Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion Review

Director: Hideaki Anno

Starring:

JAPANESE: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara and Yuko Miyamura

ENGLISH: Spike Spencer, Amanda Winn Lee and Tiffany Grant

Release Date: JAPAN July 19th 1997





After the long delay fans finally were able to see the true ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion, of course you could say that the ending of the show was actually the original ending, but with Evangelion there are so many different ways to interpret the series that you can end up with hundreds of different theories, the End of Evangelion is no different. End of Eva is the most epic climax to an anime that I have ever had the chance to witness. The End of Evangelion is an ambitious effort both in its themes and the over arching story that helps conclude the tragic journey of Shinji Ikari and the rest of the chosen Eva pilots. If you are hoping for a happy ending then you might just want to stick with the ending of the series, the End of Evangelion holds no punches in its execution, and it is brutal when it needs to be yet poetic and dreamlike in its ever growing mythology that the movie helps to weave.

The film is separated into two parts; both are complete reinterpretations of the series final two episodes. The Episodes titled “Love is Destructive” and “ONE MORE FINAL: I need you” are the two stepping stones for the movie. The first part, Love is Destructive focuses on the complete annihilation of NERV and shows what SEELE and the UN’s final plans are for NERV now that all seventeen Angel’s have been defeated. ONE MORE FINAL focuses on that shady plan Seele and Gendo have always been talking about called the Human Instrumentality Project, and all of the villains ambitions are revealed and the true purpose of the Evangelion units is discovered. Of course the final part is a big head shaker with crazy visuals that would even make Stanley Kubrick impressed you have been warned.





Shinji is a completely different person at the start of the film, being forced to kill Kaworu- the first person to ever truly show Shinji affection- Shinji has retreated into his subconsciousness. Not able to neither move nor do anything else with his life Shinji wishes for everything to fade away and stoops down to the lowest you will ever see him in. After facing a horrible and humiliating defeat and no longer fit to be the pilot of Eva Unit 02 Asuka has had a complete mental break down. Just like Shinji she has also retreated into herself and is in a catatonic state. The First Child Rei Ayanami is starting to question the loyalties of Gendo Ikari and is slowing becoming aware of what his horrible true intentions are for her and what that could mean for Shinji and the rest of the planet. Misato is also slowly uncovering the conspiracies and cover-ups that NERV has put into place after Second Impact, of course for Misato and the rest of NERV it is all too late because SEELE has decided that Gendo is too much of a gamble to be left alone with the power of both Adam and Lilith so they enlist the aid of the Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF) to destroy NERV and kill anyone that works there, including the chosen children.

The first five minutes of this movie are shocking and brutal and is something that many fans will not expect, this movie takes on a complete darker tone than its predecessor and is not willing to tone down anything you will see. The raid of NERV is a horrible and brutal segment that takes up almost half of the movie. NERV was never meant to defend against an all out Human attack and they are complete butchered by the trained solders that do not show any mercy to the workers of NERV. However this is one of the many beautifully brilliant actions scenes from the first portion of the movie, the best being a final showdown with Asuka and the rest of the completed Eva series which to this day still stands as one of the best Mech fights in Anime history.




  While the first part is mainly action, which many fans wish to see, the second portion is all cerebral as we get to witness the End of Evangelion, now when I say that I mean it quite literally, you get to see the end of the world. This is the portion of the movie that has faced much criticism from fans, but people need to understand that Evangelion just not about mechs fighting angels-although that is the main premise of the show-the show is about the complete mental breakdown of a child and the constant battle he has to face within himself, and the outside world. The movie is not simply trying to be artistic, just like in the original series everything is shown for a reason. The final mental breakdown Shinji has during the films mind bending final minutes are all part of a bigger picture that is left for interpretation for the audience. The End of Evangelion is one of those films where any one person can view it a different way and interpret many of the scenes in a various ways. Of course with the internet one can get a better understanding for the film, but I find the End of Eva is more enjoyed with your own personal interpretation.





Of course many fans were expecting a more linear ending then what they got with the series, but the End of Evangelion is different. Even after a decade this movie still probes the minds of anyone who watches it and is still the subject of heated debate amongst fans. I truly wish the Rebuild series was just as complex as Neon Genesis, after revisiting the entire series I have an even bigger appreciation for it than when I did when I watched it years ago. This is a movie I think everyone should see at least once, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a real love it or hate it show, but it still stands as a huge landmark in anime and this movie is no exception. Although the Rebuild series is far more accessible in both distribution and the way it is presented to the viewer I still think that even after the final Rebuild film has been released that this movie will still be the true ending to the series. This is a hard film to live up to and I have no idea how Hideaki Anno is even going to match the genius he put into this movie

I give Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion a

9/10




It is almost a perfect movie, I know it is rated higher than the original series but I really enjoy the ambitious move that Anno took in making this film. This is the movie that completely alienated fans of the original show and is still making viewers question politics, religion, the universe, and even their own lives.