Yeah, ending a two-decade-long adventure is how Final Fantasy VII Advent Children truly completes that.
The Final Fantasy VII Twitter was really particular that day and dropped the L-Bomb. And the responses were really mood-setting: a mix of nostalgia, questions concerning what is official canon, and aging all of a sudden.
For those who are not aware, Advent Children is a full-length CG movie released after the first FFVII game; it continues the story two years after the events of the game, in which Cloud Strife and company are dealing with the aftermath of… well… saving the planet. Back then, it was considered a huge event because of the quality of visuals and because it gave some more time to players to spend with their favorite characters.
While the original Tweet was pretty much ordinary, the replies tell a thousand other stories: user vxari8 really brought in the showers, “I remember watching this movie when I was 12ish yrs old 🥺❤️🩹 can’t believe how much time has passed!” That feeling was shared by many other players. Reggicide reminisces: “I remember being 11-12 watching this greatness,” and ApexLodestar pitched in, “Way to make me feel ancient. I remember having the DVD and watching it in glorious 480p SD.” The aging of the collective FFVII fanbase is real, and this very Twitter thread is a living witness.
But it’s not all just reminiscing. The announcement also opened discussions about the current set of the Final Fantasy VII universe now that the Remake has changed much. The tweet’s wording brought about a question from user octaslasher2, “‘Set 2 years after the events of the original game’… Did they just confirm that Advent Children is no longer canon in the Remake timeline? 👀” That question was indeed common, with ElCerebr0 basically asking, “So is this irrelevant now too seeing how the remake is a whole different universe?” Meanwhile, TKUltra001 was even blunter by saying, “And you flushed it all down the toilet with FF7R saying that it took place in a different timeline and may or may not be no longer canon. You really kicked your own life long fans in the teeth here with that garbage SE.” That’s a sore subject a great majority of players feel: that divide between the original Compilation of FFVII and the new Remake timeline.
Lots of debates about canon aside, much love exists for the film. TIFAALEXANDROS replied with a heart emoji and said, “still love it to this day.” mtzslivegaming crowned it, “godly movie ever made,” while diguinhomalmal noted, “This film was so successful that it became a reference for the games that came after.” Just imagine how Style influenced later Final Fantasy titles.
Of course, every anniversary brings with it wishlisting. WooderBoi simply said, “We need an AC game,” while PAND0RA_VII hoped for a “dirge of cerberus remake.” BadCatzGaming got creative: “I’d love a prequel to FFVII based on the ancients and the origins of summon materia.” The creative juices flow, even if Square Enix probably isn’t listening.
Endorsing a pretty cool connection was cnationmaverick with “And then they continued their fight in Kingdom hearts 2.” It serves as a reminder of how deeply this brand of characters runs through gaming culture, well outside their own series.
“Which version to watch 😲 20 years already, wow!” exclaimed LorenzoDeCarlo. For the record, there is the original release and the “Complete” version that had extra scenes. And sheeshburguer was helpful in telling anyone interested they could find it on “Amazon Prime” for a rewatching.
It is just crazy to think this movie is 20. It feels like just yesterday when we were marveling at the CGI. Now, we’re having full-on remakes of the game that was based on the movie. Time is definitely a flat circle or something. The passion in these replies-from love to frustrated questions about canon-is a testament to how deeply this world means to people; it’s more than just a game or a movie; it’s part of their lives. And whether it is still “canon” or not, the impact is quite real.
So, yeah, happy 20th birthday to Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. You brought joy to many 12-year-olds, and now, 32-year-olds feel really old alongside you. What a legacy!
