Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

In Theaters: Jul 13, 2001
On DVD: Oct 23, 2001
Studio: Square Pictures
Length: 1h 46m
MPA rating: PG-13
VIEW ON IMDB

Overall Score

Rating Overview

Franko

Jonathan

Chris

Rating Summary

"Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within", we handed out our final scores and found ourselves wondering how differently we might have viewed the film back in 2001. While our ratings landed anywhere from a 45 to a 70 out of 100, we all agreed that the movie is a fascinating experiment, even if it doesn't fully come together. For us, one of the biggest issues is how rushed the story feels. It seems like Square tried to cram the kind of sprawling narrative you'd expect from a Final Fantasy RPG into a movie that's only about an hour and forty minutes long. As a result, a lot of the concepts never get the development they need. The distinctions between Spirits and Phantoms, the idea of Earth's spirit, and several major plot developments all come at the audience so quickly that they can be difficult to follow. We also talked about some of the film's stranger character moments, particularly involving the performances from James Woods and Steve Buscemi. There are times when the movie feels unsure of what tone it's aiming for, which makes some scenes stand out for the wrong reasons. Despite our frustrations with the story, we couldn't ignore what an incredible technical achievement this film was for its time. The CGI and animation were groundbreaking in 2001, and it's easy to see where so much of the budget went. Even today, some of the visuals remain impressive. We also found ourselves fascinated by the production itself, including Square's decision to build a dedicated studio in Hawaii—a choice that still leaves us scratching our heads a little. In the end, "The Spirits Within" is a movie that's easier to admire than it is to love. While the storytelling falls short of its ambitions, it's still an important piece of animation and gaming history, and one that's worth revisiting to appreciate just how far ahead of its time it was.

Chris hosts Help Me Watch with Franco and Jonathan, catching up on recent viewing (Chris binges From on MGM+ and watches The Testaments; Jonathan finishes Daredevil: Born Again and rewatches The Mandalorian) before discussing upcoming summer releases, including Mortal Kombat 2, The Sheep Detectives, The Mandalorian and Grogu, and more. They also note physical releases like Avatar collections, Fallout Season 2, and 4K editions (Fight Club, Moneyball, Conan the Barbarian, The Da Vinci Code). The main review covers Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001), its $137M budget and box-office loss, Hawaii studio, Square’s financial fallout, uncanny CGI, and a JRPG-like story better suited to a game. Next film: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

00:00 Podcast Cold Open
01:03 Mother’s Day Catchup
01:54 Binging From
04:07 Streaming Service Rant
06:20 More TV Updates
07:38 Jonathan’s Watchlist
10:47 Summer Movies Preview
11:55 May Releases Rundown
17:52 Mandalorian and Grogu
22:41 Backrooms and Tuner
28:39 Masters of the Universe
34:30 Scary Movie Returns
36:15 Disclosure Day Hype
40:35 Toy Story 5 Debate
43:50 Late Summer Slate
44:57 Minions to Moana
50:42 Nolan and Spider-Man
52:17 Summer Box Office Picks
53:29 Super Troopers 3 Debate
54:37 End of Oak Street Trailer
56:05 Coyote vs Acme Hype
59:30 Summer Lineup Wrap
01:00:05 May 12 Physical Releases
01:00:40 May 19 Release Highlights
01:07:01 Final Fantasy Cast Setup
01:08:18 Budget Studio Fallout
01:09:23 Synopsis And Premise
01:11:50 CGI Uncanny Valley
01:19:05 Shouldve Been A Game
01:27:00 Villains And Weird Bits
01:33:31 Scores And Verdicts
01:37:12 Next Episode Wheel
01:38:40 Closing And Plugs

One Minute Review: From and only From, it has consumed the last two weeks of my life. I’m caught up to the most recent episode and the wait for the next one is too painful of a wait, I fear I may not make it. – Daredevil Born Again Finale

Discussion: Summer Movies Worth Watching (and some to avoid)

May 8th

Mortal Kombat II

The Sheep Detectives

May 22nd

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

May 29th

Backrooms

Tuner

June 5th

Masters of the Universe

June 12th

June 19th

June 26th

Jackass: Best and Last

Supergirl

July 1st

Minions & Monsters

July 10th

Evil Dead Burn

Moana

July 17th

The Odyssey

July 31st

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

August 7th

Super Troopers 3

August 14th

The End of Oak Street

August 28th

Coyote vs. Acme

New Releases:

May 12th

Bridesmaids 4K (2011)	Universal Studios
Fight Club 4K (1999)	Disney / Buena Vista
Moneyball 4K (2011)	Sony Pictures
Ultraman Great / Ultraman Powered: The Complete Series (Towards the Future / The Ultimate Hero) (1990-1993)	Alliance Entertainment

May 19th

Avatar: 3-Movie Collection (Avatar / The Way of the Water / Fire and Ash) (2009-2025)	Disney / Buena Vista
Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)	Disney / Buena Vista
Avatar: Fire and Ash 3D (2025)	Disney / Buena Vista
Avatar: Fire and Ash 4K (2025)	Disney / Buena Vista
Avatar: Fire and Ash 4K (2025)	Disney / Buena Vista
Bring It On 7-Movie Collection (2000-2022)	Universal Studios
Conan the Barbarian 4K (Limited Edition) (1982)	Arrow
Fallout: Season Two (2025-2026)	Alliance Entertainment
Fallout: Season Two 4K (2025-2026)	Alliance Entertainment
Fallout: Season Two 4K (2025-2026)	Alliance Entertainment
Looney Tunes Cartoons: The Complete Series! (Warner Archive Collection) (2020-2024)	Warner Bros.
Speed Racer 4K (2008)	Warner Bros.
Speed Racer 4K (2008)	Warner Bros.
The Bride! (2026)	Warner Bros.
The Bride! 4K (2026)	Warner Bros.
The Bride! 4K (Limited Edition) (2026)	Warner Bros.
The Conjuring Universe: 9-Film Collection (The Conjuring / Annabelle / The Conjuring 2 / Annabelle: Creation / The Nun / Annabelle Comes Home / The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It / The Nun II / The Conjuring: Last Rites) (2013-2025)	Warner Bros.
The Da Vinci Code 4K (20th Anniversary Edition) (2006)	Sony Pictures
The Walk 4K (2015)	Sony Pictures
The Warriors 4K (Original Artwork \| Limited Edition) (1979)	Arrow
The Yeti (2026)	Well Go USA
Maoyu: Complete Collection (2013)	Sentai Filmworks
Naruto Shippuden: Set 10 (Episodes 249-276) (2012)	Viz Media
Scarlet (Hateshinaki Sukâretto) (2025)	Sony Pictures
Scarlet 4K (Hateshinaki Sukâretto) (2025)	Sony Pictures
The Apothecary Diaries: Season 1 (2023)	Crunchyroll, LLC