Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy 15 Review Roundup

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is set to release later this week on August 19, but critics have already started to deliver their verdicts. The critical reception so far is all over the board with reviews ranging from very positive to extremely negative.

The Final Fantasy XV movie was announced at the Uncovered: Final Fantasy event, which also hosted the reveal of an anime and the video game's release date--though the game has since been delayed.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV stars Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), and Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings). We've collected reviews from around the internet and compiled them in an easy-to-read list below. For a wider view on the critical reception, keep your eye on GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Film: Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
• Director: Takeshi Nozue
• Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: August 19
• Rating: PG-13

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GameSpot

"Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is an exemplary work from a team that knows they must continually earn their power--that power being the ardor of Final Fantasy fans. The casting is on point, and the visuals are sharp and spectacular. As a film, audiences may have some problem chewing on what’s essentially a beautiful story dump ahead of Final Fantasy XV's release. But as a Final Fantasy film, it's a tribute to all who have touched this series and who have been touched by it--a labor of love for the fans who ask for more from their stories. The power and the praise that Kingsglaive lends XV's team is well-deserved indeed." -- Alexa Ray Corriea [full review]

GamesRadar -- 5/5

"The whole story and world takes the tropes of Final Fantasy and weaves them into the human story seamlessly and logically. Even when the action escalates to enormous, world-shaking, Advent Children scale, it makes sense with what's already been established. Which I thought would have been impossible. Yet here's Kingsglaive, the Final Fantasy movie that people have wanted Square to make since they got into making movies at the turn of the century. In 2016, the blockbuster action movie has been beset on all sides by mediocrity. The best action movie of the year won't even see a wide theatrical release. It's coming out on Blu-ray and as a pack in with the limited edition of a long awaited video game sequel. And it is, spectacularly, Final Fantasy." -- Anthony John Agnello [full review]

Yahoo News -- 3.5/5

"Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is no Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children in terms of story, but it definitely surpasses its spiritual predecessor in terms of gorgeous visuals and imaginative action. Its fusion of magic and technology make it almost believable that we might one day shoot fire and lightning from our own hands (as well as wielding oversized weapons). The plot is somewhat lacking, but then, that's not what you came to watch Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV for, right?" -- Marcus Goh [full review]

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IndieWire -- C-

"As a glorified advertisement for Final Fantasy XV, however, the film has some merit. Insomnia, stupid name withstanding, is a beautiful dream of what Earth might look like if speckled with magic, complete with copious product placement from Beats and Audi that perversely helps make the city feel more realistic (the Kingsglaive even have iPhones!). You may not want to spend more time with these characters, but you will want to sink deeper into their world--fortunately, the forthcoming videogame will allow players to do just that. Whether the game will retroactively make Kingsglaive a more engaging movie remains to be seen, but there's certainly room for improvement." -- David Ehrlich [full review]

Geek Culture

"The kicker is that this is likely the best that FF fans are going to get, when it comes to a decent Final Fantasy feature length film. It seems that without links to a flagship game, we will not be able to have a movie that can stand on its own merit. I would like to be proven wrong in the future, but until then, just go into Kingsglaive with minimal expectations. This experience is not that painful, and can leave a pleasant sensation, if only for a brief moment." -- Jonathan Leo [full review]

Movie Nation -- 1.5/5

"...[T]ake away the advertorial nature of Kingsglaive, ignore its utility as a cheat sheet, prep for the players of various corners of the game world it depicts, and deal with it as a story with characters and incidents anybody not into the game would watch, and it's the same old Final Fantasy. It remains a misshapen mash-up freighted with sci-fi fantasy exposition and a back story so convoluted a mere two hour movie cannot make heads or tails from." -- Roger Moore [full review]