Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 29, 2016

Video game and Final Fantasy fans weren't too thrilled when the hotly anticipated release of Final Fantasy XV was delayed until November, but hopefully this companion animated film can tide them over a little while longer. Based around the now-upcoming game, the intricately constructed film dazzles in its display of digital detail but stumbles when it comes to shaping a stimulating story to go along with it. Sure there's plenty of intrigue, action, spectacle, and worlds made of a rather unique construction that blends contemporary real-world technology with almost medieval accents (it might remind some viewers of Director Julie Taymor's Titus in that regard), but there's no denying that the superficialities devour the story along the way. A pleasure to watch -- literally, to watch -- but a bit of a slog in its companion narrative dealings, the film may very well please longtime series fans and compliment the game, but as a standalone movie for the masses it's a bit of a miss.

For a long time, the magic of the Divine Crystal has blessed the people of Lucis. However, the crystal's great power has now brought hardship to the land. The technologically advanced kingdom of Niflheim has long waged war against Lucis, which is protected by both the crystal's power and an elite military unit known as the "Kingsglaive," but hostilities are about to come to a standstill. The warring factions have agreed to a peace treaty. King Regis of Lucis (voiced by Sean Bean) has agreed to an arranged marriage between his son, Prince Noctis (voiced by Ray Chase), and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret (voiced by Lena Headey), once a princess of the Niflheim-conquered land of Tenebrae. But Nyx (voiced by Aaron Paul), one of the Kingsglaive, comes into crucial information that all may not be as it seems in the brokered peace between the warring factions.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is unquestionably a dazzling movie in terms of its sheer technical construction. Those who have played some of the most advanced current-generation video games are no doubt familiar with the amazing advances in digital cutscene technology which have enhanced story and showed off the graphical prowess of today's machines. Film is certainly a different beast, and with the filmmakers not having to worry about anything beyond the presentation (i.e. gameplay), it's expectedly fantastic. There's endless detail not just on characters or critical environments but within the entire world depicted in the movie, more impressive considering the diverse environments, characters, factions, attire, weapons, and everything else that has gone into the story. It's a dense, complex, and finely honed work of digital art that, combined with John R. Graham's fantastic score and quality voice work from the primaries, make the movie nothing less than a technical marvel. But little else of it really holds up to even a fraction of the same scrutiny.

The narrative proper is simply overwhelmed by all of the surrounding detail. And it's not just that the movie looks and sounds amazing, it's that the story is weighed down by its own complexities, that its characters lack nuance even as the movie tries to inject them with just that, and that it just feels more geared towards audiences more familiar with the worlds of Final Fantasy or who have, at least, absorbed every last morsel of information -- article, screen grabs, videos, game conference presentations -- about the upcoming game. There's just too much depth for its own good, and even at two hours it feels forced and crammed together rather than organic. Certainly the greater storyline should play out with more precision in the game, where there will be near countless hours to explore it in detail rather than the limited runtime of its cinematic counterpart. Just the verbiage can be a challenge, never mind the social and political intricacies therein. The film feels like burden rather than a pleasure, a shame considering that it's a joy to watch, just not to really follow.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV's expert digital construction translates very nicely to Blu-ray. The movie's spectacular design, all of its intricacies and complexities, each little bit of detail appears faithfully rendered and presented. Facial stubble is tangibly coarse. Ornate structural details appear naturally smooth. Hair can be a little stiff in places but there's no questioning the level of sheer detail on display under the 1080p microscope. Clarity is fantastic, and there's no missing all of the finer point textural nuances on display throughout the movie. Colors are a bit more reserved, with a fairly bleak gray/blue scheme dominating much of the proceedings. Splashes of brighter shades seem just a little held back, and there appears to be a minor desaturation and washed-out look to the movie. Black levels hold up nicely, however, though characters do take on a slightly pale appearance. Aliasing, which often interrupts even high end video game cutscenes, is far less problematic here. It will be interesting to see how the game actually plays out in the home, both on the standard and "Pro" models of the PS4, to see how close a console presentation can match a full-fledged digitally animated movie. Early reports indicate that the game will certainly be right up there.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV sounds rather good, too. The signature effect is certainly the movie's punishing, sometimes unrelenting low end output. Battle scenes are awash in bass, the sort that literally shakes the seating but does so with a controlled aggression that accentuates, not dominates. Acton is further enhanced with a total stage saturation of stuff. Whizzing objects, clattering weapons, screaming combatants, and general mayhem all spill into the stage, but the track's proficiency and the engineering detail shine through as none of it really gets lost in the shuffle. The din is clearly defined and rather than a mass of sound there's an unmistakable harmony to it all. Lighter ambient effects are many and make use of the entire stage. Outside of battle there are several good examples of directional movement and precise placement of sound, including stage saturating echoes in larger, but enclosed, spaces. Music is rich and well spaced and dialogue plays with natural prioritization, clarity, and efficient center positioning. This is a very enjoyable track from Sony.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV contains four featurettes that dive into the film's technical construction. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• A Way with Words: Epic and Intimate Vocals (1080p, 4:53): Discussions with the voice cast about the process and the characters they voice. Also included are a few clips that juxtapose work in the studio with the corresponding moment from the film.
• To Capture the Kingsglaive: The Process (1080p, 6:08): A detailed look at the motion capture technology used in making the movie.
• Fit for the Kingsglaive: Building the World (1080p, 5:35): A discussion of the film's environments, costumes, and characters, including design and inspiration. The piece is primarily in Japanese with English subtitles.
• Emotive Music: Scoring The Kingsglaive (1080p, 6:05): This piece examines John R. Graham's score and how it reflects and compliments Final Fantasy's complexities.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is a technical marvel paired with a rather lackluster movie -- at least in delivery -- around it. It has some highlight moments of action and intrigue, but there's too much density to be satisfied within the confines of a two-hour film. Here's hoping the game finds the opportunity to better flesh it all out, because there's too beautiful an infrastructure here to waste. Sony's Blu-ray release of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV features excellent video and audio. The companion featurettes do a good job of filling in some of the story behind the movie's technical construction. Rent it alongside the game.