cloud’s PTSD
and his struggle with the "hero" mantle after the events of the original game. Interestingly, the Final Fantasy VII Remake Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is a
trilogy has begun to lean heavily into the lore established here (specifically the "Whispers" and the three brothers Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo), making this film more relevant now than it has been in a decade. The Verdict
If you’re a fan, the original version is effectively obsolete.
turns a confusing, albeit beautiful, action reel into a somber, high-octane meditation on grief and moving on. Remake trilogy connects to the specific ending of this movie? Square Enix famously used Advent Children Complete as
Square Enix famously used Advent Children Complete as a technical showcase for the PlayStation 3 (included as a bonus disc with the Final Fantasy XIII demo). But more importantly, it served as the narrative and aesthetic blueprint for the Remake trilogy. The combat choreography—Cloud parrying bullets, the particle effects of magic, the seamless summoning of Bahamut—was directly lifted from Complete and iterated upon for the PS4/PS5. In essence, the 10th anniversary of Complete aligns perfectly with the development and release of Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) and Rebirth (2024). Watching Complete today feels less like watching a sequel and more like watching the conceptual animatic for the modern games.
If you want to experience the film as it was meant to be seen during this 10th anniversary milestone, skip the 2005 DVD. You need the 2009 Blu-ray edition or the 2021 4K Ultra HD release (which uses the Complete cut).
The 10th anniversary retrospectives have highlighted the evolution of the English voice cast. The original 2005 dub was rushed and often wooden. For Complete, Square Enix re-recorded the entire English audio track with a new cast (including Steve Burton as Cloud and George Newbern as Sephiroth) and improved direction. As we look back a decade later, this is the cast that fans now hear in their heads. The Complete edition canonized the voices of Crisis Core, Dirge, and eventually Remake.
