You've probably spent hours wandering the slums of Midgar or chasing a silver-haired man across a world map. But if you’re trying to piece together the Final Fantasy VII films into some kind of coherent timeline, you’ve likely realized it’s a total mess. Honestly, it’s a chaotic mix of tech demos, high-octane CGI, and weird experimental shorts. Most people think there’s just one movie—Advent Children—and then they move on. They’re missing out on the actual glue that holds the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" together.
Cloud Strife didn't just stop existing once the credits rolled on the original PlayStation disc in 1997. Square Enix (well, Square back then) realized they had a goldmine. They didn't just want sequels; they wanted a "multimedia experience." That sounds like corporate jargon, and it is, but it resulted in some of the most visually stunning, if narratively confusing, cinema in gaming history.
Let's be real. If you watch these in the wrong order, or without the "Complete" versions, you’re basically watching a very expensive screensaver.
The Advent Children Problem: Is it Actually Good?
In 2005, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children dropped like a bomb. It was the first major piece of the Final Fantasy VII films puzzle. At the time, the CGI was mind-blowing. Seeing Cloud ride a motorcycle that looked like a Swiss Army knife while fighting three "remnants" of Sephiroth was exactly what 15-year-old fans wanted.
But have you watched it lately? The original 2005 cut is... rough.
It feels like a series of disconnected music videos. There’s a disease called Geostigma, some kids are being kidnapped, and Tifa is fighting a guy in a church while a piano version of "Those Who Fight" plays. It’s cool. It’s stylish. But it barely makes sense. Director Tetsuya Nomura and writer Kazushige Nojima were clearly prioritizing "the rule of cool" over actual narrative structure.
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Then came Advent Children Complete in 2009. This is the version you actually need to care about. It added 26 minutes of footage. That sounds like a lot because it is. Those minutes actually explain why the characters are sad, what the Geostigma virus actually does to the body (lots of black ooze and pain), and it gives Denzel—the kid Cloud adopted—an actual backstory. If you’re searching for Final Fantasy VII films, don’t even bother with the 2005 DVD. Find the 4K remaster of the "Complete" version. The lighting is better, the blood is redder, and the story actually has a heartbeat.
The fight scenes are still the highlight. The Bahamut SIN battle involves the entire original game cast—Barret, Vincent, Cid, Red XIII—throwing Cloud into the sky like a human rocket. It’s ridiculous. It’s over-the-top. It’s quintessential Final Fantasy.
Last Order: The Anime We Almost Forgot
Before the Remake trilogy changed everything, we had Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. This is a 25-minute OVA (Original Video Animation) produced by Madhouse. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because they did Death Note and One Punch Man.
It covers the Nibelheim Incident.
You know the one. Sephiroth loses his mind, burns a village to the ground, and Zack Fair tries to be a hero. Last Order is fascinating because it actually contradicts the original game's canon in a few small ways—specifically how Sephiroth "dies" at the reactor. In the game, Cloud throws him. In the anime, Sephiroth sort of jumps. Fans hated that. They actually got so mad that Square Enix eventually had to clarify which version was "more" canon.
Still, the animation is gorgeous. It captures the frantic energy of Zack’s final stand against the Shinra army better than any low-poly 1997 character model ever could. It’s technically part of the Final Fantasy VII films library, even though it was originally a bonus disc for the Japanese "Advent Pieces: Limited" box set. You can find it on YouTube fairly easily these days. It’s worth the 25 minutes just to see the hand-drawn aesthetic applied to the world of Midgar.
On the Way to a Smile: The "Movie" That Isn't
There is a weird middle ground in the Final Fantasy VII films universe called On the Way to a Smile: Episode Denzel. It’s technically an animated short based on a series of novellas.
It’s slow.
Unlike the high-speed chases in Advent Children, this is a quiet, somewhat depressing look at how a child survives the fall of a giant plate from the sky. Denzel is a polarizing character, mostly because fans wanted more Cloud and less "random orphan." But if you want to understand the emotional stakes of the post-game world, this is where you find it. It bridges the gap between the end of the 1997 game and the start of the movies. It shows the world isn't just "saved"—it’s broken, and people are just trying to find clean water and a place to sleep.
Why the Remake Trilogy Changed the Movie Landscape
Here is where things get meta.
With the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the status of the Final Fantasy VII films has shifted. For years, Advent Children was the definitive "ending." Now? We aren't so sure. Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura has gone on record saying that the Remake trilogy will eventually "link up" with Advent Children.
How? Nobody knows.
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But if you look closely at Rebirth, you’ll see flashes of the future. You’ll see the three hooded remnants from the movie appearing as boss fights (well, whispers of them). The "Seven Seconds to the End" isn't just a cryptic line; it’s a nod to the fact that the timeline is being messed with. The films are no longer just sequels; they are a possible future that the characters might be trying to avoid—or fulfill.
This makes watching the Final Fantasy VII films more relevant now than it was ten years ago. You’re not just looking at nostalgia; you’re looking at blueprints for where the current $70 games are heading.
The Technical Marvel of Visual Works
We need to talk about the tech. The team behind these films, Visual Works (now part of Square Enix’s Image Studio), basically set the standard for what CGI could be. When Advent Children came out, people thought it was live-action in some shots.
They used motion capture before it was the industry standard. They spent months figuring out how Cloud’s hair should move in the wind. That sounds obsessive, but that obsession is why the movie still looks better than some modern Marvel movies. The leather textures on the outfits, the way the "Fusion Sword" assembles itself—it’s a masterclass in digital engineering.
The move to 4K was a godsend for this film. The original DVD had a lot of "ghosting"—that weird blur you see when things move too fast. The high-definition versions cleaned that up, allowing you to see every individual petal of Aerith’s flowers.
Common Misconceptions About the Compilation
People get confused about Kingsglaive. Let's clear that up: Kingsglaive is not one of the Final Fantasy VII films. That’s Final Fantasy XV. Same studio, totally different universe.
Another big mistake? Thinking Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within has anything to do with Cloud Strife. It doesn't. That movie nearly bankrupted Square and is the reason we didn't get another Final Fantasy movie for years until they decided to stick to what worked: the FF7 brand.
How to Actually Watch the Final Fantasy VII Films
If you want the full experience without getting a headache, follow this loose path.
Start with the original game or the Remake/Rebirth series. You need the emotional connection to the characters first. Then, watch Last Order. It gives you the gritty, hand-drawn version of the past. After that, read a summary of the On the Way to a Smile novellas (or watch the Denzel episode).
Finally, sit down with Advent Children Complete.
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Do not watch the movies first. You’ll be lost. You’ll wonder why everyone is wearing black and why a guy with a gun for an arm is yelling about "The Planet." These films were made for the fans, by the fans. They assume you know who Jenova is. They assume you know why a white feather falling from the sky is a bad sign.
Key Takeaways for Your Next Watch
- Avoid the 2005 cut. Seriously. The "Complete" version is the only one that matters.
- Watch for the whispers. If you’re playing the Remake trilogy, the movies contain massive spoilers for where the "fate" of the world might be headed.
- Focus on Zack. Last Order and the brief flashbacks in Advent Children provide the best look at Zack Fair, who is arguably the most important character in the entire mythos.
- The music is top-tier. Nobuo Uematsu and Keiji Kawamori turned the 16-bit tunes into heavy metal and orchestral masterpieces. Turn the volume up.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re ready to dive back into Midgar through the lens of the Final Fantasy VII films, here is what you should do right now:
- Check your streaming services. Advent Children Complete is frequently on platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime, but the 4K Blu-ray is the only way to see it without compression artifacts.
- Compare the endings. Watch the ending of the original 1997 game and then watch the opening of Advent Children. There’s a specific shot of Red XIII running toward a greenery-covered Midgar that ties them together perfectly.
- Look for the "Case of Lifestream" stories. If you want to get really nerdy, these short stories explain how Sephiroth and Aerith are basically fighting a spiritual war inside the planet during the events of the movie.
- Keep an eye on Part 3. The final game in the Remake trilogy is expected to heavily feature elements from these films. Knowing the movies now will make the payoff in a few years much more satisfying.
The world of Final Fantasy VII films isn't just a cash grab. It’s a weird, beautiful, flawed extension of a story that changed gaming forever. It’s worth the watch, even if just to see a motorcycle chase that defies every law of physics ever written.