Neon Genesis Evangelion

[G-Matt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKgjBZiQB8c
Skip just to 0:10. You should get Ultraman AND Godzilla vibes. Noticed it after watching again.

Oh yes! That sure brought a smile on my face when I watched the movie for the first time. Another clever tribute from Anno.

[Rody]

When I finished the original series a few years ago, and followed it up with End of Evangelion, I found myself shocked and disoriented by the experience. NGE's two climaxes, chock-full of convoluted emotions and plot twists, were more than I could handle at the time.

When I finished Evangelion 3.0, I found myself reacting in a similar way - but I think I understood things this time.

3.0 is a startling movie, to say the least. Shinji awakes to find the world he knows completely gone, and all of his former friends and allies coldly treating him like some sort of monster; even Misato snubs him, and Asuka can only bear him in disgust. Gendo, in contrast, is as blunt and ambiguous as ever, and Rei is missing in more than one sense of the word. The paradigm shift is too much for Shinji to handle, and falls further and further towards the brink of despair over the course of the film.
It all seems very unfair - even cruel - what Shinji has to deal with in this film. No one offers Shinji explanations; no one even bothers to accuse him. It's just taken for granted that Shinji has "sinned", and Shinji is left on his own to try to understand. Asuka's quick to label Shinji a brat when he goes against their organization WILLE and rejoins the remnants of NERV/SEELE; but can one really blame a child for misbehaving when he's never been taught to behave otherwise? Shinji is more alone here than he ever has been before, so who can he turn to for guidance?
This is where Kaworu comes in. Kaworu is open and gentle; he offers guidance and friendship to Shinji, and Shinji readily accepts. Shinji is still a child, and Kaworu seems to understand that better than anyone else; so Kaworu treats Shinji appropriately and encourages him as he needs. However, Kaworu can only offer so much solace as Shinji learns the (nearly)entire truth about Third Impact and his father's plans. Kaworu urges Shinji to move forward, but are they actually moving in the right direction?

Evangelion 3.0 appears to work best in its smaller moments (although it delivers pretty well on grand action sequences too), but it's too jarring to see how severely Shinji is treated and how abruptly all the responsibilities of the world are dropped upon him. The film seems so intent on sending Shinji over the despair horizon that it seems to sacrifice its writing and much of the cast to do so. Normally I'd flat-out say, yes, this is just a poorly conceived movie - except nagging thoughts in my head said otherwise. I went ahead and watched the film a second time, and those thoughts came out loud and clear:
I think Evangelion 3.0 is a commentary on the Evangelion franchise itself - as well as Hideaki Anno's relationship with it today.
It's well known that Evangelion has always been a very personal project for Anno - being tied closely to his struggling mental state - and I think (I may not the only one, either) that 3.0 is the most unfiltered, blatant statement on the matter. From what I understand, Anno really wanted to do these films; but making them may be proving to be more trouble than they're worth. The Rebuild films seem to have been met with mixed reception - which I suppose is inevitable for any remake of a popular title - and Anno himself stated that work on 3.0 drove him back into severe depression. At this point, Evangelion seems to be plain unhealthy for Anno (his therapist even says so), but at the same time, he seems to be stuck in it. I bet fans were delighted to have more Eva when the Rebuild films were first announced, only to turn on him when they were dissatisfied with the results - not unlike how Shinji has Eva-01 suddenly taken away from him in the film. His former friends say, "Don't ever pilot EVA again!!", even as his father says, "You must pilot it". Perhaps Anno and Shinji are walking in the same shoes right now - Eva is what practically defines them now, but does it bring about any good? Would the world be better off without Eva?
The climax of the film is bombastic, intense, and more than a little convoluted, but I think the above sentiments still ring true - Anno Shinji can only act on what is right in front of him now, pushing Eva forward to the inevitable conclusion, regardless of the consequences, even though he really doesn't know what he's doing anymore. He seeks peace, solace, redemption even; but he risks sacrificing everything else to achieve those. In the end, it feels like nothing has changed at all. Hope may not be lost, though. Misato hesitated when Shinji escaped. Asuka drags him out of his cockpit and pulls him towards a new destination. Rei - perhaps an embodiment of Eva within the Eva, follows in pursuit of her own identity. The end is nigh, but it doesn't have to go out in a whimper; Shinji may still have allies to help him through, like Anno himself has friends and family around.

I'm inclined to say that Evangelion 3.0 is the weakest Rebuild film so far. As I mentioned before, most of the characters felt shortchanged, especially with as many newcomers as there were for this film. The animation was generally stellar, but oddly there were a few scenes that were a little too obviously CGI (whereas the first two films were fine meshing styles), and often settings and objects looked over-designed and needlessly absract. I didn't really care for any of the new Eva designs (beast mode=cat was just stupid). Shiro Sagisu fully delivers on music, forunately; I think his score for this film is easily among his best work ever.
I wouldn't say 3.0 is a bad film, though - more like it's a good film disguised as a bad film. I think Anno had a very specific purpose for this film - to make a statement regarding himself and his franchise - and unfortunately that statement came at the expense of other aspects which may have increased the film's overall merit. I don't know if 3.0 entertained me, but it certainly fascinated me; the Evangelion franchise has challenged me intellectually more than any other series/franchise, and I'm honestly pleased to say that Evangelion 3.0 was no different.

I can only wonder, now, where 3.0+1.0 will lead from here.

[Tohosaurus]

Looks like we might have a home media date for the third film.

[Godzillakuj94]

So if I were to get into this should I try finding the series to watch? Or should I buy the newer rebirth films and watch those?

[20th Century Boy]

So if I were to get into this should I try finding the series to watch? Or should I buy the newer rebirth films and watch those?

Watch the series. The Rebuild movies are good revisionist approaches, but they sacrifice some substance for mainstream appeal. I do recommend them, but only after seeing the series first.

[Tohosaurus]

So if I were to get into this should I try finding the series to watch? Or should I buy the newer rebirth films and watch those?

Just FYI there's no current home media release in print for the original series.

[LegendZilla]

I don't think a fourth rebuild film will ever come out at this rate.

[Tohosaurus]

Maybe. Anno is busy with Godzilla but idk that he'd do another (if we're so lucky). I don't recall many Godzilla sequels being directed by their predecessor's director anyway. Could be wrong, and I'm assuming a lot.

[LegendZilla]

At this rate, I won't be surprised if the fourth Rebuild film never sees the light of day.

[Rody]

Actually, considering what (I think) 3.0 had to say about Anno's relationship with the franchise & its fanbase, it would be kind of funny if the fourth film never happened - like Anno finally said, "I don't care anymore", and just ditched the franchise for good.

[PopInPicsPresents]

Watched the first 2 Rebuild films and loved them, 2 especially. I think they did a great job of abridging the films, and to an extent making the characters far more likable. That said, I found some models online and I'm making a video with them but I whipped this up as a little teaser first.



A little bit too pixelated for my liking, but it'll do for now.

[Rody]

Evangelion 3.33 is finally out of home video - but I'm not seeing any indications that the God Warrior short is included.
I was hoping...

[kamilleblu]

Actually, considering what (I think) 3.0 had to say about Anno's relationship with the franchise & its fanbase, it would be kind of funny if the fourth film never happened - like Anno finally said, "I don't care anymore", and just ditched the franchise for good.

In b4 he includes another impact in Godzilla Resurgence. Godzilla was the force that destroyed the world and led to what we see in the NGE and Rebuild.

[Jatahaxe]

Actually, considering what (I think) 3.0 had to say about Anno's relationship with the franchise & its fanbase, it would be kind of funny if the fourth film never happened - like Anno finally said, "I don't care anymore", and just ditched the franchise for good.

In b4 he includes another impact in Godzilla Resurgence. Godzilla was the force that destroyed the world and led to what we see in the NGE and Rebuild.

I would be weirdly okay with that...

[Rody]

This is a very good read:

The Evolution of Evangelion: Rebuild vs. TV

Rather than seeing the Rebuild films as replacements for the original series, it's more revealing to look at them as subsequent works where their creator, Hideaki Anno, reflects upon the original. He's looking back at the feelings of depression he first channeled into Evangelion with a renewed perspective, which is a big deal because those feelings were a major part of why so many people love the original show – you'd be hard-pressed to find a more honest depiction of crippling depression in pop culture. But Rebuild isn't Hideaki Anno "changing his mind" about how he felt, only changing his point of view in relation to those feelings.

[Inferno Rodan]

So I finally watched 3.33 last night. My thoughts can basically be summed up with a single two-letter word:

"Eh."

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. But the whole thing just felt really... hollow, I guess. The entire movie was literally just setting stuff up for the 4th movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing, per se, but the problem is that's basically all it did. Hardly anything actually happened. It felt more like a really long prologue than an actual film unto itself.

[kamilleblu]

So I finally watched 3.33 last night. My thoughts can basically be summed up with a single two-letter word:

"Eh."

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. But the whole thing just felt really... hollow, I guess. The entire movie was literally just setting stuff up for the 4th movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing, per se, but the problem is that's basically all it did. Hardly anything actually happened. It felt more like a really long prologue than an actual film unto itself.

Aagree with this. It's like the film is bare bones. And I feel like another "impact" cheapens the idea and threat they pose. Nothing that happened in the previous film matters, besides its "impact" and that seemed much less destructive than what its aftermath as shown in 3.33 implies. I guess the focus was psychology, though it's less interesting when it's only Shinji being examined and he isn't doing much of anything. Just seems like the concept could have been accomplished much better. Almost everything bad that happened could have been avoided with a little communication. And why did Misato take so long to attack Nerv? That might have had something to do with repairs and I just missed it.

[Rody]

I like to think 3.33 is Anno's criticism of fans who wail on Shinji while completely missing the point that OF COURSE he looks like a wimp when THIS is the best treatment he gets. Shinji - and maybe the EVA story itself - is stuck where he is, because he doesn't have the strength to move forward, and no one is offering their hand.

[miguelnuva]

Just watched the tv serene and EoE and I've never been so confused with what was going on in my life. I loved the series up 24 then both versions of 25 and 26 took the series in a new direction.

Gettibg ready to start the rebuilds.

[AbudJasemAlBaldawi]

So when does everyone think Eva 3.0+1.0 will release? Or rather, will it release? I personally think Anno will get it done, I just hope he doesn't take too God damn long.