Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children to get 4K HDR remaster June 8

Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, a CG-animated follow-up to the hit 1997 video game Final Fantasy 7, made absolutely no sense to me when I saw it upon its release in 2005. The movie’s sci-fi jargon is difficult to follow, even if you’re familiar with the game. It’s a feast for the eyes, though, bringing an uncanny beauty to the once-blocky characters of FF7, inspiring fans everywhere to say, “If only the game had looked this good.”

It’s 2021 now, and that has (sort of) happened. Final Fantasy 7 Remake brought Advent Children-level polish to Cloud’s sad little face, and now there are fans new to the franchise who never saw him looking any other way. Meanwhile, Advent Children has also gotten some polishing over the years, having been rereleased on Blu-ray in 2009 as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete with an additional 26 minutes of material.

Image: Sony Pictures

This year, it’ll be released again on June 8 in a remastered 4K Blu-ray edition with HDR10 color, presumably featuring Cloud’s hair finally rendered in spikes sharp enough to block Sephiroth’s magnificent Masamune. Who needs a buster sword when you’ve got hair wax that powerful?

I wish I could easily recommend that every FF7 newcomer check out this delightfully opaque movie once it becomes available in such a high-quality format. But FF7 Remake cuts off partway through the original FF7’s story, and Remake also features some modifications to the original that suggest that our heroes’ path might diverge from the one they set out on together in 1997. Meanwhile, Advent Children builds upon the surprising reveals in the original game. Although it’s confusing, it’s also working under the assumption that you know all of the 1997 game’s spoilers.

That means this remaster is for veteran fans only, or perhaps for newcomers who don’t mind taking a trip into one possible future for the FF7 gang. Again, it’ll be available on June 8, and like the 2009 Blu-ray version, this one features “an extended director’s cut containing 26 minutes of explosive additional footage and over 1,000 revised scenes,” according to Sony Pictures. The 4K Blu-ray also offers new Dolby Atmos audio in English and Japanese, along with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio in both languages. The movie’s special features, as well as a 1080p version of the film, are included on a standard Blu-ray disc.

Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children Complete 4K Blu-ray

• $31

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The cinematic sequel to Final Fantasy 7 brings Cloud Strife into the 4K era this summer.

• $31 at Amazon