Advent Children 3

Kicking off the second disc is a collection of deleted scenes—eleven in total. The quality of the transfer is a little less tidy on these offerings and none of them are offered with dubbing, music or (for the most part) sound effects. Each of the eleven scenes is also fairly short. It would also be a little more accurate to call them deleted and lengthened scenes, as some of them are simply extended looks at scenes from the film. In conclusion, it's nice they're included, but it's unlikely anyone will pore over them again and again, as they go by too fast and leave you wanting. In fact, if all the "deleted scenes" had been left in, the movie would only have been perhaps two minutes longer.

The Venice Film Festival footage is a lot more interesting, as it was what was screened at the event, and shows the film in a bit rougher state. If you've just seen the film, it's interesting to watch this feature to compare, but taken out of context, it plays a lot like simply watching the movie.

Distance: The Making of Advent Children, is easily the best of all the features. In lieu of a commentary track, this is the only bridge between fans and the creation of this beautiful work. The narration is in Japanese (with English subtitles, if you please) and it tells the story of how the game came about and why it spawned a film such as this. It features interviews with the creators, most notably Director Testuo Nomura. The thing that comes through most in all of the interviews is the passion that each of the creators has not only for the series but for the story of VII; staying true to it and moving forward.

At first, it is heavy on the conceptual elements: story, characters, and themes. From there, it moves into the production of the actual film. Here's where technophiles will get to see the various stages of the CGI filmmaking process. Overall, the feature is a great balance of technical and artistic, and gives a good sense of how everyone involved feels about their contribution to the process and the final result.

Moving on, the various AC trailers are a nice addition, as they show the progression of the film. There are eight total, and a couple from E3 2004 and 2005. Serious fans will want to check them out and reminisce. This movie's been a long time coming, and looking back at the anticipation caused by each of the trailers is fun.

The Sneak Peek at Upcoming Final Fantasy VII Games delves into the following:

• Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
  
• Before Crisis
  
• Crisis Core
  
• Dirge of Cerberus
  
• Advent Children

Before Crisis is a cell phone game, and the trailer here is essentially clips of screens and videos that reveals the look and feel of the game, as well as the fact that it covers the six years leading up to Final Fantasy VII.

Crisis Core is the upcoming PSP game, and it is introduced here through a cell-animated trailer that recalls moments from the series. There is no gameplay footage in the sneak peek, much to our disappointment.

Dirge of Cerberus is the direct successor (time-wise) to the AC movie, a shooter for the PlayStation 2. This sneak peek showcases some of the CG sequences in the game before moving into a bunch of in-game footage. Finally, Advent Children is a teaser for the movie you just bought.

It's a mite disappointing that no commentary exists on this otherwise stellar set, and the relative brevity of the deleted scenes is unfortunate. However, the Making Of and videogame sneak peeks should make up for any qualms fans might have with the set.

The news was taken from http://dvd.ign.com/

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