An elite force of soldiers must protect the magical kingdom of Lucis, home of the sacred Crystal, from the invading empire Niflheim.

Let me make this as clear as possible: If you're a Final Fantasy fan, are excited for Final Fantasy XV, and plan to play the game whenever it releases (with hope, in our lifetimes), this is the movie you definitely need to see to get hyped for it. Critics who have been watching this movie have no idea about the lore or the work and story behind the characters the cast in Kingsglaive are related to, making it difficult for them to follow it (or want to).

However, having watched this with non-Final Fantasy fans, also gamers, who had their interests piqued with this movie, I can safely say that this is a great introduction into the lore of FFXV, the Kingdom of Lucis, and the starring characters that we will eventually encounter in the videogame. The movie requires more than one watch to actually grasp- and the dialogue dub for english is hurt by some of the words being mumbled, but hopefully, the subtitles should help there. While the main cast is your typical everyman's soldier, a princess and an ailing king for a fantasy tale, they're all memorable and beautifully animated. The lush and crisp CG will leave you looking around everywhere, and the lore behind the abilities of the Kingsglaive members is both powerful and beautiful to watch in execution.

Lena Headey is wonderful as Luna's voice, bringing a lot of personality to who could have easily been a typical pure princess damsel-in-distress character, but the real showstealers are Sean Bean as King Regis and Darin De Paul as Ardyn Izunia, who deliver powerful performances filled with character, and bring all their characters to life for the short while they're shown. While the story ultimately circles around Nyx Ulric, the lead "hero" of the 'Glaive, it doesn't entirely linger on him or bore us with exposition about him. There's a lot left to consider and figure out, something that will likely benefit players of the upcoming game.

The rest of the members of the Glaive are all what one would expect, but they all shine with personalities worth recalling. The character designs veer away from Final Fantasy's standard "anime" look, while maintaining a sweet blend and real world feel of anime and western action-fantasy. There are many Final Fantasy related easter eggs to be found, including a certain one that will make one recall a famous "seafood stew", and many more for the keen-eyed (or keen-eared!).

Don't listen to the critics, and yes, while the movie is far from perfect, it's a fun and exciting ride throughout, just meant to be enjoyed as is and prep us all for Final Fantasy XV. Watch it to enjoy the work put into it, and to be introduced to the lore and world that we'll eventually get to explore in the videogame, or if you don't expect to play it, then enjoy creating your own with this lovely introduction into the universe of Eos and its fantasy, based on reality.

Square Enix has expanded the Final Fantasy series into various media. Multiple anime and computer-generated imagery (CGI) films have been produced that are based either on individual Final Fantasy games or on the series as a whole. The first was an original video animation (OVA), Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, a sequel to Final Fantasy V. The story was set in the same world as the game, although 200 years in the future. It was released as four 30-minute episodes, first in Japan in 1994 and later in the United States by Urban Vision in 1998. In 2001, Square Pictures released its first feature film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The film is set on a future Earth invaded by alien life forms.[49] The Spirits Within was the first animated feature to seriously attempt to portray photorealistic CGI humans, but was considered a box office bomb and garnered mixed reviews.

A 25-episode anime television series, Final Fantasy: Unlimited, was released in 2001 based on the common elements of the Final Fantasy series. It was broadcast in Japan by TV Tokyo and released in North America by ADV Films.

In 2005, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, a feature length direct-to-DVD CGI film, and Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, a non-canon OVA, were released as part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Advent Children was animated by Visual Works, which helped the company create CG sequences for the games. The film, unlike The Spirits Within, became a commercial success. Last Order, on the other hand, was released in Japan in a special DVD bundle package with Advent Children. Last Order sold out quickly and was positively received by Western critics, though fan reaction was mixed over changes to established story scenes.

Two animated tie-ins for Final Fantasy XV were announced at the Uncovered Final Fantasy XV fan and press event, forming part of a larger multimedia project dubbed the Final Fantasy XV Universe. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV is a series of five 10-to-20-minute-long episodes developed by A-1 Pictures and Square Enix detailing the backstories of the main cast. Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, a CGI movie set for release prior to the game in Summer 2016, is set during the game's opening and follows new and secondary characters. On February 26, 2019, Square Enix released a short anime, produced by Satelight Inc, called Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn – Prologue on their YouTube channel which acts as the background story for the final piece of DLC for Final Fantasy XV giving insight into Ardyn's past.

Square Enix also released Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, an 8-episode Japanese soap opera. It features a mix of live-action scenes and Final Fantasy XIV gameplay footage. It premiered in Japan on April 16, 2017, and became available worldwide via Netflix in September of the same year.

It was announced in June 2019 that Sony Pictures Television is working on a first ever live-action adaptation of the series with Hivemind and Square Enix. Jason F. Brown, Sean Daniel and Dinesh Shamdasani for Hivemind will be the producers while Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton will write for the series and will serve as executive producers.

‘Final Fantasy’ Live-Action TV Adaptation In Works By Sony TV & Hivemind

The blockbuster Final Fantasy video game series is heading to television. Sony Pictures TV and Hivemind, the production company behind Amazon’s The Expanse and Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of The Witcher, have teamed with global video game powerhouse Square Enix to develop a first-of-its-kind, live-action TV adaptation of a beloved chapter from the blockbuster Final Fantasy video game series.

Written by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton (Winter’s Knight, The Wells Initiative), the TV adaptation will tell an original story set in the fantastic world of Eorzea, based on Final Fantasy XIV, the franchise’s blockbuster online role-playing game. Since it first debuted in 2013, the online title has continued to amass millions of players around the world, cementing its legacy as one of the most storied and influential franchises in gaming history.

Inspired directly by the world and characters of the title’s fourteenth installment, the project will explore the struggle between magic and technology in a quest to bring peace to a land in conflict. Filled with iconic hallmarks of the title’s revered mythology – magitek and beastmen, airships and chocobos – the forthcoming series will feature a mixture of new and familiar faces. Those will include the live-action debut of Cid – one of the games’ central and most beloved characters who has appeared in almost every installment of the franchise to date.

“Final Fantasy XIV and Eorzea are the perfect gateway into Final Fantasy for longtime fans and newcomers alike,” said Sony Pictures Television Co-President Chris Parnell. “This show is about embracing and embodying all of the elements that have made the mythos such an endlessly captivating phenomenon, and it’s an immense honor to be bringing all of Eorzea’s iconic characters, settings, and concepts – including fan-favorites like Cid and, of course, the chocobos – to life for a television audience.”

“Television is the ideal medium to capture the extraordinary depth, sophisticated themes, and unparalleled imagination of Final Fantasy and its multitude of unique and fully realized characters,” said Jason Brown, Hivemind Co-Founder and Co-President. “We are working tirelessly to bring together artists from around the world who are united in honoring the extraordinary legacy of this franchise and its millions of fans around the world.”

The Final Fantasy series has sold more than 144 million units worldwide across three decades. The multibillion-dollar franchise is one of the most influential pieces of global pop culture of the past 30 years with a footprint that now encompasses all major home and handheld consoles, as well as toys, card games, manga, soundtracks, concerts and live events on three continents.

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