advent children
Advent Children
was the first production in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII after
the releasement original game. It is a 101-minutes film, completely made in CG,
and released in 2005, in DVD and UMD (a disc for the PSP console) formats.
The story is set 2 years after the ending of the original game, showing Cloud
and Tifa working in the Strife Delivery Service, and living with Marlene and a
boy called Denzel in Edge, in the outskirts of the old and destroyed Midgar.
Cloud and many other people in this city have Geostigma, a new disease.
The following text has been taken from Wikipedia:
Cloud is attacked by three mysterious young men who believe that he knows the location of their missing "mother"; however, the battle is cut short and he escapes. Hoping to gain information on the mysterious attackers, Cloud responds to the summons of Rufus Shinra, the leader of the seemingly defunct Shinra Company. Rufus attempts to enlist Cloud's help to stop the trio but fails. After their meeting, Kadaj, one of the men who attacked Cloud, breaks into Rufus' lodge and demands that Rufus tell him where to find his mother, revealing that "she" is, in fact, the remains of Jenova and is somehow connected to the cause of Geostigma. He also announces that he and his "brothers," Yazoo and Loz are planning a new Reunion that will culminate in an assault on the Planet itself.
Loz goes to Aerith's church in an attempt to find their "mother" where he is confronted by Tifa Lockhart. A short battle ensues with Tifa holding the upper hand and buries Loz in a rubble. However, Loz quickly regains consciousness and resumes the fight. The exhausted Tifa is now no match to the refreshed Loz who almost killed Tifa. However, Marlene attempts to save Tifa but is kidnappped.
Kadaj and his "brothers" begin collecting children infected with Geostigma (including Denzel and the uninfected Marlene) and take them to the Forgotten Capital of the Ancients. Cloud attempts to rescue them but fails and must be rescued himself by Vincent Valentine.
Vincent reveals to Cloud what the trio are seeking and that it could result in the return of Sephiroth. He also reveals that Geostigma is the result of one's body working excessively to fight off an infection brought on by Jenova's lingering presence within the Lifestream. After some soul-searching, Cloud agrees to return to Edge and face Kadaj in direct battle.
Shortly thereafter, in Edge, the villainous trio call forth several monsters to attack the populace, including the dragon summon known as "Bahamut SIN." While the other Final Fantasy VII party members (Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie Kisaragi, Cid Highwind, and Vincent Valentine, as well as Aerith to a certain extent) deal with Bahamut, Reno, and Rude attempt to take care of Yazoo and Loz until Cloud arrives. Through their teamwork, Cloud and his friends soon dispatch the monsters and Bahamut.
While overlooking these events in a nearby building, Rufus reveals to Kadaj that he has been in possession of the head of Jenova all along, tossing the box containing it from the edge of the building. Kadaj dives after the box and recovers it, although Rufus manages to crack the box slightly. Rufus himself survives the fall when Tseng and Elena launch nets to catch him. Before Kadaj can celebrate his good fortune, he spots Cloud in hot pursuit of him. An intense motorcycle chase carries them into the ruins of Midgar, Reno and Rude appear and use two timebombs which appear to kill Yazoo and Loz who where in pursuit of Cloud and Kadaj.
Cloud catches up to Kadaj and they slide off of the end of the unfinished highway. They then go into Aerith's old church where Kadaj sees the extent of the damage to "Mother" and lets out an anguished scream before Cloud arrives. They confront each other and Cloud comes off worse for it until a magical blast from Kadaj destroys the flowerbed and releases an outflow of seemingly Lifestream-infused water(Aerith's Level 4 limit "Great Gospel") which heals Cloud's geostigma and proves harmful to Kadaj who flees. Cloud, compelled by Aerith's voice, pursues him to the derelict remains of Shinra Headquarters in the center of Midgar. Now healed of his debilitating condition, Cloud is able to match Kadaj blow for blow and soon defeats him decisively. However, before the battle can come to a complete close, Kadaj tricks Cloud by distracting him with the box containing Jenova's cells, which Kadaj then jumps after and absorbs into his body to show Cloud his "reunion". Kadaj begins to transform as Cloud attacks and before the impact, Cloud is stopped in midair by the abruptly revealed Masamune in the hands of a fully regenerated Sephiroth, cueing the entrance of the new One Winged Angel music. Sephiroth reveals that once those who die from the geostigma return to the Lifestream, he will be able to control it. Sephiroth also reveals that he plans to use the planet as a vessel as he travels space until he finds a new planet where he can start a bright new future.
An intense one-on-one battle follows across Midgar, destroying large sections of the ruins in the process. Cloud eventually gains a burst of strength and confidence from thinking of everything he holds dear which Sephiroth would destroy. Cloud separates his sword, the First Ken, into its six pieces, and performs a new Limit Break (identified as "Omnislash Version Five," a variation of Cloud's ultimate Limit Break from Final Fantasy VII), which defeats Sephiroth at last.
Sephiroth dissipates, leaving a severely weakened Kadaj at Cloud's mercy. Aerith's spirit begins to pour healing rain across Edge, curing everyone of their Geostigma. Speaking softly to Kadaj, who lies in Cloud's arms, Aerith tells him to be at rest. Believing Aerith's voice to be that of his "mother," he is taken by the Lifestream. Before a full-scale celebration can begin, however, Cloud is shot through the back by Yazoo's Velvet Nightmare. He and Loz survived the timebombs, but are now slowly succumbing to the healing rain as well. They both had an arm full of Materia and they prepare one final blast for Cloud, resulting in a large explosion that disintegrates them and engulfs Cloud. The English script of the movie packaged with the "Limited Edition Collector's Set" of the movie reveals that Loz and Yazoo used "Comet, Flare, and explosive spells."
Cloud appears surrounded by a white light. Aerith and Zack are heard and Zack tells Cloud that his place is not with them yet, and sends him back to Aerith's church through the Lifestream. Several small hands touch Cloud and he opens his eyes.
Cloud awakens in Aerith's old church with wounds healed, now surrounded by his friends and the citizens of Edge. After a moment, Cloud demonstrates the healing powers of the water pooled in the church by curing Denzel of his Geostigma, and then the remainder of the afflicted children, in a baptismal-like ceremony. He then looks up and sees Aerith crouching by some other children. As she stands and walks to the doorway, she turns back to assure Cloud that he's alright now, and then steps into a white light with Zack. Cloud smiles and agrees, stating that he is not alone anymore.
