Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is an extended cut of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children based on the successful PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII. It was released on Blu-ray, and includes over thirty minutes of new footage. Included along with the Japanese release was the first playable demo for Final Fantasy XIII.

Though much of the music generally remains the same, many tracks have been modified to accommodate the new scenes, as well as to sound more similar to music from Final Fantasy VII. In addition, a new ending song was written, titled "Safe and Sound", which is exclusive to the Japanese version; the English version plays "Calling" instead of "Safe and Sound".

Plot
Advent Children Complete follows the original plot and storyline of Advent Children - three young men arrive at the city of Edge and seek Jenova's remains in order to revive Sephiroth. Cloud, having been infected with the fatal disease Geostigma and distancing himself from his friends and family, is pulled back into battle to stop them and eventually faces Sephiroth once again.

Compared to the original film, Advent Children Complete features a full twenty-six minutes of new footage. The various changes include more scenes with the children, including Denzel and the Moogle Girl, more dialogue with Kadaj and Rufus Shinra to better explain certain plot elements, and some restructured fight scenes. For example, Vincent is visible in his cloak when he saves Cloud, the scene with Tseng and Elena at the Northern Cave is expanded, and Tifa takes a more active role in fighting Bahamut SIN and she is rescued by Cloud.

The film also has higher quality graphics due to the different format, allowing blood and dirt to be shown on the characters. The most obvious change in structure is the climax of Cloud's battle with Sephiroth, with Zack supporting Cloud to finish Sephiroth with Omnislash Version 6. Due to new scenes involving Marlene and Denzel, their aged voice actors were replaced and their scenes entirely re-recorded.

Of particular note is the different ending, based on the original twenty-minute short film Advent Children was based on. After the battle with Sephiroth (which also has a different climax), Cloud is attacked by Loz and Yazoo and apparently killed. Around Edge, phones ring and the unheard speaker tells the children to go the Sector 5 Church.

There, as in the original film, Cloud is revived, and the children reveal they were told to go there by Aerith. After the end credits, the cliff where Zack died is shown covered in flowers. Denzel asks Cloud if the cliff is where someone died, but Cloud corrects him and says "it's where a hero began his journey", and the Buster Sword has been restored and placed in the church among the flowers.

Development
At the Tokyo Game Show 2006, Square Enix showed a trailer of a movie titled Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete that is to be released on the blu-ray disc format. New scenes were be added to the movie so it could be called an extended version, however, director Tetsuya Nomura says that "it's not meant to be just an update to the original, but rather a replacement". Nomura has stated the new scenes could add up to as much as thirty minutes of new content. Though originally slated for a 2007 release, the movie was delayed until 2008 and then 2009. The film was released April 16th, 2009, for Japan, and in North America on June 2nd, 2009. Included is a new theme song, "Safe and Sound", a joint-creation of Kyosuke Himuro and Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, which was only included on the Japanese version.

The film was released in Japan in three bundles. One included a limited edition 160GB "Cloud Black" PlayStation 3 bundle with the Final Fantasy XIII demo, another was the film with the demo, and the last was the stand-alone film. The film also includes an OVA based on On the Way to a Smile: Case of Denzel, along with never-before-seen trailers for Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy Type-0. Nomura also said that Complete may be the last installment of the Compilation for some time, but he and Takeshi Nozue have other ideas and are contemplating another film project.

Differences from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
The following is a list of the differences/extensions/additions found in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete:
 * A new opening scene with Kadaj discussing with Rufus why humans repeatedly destroy and create.
 * In the Northern Crater, the shooting sounds are prolonged.
 * Cait Sith's stuffed moogle is now included in the flashback scene of the final confrontation in the Northern Crater.
 * An extended introductory tour of Edge in addition to introducing the Moogle Girl and her Geostigma-afflicted younger brother, as well as showing a death due to Geostigma.
 * Tifa listens to a radio in the 7th Heaven bar reporting about the Lifestream and Geostigma.
 * A book about medicine and some Geostigma related photos now appear on Cloud's desk.
 * After the motorcycle battle in the Midgar Wasteland, Kadaj's facial expression at the end is altered.
 * A brief scene showing Denzel gazing at the photos of his parents.
 * The Healen Lodge has changed names from "Healin" to "Healen".
 * The scene and dialogue within the cabin between Cloud and Rufus is altered, giving more insight to Geostigma and Sephiroth being the cause.
 * A brief video showing Tseng and Elena being attacked by the materializing Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz in the Northern Crater.
 * Reno and Rude talk about their comrades (previously seen in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-), and atoning for nearly destroying the planet before Kadaj streams through the door in a black mist.
 * An additional scene of how Denzel was found by Cloud in Sector 5, (previously from On the Way to a Smile: Case of Denzel).
 * An additional scene of Denzel running outside thinking he hears Cloud's motorcycle, but sees Yazoo pass by instead.
 * A new scene of Denzel and the Moogle Girl crossing paths for the first time as she carries her now dead brother through the city streets, while suffering discrimination from spectators.
 * Extended flashback of Zack's Final Stand (previously seen in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-) with a short voice over of Sephiroth repeating lines from Final Fantasy VII. In addition, Zack is redesigned to match his Crisis Core design.
 * Dirt and "damage" is added to the characters during Tifa and Loz's fight in the Sector 5 Church. Tifa's "disappearing glove" is also amended.
 * A slightly extended and altered scene between Denzel and the Moogle Girl outside 7th Heaven before she leads him to Yazoo's truck.
 * When Cloud passes out next to Tifa, the music track "Anxious Heart" from Final Fantasy VII is played instead of the original "Water" track.
 * A new scene of Cloud preparing to bring Denzel to Tifa after finding him in Sector 5.
 * A new scene of Denzel and the Moogle Girl being taken away in Yazoo's truck with other Geostigma-afflicted children.
 * More explanation about Kadaj's plans when Loz brings the materia and Marlene to the Forgotten Capital, in addition to Marlene attempting to escape.
 * A brief new scene with Kadaj speaking to Jenova as the inflicted children drink from the water in the Forgotten Capital.
 * Vincent appears within his red cape when rescuing Cloud.
 * The dialogue between Reno, Rude, Yazoo, and Loz at the Meteor Monument is slightly altered.
 * New scene showing Cloud dropping off Marlene at 7th Heaven and explaining why he left them to live in Aerith's church.
 * The scene between Rufus and Kadaj before he summons Bahamut SIN is altered to remove the flashback images and they are seen talking, and Rufus's dialogue is slightly altered.
 * Reno and Rude receive "damage" during their fight against Loz and Yazoo.
 * A flashback scene of Denzel watching the news about Sector 7's destruction.
 * Extended scene of Tifa fighting Shadow Creepers to protect Denzel and an altered intro scene of the AVALANCHE members.
 * Altered and extended arrival scene for Cloud, arriving in time to save both Denzel and Tifa, symbolizing the rescues with his previous "failures" of saving Zack and Aerith.
 * New scene showing Denzel making his way back to 7th Heaven and confronting a pair of Shadow Creepers along the way.
 * Bahamut SIN receives damage during the battle.
 * Tseng and Elena are shown arriving on the scene to save Rufus with bandages for their injuries from the Northern Crater.
 * An additional scene showing Rufus directing the Turks to help Cloud.
 * Reno and Rude assist Cloud by assaulting Loz and Yazoo via a Shinra Military Transport Helicopter. They are then picked up and air dropped to the end of the highway by Tseng and Elena instead of making it there on their own via a helicopter in the original.
 * Sephiroth's Masamune is given a new resonating sound effect.
 * Extended scene of Sephiroth defeating Cloud's original Omnislash, the very limit break that was used to finish him off at the end of Final Fantasy VII.
 * The scene of Cloud's impalement is altered to resemble his original impalement during the Nibelheim Incident.
 * Sephiroth reveals his wing and repeatedly stabs and impales Cloud with a variation of his move, Octaslash.
 * Zack appears from the Lifestream to give Cloud some encouragement, reminding him he must "protect his SOLDIER honor" and that he is his "living legacy" (previously heard in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-).
 * Cloud bleeds near the end of the battle against Sephiroth and defeats him with a new attack dubbed "Omnislash 6".
 * Cloud bleeds from the gunshot he receives from Yazoo.
 * After Cloud's apparent death, phones ring around Edge and the unheard voice tells everyone to go to the Sector 5 Church, in addition to Marlene meeting the Moogle Girl.
 * Flowers are shown growing on Zack's grave, with a short dialogue between Denzel and Cloud.
 * The Buster Sword is shown to have been cleaned and moved to the Sector 5 Church.

On the Way to a Smile
Continuing from the original Advent Children several more Novellas for On the Way to a Smile were released for Advent Children Complete. They are Case of Yuffie, Case of Red XIII, Case of Shinra, and Case of the Lifestream. There is also a thirty minute OVA, animating the Case of Denzel.

Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII
A look back at the original Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation.

Reminiscence of FFVII Compilation
A look back at the sequels, prequels, and spin-off titles of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

Turbulence of FFVII Compilation
The fan reactions of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

Final Fantasy XIII Trial Version
The first demo of Final Fantasy XIII.

Trivia

 * Last Order -Final Fantasy VII- is not included with Advent Children Complete.
 * During the closing moments of Advent Children Complete, when the Moogle Girl is cured of Geostigma, a small paper bearing a three-by-three grid is visible on the wall behind her (above the young boy's head); within these nine spaces are the box art to many of Square Enix's PlayStation 1 games, including the art for Final Fantasy VII (top row, middle box) and Final Fantasy Tactics (middle row, left box). This can be seen at 1:46:30 for several seconds before she walks away from the wall.