Between this, вЂњBoJack Horseman,вЂќ and a seemingly endless string of commercials, the вЂњBreaking BadвЂќ actor is charting a bright new career for himself in the voiceover world, but heвЂ™s far more fun to listen to when heвЂ™s playing a character who isnвЂ™t too generic to take advantage of his noble stoner vibes. One member of the Kingsglaive does manage to stand out, but thatвЂ™s only because Aaron PaulвЂ™s distractingly recognizable voice comes out of his mouth whenever he speaks. Introduced via a mind-numbingly hectic battle that feels likes a cross between вЂњStarship TroopersвЂќ and вЂњThe AvengersвЂќ but isnвЂ™t half as much fun as it sounds, the Kingsglaive are a bunch of largely indistinguishable bros who - like the characters in вЂњFinal Fantasy XVвЂќ - have the neat ability to teleport wherever they throw their weapons. As suggested by its title, the film is really about the Kingsglaive, a thoroughly uninteresting unit of elite soldiers who share RegisвЂ™ power and are sworn to protect him at all costs. Intrigue! But donвЂ™t get too comfortable, because none of this stuff really matters. The strangest item: The king of LucisвЂ™ son (the absent protagonist of the videogame) will have to wed a Niflheim princess named Lunafreya (Headey). LucisвЂ™ only defense against the Niflheim forces and the kaiju-like war machines they have at their disposal is the giant magic barrier that cocoons the ridiculously named capital city of Insomnia.ДЄs the film begins in earnest, Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, the king of Lucis (voiced by вЂњGame of ThronesвЂќ star Sean Bean) has just come to the grim realization that he wonвЂ™t be able to protect Insomnia for much longer, and the super evil chancellor of Niflheim - realizing a chance to strike - has offered an unexpected ceasefire that comes with all kinds of strings attached. Long story short, a vicious war is raging between Lucis - the only empire that still has one of those sweet magic crystals - and Niflheim, who are super jealous about it, and have compensated by developing a wealth of destructive technology and an insatiable lust to use it. вЂњFor centuries, the sacred magic of the divine crystal blessed our world and its people,вЂќ orates вЂњGame of ThronesвЂќ star Lena Headey, name-checking at least one crucial вЂњFinal FantasyвЂќ term before launching into a frenzied crash course on the recent political history of the Earth-like planet of Eos. You know how Peter Jackson so cleanly laid out the backstory of Middle Earth in the first few minutes of вЂњThe Fellowship of the Ring?вЂќ Nozue doesnвЂ™t.

An 115-minute feature thatвЂ™s been explicitly designed to raise awareness for the November 29 release of вЂњFinal Fantasy XVвЂќ (a financial behemoth that, by this point in its troubled 10-year development process, is practically the вЂњChinese DemocracyвЂќ of massive Japanese videogames), the project was first announced as part of a star-studded press conference earlier this year, at which famous voice talent was trotted out to assure fans of the franchise that all of their waiting had been worth it, because вЂњFinal Fantasy XVвЂќ was going to be a bonafide multimedia event.Дirected by Takeshi Nozue (who also helmed вЂњAdvent ChildrenвЂќ) and boasting a plot that supposedly runs parallel to that of the videogame, вЂњKingsglaiveвЂќ begins with a prologue so densely packed with convoluted lore that youвЂ™ll likely be lost by the time you reach the title card. вЂњKingsglaive: Final Fantasy XVвЂќ is certainly the most confident and purposeful of the films that have been adapted from the RPG series.

Then, in 2005, came вЂњFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children.вЂќ An animated direct-to-video sequel to the most widely beloved game in the franchise, the film needlessly confused an epic story that had already come to a satisfying end.Дeveloper Square Enix is hoping that the third timeвЂ™s the charm, and theyвЂ™ve pulled out all of the stops (and a boatload of cash) to help ensure that luck is on their side.

Released in the summer of 2001, the supposedly photorealistic 2001вЂ™s вЂњFinal Fantasy: The Spirits WithinвЂќ was too far ahead of its time, and too tenuously connected to its namesake (the only common thread is a character named Cid and the pre-rendered aesthetic of a videogame cut-scene).

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