Monday, August 22, 2016

Too Much Is Never Enough: Why Watch Kingsglaive ?




This post contains minimal spoilers. 


Final Fantasy XV has been delayed for two months, so naturally I ended up seeing the movie Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.

Let me just begin by saying that the road trip to get to the movie theatre perfectly aligned with everything that Final Fantasy XV stands for. XV is all about the journey, the time spent with friends, and the adventures had along the way. That’s why my trip from Northeast Ohio all the way to Kalamazoo, Michigan (the closest place to see it) was justified, right?


I road with three close friends. We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company, we had side quests (like getting lost on our way to find a gas station), we dined on delicious food (that pizza they served at the theatre was surprising good), we had amazing background music (we played Florence + the Machine's new songs along with other epic tunes), and we received treasures for our efforts (the movie was reward enough but we also got posters). Sounds a lot like Final Fantasy XV to me.

So, without further ado, here are my reasons that you watch Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.

The Characters 


True to its Final Fantasy roots, Kingsglaive is filled with multi-faceted characters, so let's talk about my top three favorites (in no particular order).


One of the most interesting characters was the star of the show himself: Nyx Ulric. With an uncanny capacity to wield the King of Lucis’ magic like all of the Kingsglaive (an elite unit made up of immigrants), Nyx is trusted to escort Lady Lunafreya to see the King. He's extremely loyal, talented, funny, heroic, and everything you ever wanted from a main character. On top of that, he's an immigrant and an outsider (something we've all experienced one time or another) and is looked down upon by many citizens of  Insomnia (the capital city of Lucis). 

Seriously, you will LOVE this character.


Another interesting character was Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. She’s graceful, brave, and strong-willed. No matter that her brother has aligned with Niflheim (the country at war with Lucis) or that she’s been a captive for twelve years, she’s still true to the Lucis royal family, especially Noctis (her fiance). Plus, she's pretty badass! I mean, at one point she says, “I do not fear death,” and for most of the movie, she's jumping around in high heels. 


Oh my goodness gracious, I ADORED King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII but, man, does he have a tough job. With only his capital city still free from Niflheim attack, he must send his only son away to marry a captive of the "Nif" enemies. And it seems that the city is split down the middle about whether or not he should sign a controversial treaty with Niflheim.

The Graphics


My eyes are still watering from the shear beauty of the movie. All the characters looked and felt like real actors. (The voice actors were superb) The lips moved like they matched the English words, and the battles, magic, and scenery were all gorgeous. 

Surprisingly, the melding of modern culture with magic and monsters somehow worked. 


The only flaw was that near the end some of the battle sequences became confusing to follow. Other than that, they did an excellent job with developing exciting, and downright stunning, fight scenes. 


The Story 


Kingsglaive takes place parallel to the Final Fantasy XV video game and focuses on a different set of characters (though watch until the end of the credits; there’s a little surprise). I’ve already been following XV for quite some time, so I wasn’t confused about the story, but I can see how it could be a lot to swallow if you haven't. 


The people I went with hadn’t heard much of XV, and they understood it, but I had them play the Duscae demo before we went to see it, so that might have helped. For the most part, you can still enjoy the movie even if you haven’t seen anything else up until that point. However, I'd recommend watching the anime and playing the demos if possible.



Kingsglaive had a politically intriguing premise paired with a heartbreaking realization that the story Final Fantasy XV has to tell will not be a happy one. So, keep tissues nearby. What added an extra layer to the movie was the concepts of family, fate, and multiculturalism. I won't go into detail but it was very important to see how immigrants of Insomnia were affected by King Regis' decisions. 




Want to see Kingsglaive? Hyped for Final Fantasy XV

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