Neon Genesis Evangelion - The End of Evangelion

Amazon.com

When the first Evangelion feature, Death and Rebirth, proved no more satisfying than the last episodes of the original series, Hideaki Anno brought his watershed epic to its conclusion in this final installment. End of Evangelion begins where the series ended: with the Angels defeated, the sinister cabal SEELE attacks NERV headquarters to seize the Evas and realize their plan for humanity. Misato and Ritsuko fight from inside while Asuka decimates a new Eva series. But when Rei merges with Lilith, and Shinji seems to fuse with Unit 01, the final traces of a coherent storyline dissolve into a protracted collage of fantastic images, played against discussions involving Rei, Shinji, Asuka, and Kaoru. Anno's dazzling apocalyptic vision forms a weird but oddly logical finale that ultimately means whatever the viewer chooses to read into it. This unrated feature, suitable for ages 17 and older, contains considerable violence, profanity, grotesque imagery, and sexual situations. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

Total Mind Rape.......2007-08-17

This movie replaces episode 25 and 26 of the original TV series as an alternative ending persay. This movie came as a result of the complaints Evangelion fans had about the end of the TV series, so the new movie was a form of revenge.

If the end of the TV series was from the viewpoint within Shinji's mind (entirely), this movie is of the same events....but through a third person viewpoint with a bit of a twist at the end.

The ending leaves open a wide range of options in plot (for which many fanfiction writers have taken advantage of.) This is a must for any Eva eatcher or collector, but be prepared for a Shakespearian Tragedy.

Great movie- but STAY AWAY FROM THE DVD AT ALL COSTS.......2007-08-12

Whilst not an NGE fan, I saw this several years ago (back in 2001-ish) I must say I liked this a lot on the first viewing. I rented the VHS some time ago and I watched it 3 times. Even though I was SUPER confused by the logos in the beginning (there were like 8 companies, I counted), after that I found myself able to enjoy the movie.

Today I just bought the DVD (Manga entertainment R1) from Animethon 14 today, and as I began watching the movie, I became irritated by several things. Here are the pros and cons:

PROS:
-Finally, this movie is out on DVD. I was waiting for the DVD to come, and a year later, it's out on DVD.
-Great commentary! I constantly found myself entertained by a few few of the comments.
-Has both English and Japanese versions
-Great price

CONS:
-DESPITE WHAT THE BACK SAYS, THIS DVD'S ASPECT RATIO IS NOT ANAMORPHIC WIDESCCREEN. It's fullscreen, just that someone taped the widescreen version and transfered it to DVD. Or at least something like that, I guess...
-HORRIBLE PICTURE QUALITY! The picture was grainy, a few times I couldn't see sh**!
-The Subtitles are transparent. A few times during the movie, especially when it was all white, I couldn't tell WHAT they were saying.

SO go buy the VHS, or perhaps a fansub, but not this DVD. This is a great movie, and it deserves better treatment than this.

Beautiful and Terrible, Traumatizing and Enlightening: So this is what animation can accomplish.......2007-07-21

In writing a review about "The End of Evangelion", I honestly do not know where to start. To begin with, it is my favorite movie of all time. I will not bother reviewing the plot or setup here, since so many other reviewers have already done so perfectly well. Instead, I will try to shed just a smidgeon of light on the immense literary and artistic depth that this fim encompasses.
There is so very much to say about this film. Its depth, emotion and meaning are unsurpassed by nearly any other film I've seen, from the East or the West. Every minute of every episode of the Evangelion TV series has led up to this film. Every character's personal quest is resolved, for better or for worse, and all the fundamental thematic elements (if not every aspect of the plot) are resolved in truly mind-blowing fashion. Practically every shot of the film is loaded with complex Freudian and/or Judeo-Christian symbolism. (On a side note, many have dismissed the religious symbolism in this series as being frivolous and unnecessary due to the unfortunate comments to that end made by assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki a number of years ago. However, those who possess an extensive familiarity with both the subject matter and the series find it, to say the least, difficult to accept that such elaborate symbolism could be merely coincidental.) It is not only a fine work of unconventional directorial artistry, but quite possibly the very pinnacle of the literary potential of animation as a medium. The film pushes its medium - one which is frequently condemned to be overlooked by serious critics due to its employment in children's entertainment - to the very limits and beyond, accomplishing true exploitation of its potential for expressionistic value that has never been rivaled before or since, even by the many other great figures in the field of anime. The "flash montages" that Evangelion has become famous for are used to the very maximum of their potential, and the brilliant incorporation of live action into the whole postmodern flow communicates its message to the viewer on a level beyond words - something many films strive to accomplish, but very few ever achieve. The dialogue is concise, powerful, and well-chosen, and is translated into English with exceptional care for both the subtitled and English versions by anime-whiz Amanda Winn Lee and her jolly band at Gaijin Productions. (With the exception of one line of plot exposition that may make viewers' interpretations a little hazy therein.) It is clear, as it has always been, that director Hideaki Anno went to great labors to find the perfect lines for each scene, and just when and how to have them delivered for the greatest possible emotional impact. A previous reviewer has stated of the highly postmodern psychological sequences that "the viewer will soon find that the person under the microscope is not Shinji Ikari, but you." I could not agree more. This film is personally affecting in a way that none other has been, or perhaps ever will be.
The voice acting in both the English and Japanese versions is beyond superb. While the English has a couple of flat deliveries (mostly by stand-in actor Keith Burgess, who took on and subsequently butchered the role of secondary character Makoto Hyuga since the original voice, Matt Greenfield, would not work on the Manga Entertainment dub), none of them truly mar the onscreen drama, and even some lines that might make us laugh in other contexts ("Sweet Jesus, an Anti-AT Field!") are delivered with such confidance and sincerity that we have no choice but to take them with all seriousness. Furthermore, almost all of the beloved cast from the Eva TV series return to their roles in the movie, with leads such as Spike Spencer, Tiffany Grant, Amanda Winn Lee, Allison Keith and Tristan MacAvery delivering what could well be the performances of their lives. The original Japanese cast is just as good, with Megumi Ogata, Yuko Miyamura, Kotono Mitsuishi and the rest pushing their characters to the very limits. Any argument as to which version is superior seems ultimately trite, as both versions are delivered with stunning expertise and emotion.
The visuals of the film are stunning, overwhelming and beautiful. The animation is fluid and stunning, and the shades of gray communicate the melancholy mood of hope, loss and destruction that pervades the film. Even the incredibly graphic violence is delivered with a sort of horrific beauty that makes us reflect upon its greatert significance, not to the story, but to humankind itself. "The Beast" is brought out within all the characters, as the grim slaughter of the first act turns out the ugliest aspects of humanity in an apocalypse that is as emotional as it is visual. We truly FEEL every loose end of the story coming together, as it all falls apart at the same time.
The musical score for the film is unconventional, to say the least. While the TV series fell back to extensive use of synthesizers and small musical ensembles due to budget, Shiro Sagisu's oddball talent finally graduates to a full orchestral range for the big screen.This proves invaluable to the film's delivery, with several key themes from the series making their return in orchestral reprises, most notably including a sweeping choral reprise of the contemplative and bizarre theme "Mother is the First Other" from the later TV episodes. Also unforgettable is the eerily catchy "Komm, Susser Todd", played during the most apocalyptic segment of the film, which extends the already-disturbing imagery to nightmarish proportions.
While the DVD itself does not contain nearly as many extras as one would hope a film of this caliber to receive, the commentary by English-language director Amanda Winn, her husband Jason Lee, and coworker Tallison Jaffe is both refreshingly humorous and helpfully enlightening in regards to the labyrinthine abstraction of the film. Some have criticized it for taking the film too lightly, but I, as a truly sincere fan, must protest. I, for one, would certainly not have sat through the commentary track for the entire film if it were NEARLY as serious as the film itself. The commentators more or less excuse themselves for their lighthearted tone by coming right out and saying that if they were to do a deadpan commentary to "one of the most horrific pieces of violence ever put to cel", that they would probably "be jumping in front of a truck or something". A humorous excuse, of course, but one that, at least to me, endears them significantly enough to allow me to get caught up in their delightfully childish humor. Of course, it's not just "Mystery Science Theater" here - there are serious insights on many of the more abstract images or potential symbols found in the film, and ones that I probably would not have caught onto myself if I had not listened to the commentary track. If the viewer is concerned that they do not have sufficient respect for such a fine film, well, one need only look as far as the film's aforementioned brilliant English adaptation to see otherwise. Despite the fact that there is no laughter to be found within the film, I think it is safe to say that Ms. Lee and her colleagues are laughing with the drama, not at it. (Even in Japan, Hideaki Anno himself decided to parody the film in an audio drama entitled, "After the End".)
I could go on about this brilliant work of art forever and ever, but why should I? If you, the reader of this review, have seen the TV series of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" but have not seen this movie yet, you should feel downright obligated to secure and view it as soon as possible. This is one of the finest achievements in the history of anime, if not Asian cinema itself.

Final Verdict:

Rating: M+ (recommended for 17 and older, with strong content) - For graphic violence and gore, nudity, brief language, sexual situations and disturbing themes and images.

Score: 10/10 - Perfect (or as close as you can get)

Bottom Line: Any fan of anime, Asian film, or just fine cinema owes it to him or herself to see this film. Period.

Decent conclusion to the show, but not something to watch in polite company.......2007-03-04

First, I will describe some of the things I didn't like about End of Evangelion, then some of the things I did like.

Things I didn't like:

I thought the degree of violence and nudity were a bit excessive. While I can understand that the series was somewhat more constrained in that regard by TV censorship and Gainax would probably have made the whole series like End of Eva if they could have gotten away with it, I don't think I would have wanted to watch the series in that case, and I dislike having to tolerate a greater degree of violence and fan service just to see how the show ends. I realize this is a matter of personal preference; in general I prefer to watch, for instance, Miyazaki films and dislike movies like Akira or Ghost in the Shell. If you like the latter, then you'll probably like End of Eva.

Regarding the ending, it suffers from being overly mysterious. The trouble with resolving a plot with some sort of magical transformation is that from the audiences' point of view whatever happens seems rather arbitrary, since the writers can make up any sort of rules they want. Lilith, Adam, the Lance of Longinus, unit 01, and a bunch of production evas seem to all play an important role in the end of the world, but what are those roles specifically? I have no idea. It's also hard to guess what would have happened if events had transpired differently. For instance, if things had gone according to plan for either SEELE or Cmdr. Ikari, would the end result have been any different?

This is a minor point, but I thought that Christian symbolism was overused in End of Eva, even more so than the series. It isn't that it offends me, it just seems kind of silly after awhile to see crosses everywhere, and yet, as far as I can tell, there isn't anything substantively Christian about the show. (As a contrasting example, the series Haibane Renmei has comparatively little religious symbolism, but much more actual theological depth. An odd side effect of watching it is that now I think of Jesus whenever I see a crow. I concede that I'm probably a bit odd in that respect.) I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable to understand references to other religions, so I can't really say if they are portrayed in an insightful way or not.

Things I did like:

The audio commentary was reasonably informative and very entertaining. I don't usually listen to commentary tracks but another Amazon review recommended it, so I did. It explained some of the more obscure religious references, and generally helped disambiguate what was really going on. Even better, they make fun of the movie continuously - everything from the pervasive Freudian imagery to Fuyutski's Jay Leno chin. While it's fine to take the movie seriously, it's also a bit of a relief to laugh at it as well. If any movie ever deserved to be an MST3K episode, it's this one.

For some reason, I really like the end-of-the-world "I wish that I could turn back time" song (called Komm, süsser Tod). Though I suppose people might worry about me if I ever sang it out loud where I could be overhead.

I also liked the letterbox format. (I think the "death" part of death and rebirth is just scenes from the series cropped to fit in letterbox format.)

Animation quality is pretty good overall, even though there are still some scenes where it's obvious they were avoiding motion to save on budget (the SEELE meetings for instance). In general, the quality of animation was about on par with the early parts of the series, maybe a bit better.

The major character's stories (with the exception of Shinji's classmates who have all moved or disappeared or died or something some time ago) all reach some sort of a conclusion. We finally get some insight into Cmdr. Ikari's motives. We also get a better understanding of what's going on in general with Lilith, the Evas, the AT fields, and SEELE so the whole series makes quite a bit more sense. Many things are not fully explained, though.

The Brilliant Conclusion to a Most Profound Series.......2007-03-03

For those turning to this film to answer all the questions that the last two episodes of the Evangelion (NGE) series didn't answer, I suggest you look elsewhere. If anything, this film will provide you with precious few answers but a multitude of new questions. For those wanting a highly provocative, thought-provoking, intelligent and most poignant conclusion to the NGE series, then have no fear. I will try to explain some of the more perplexing elements in this film, without giving too much away, as well giving my thoughts and opinions at the same time.

The film is structured to be the final two episodes of the series. So the first half, Ep. 25 "Air/Love is Destructive" is concurrent with the series episode 25 "The World Ending/Do You Love Me?". The second half, Ep. 26. "My Purest Heart for You/One More Final: I Need You" is concurrent with the series episode 26 "The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World/Take Care of Yourself."

Much like the NGE series, the End of Evangelion (EoE) weaves a complex story where images and dialogue are closely related to the philosophy and symbolism. These themes are played out through the psychology of each characters' own mind. It is essentially a microcosm of the entire series. The opening scenes before the "Air" title card of Ep. 25 of Shinji overlooking the ruins of the city, and then entering Asuka's hospital room and, (I'll leave it there) set the mood and atmosphere. Showing effectively and very disturbingly that this is NOT going to be an easy film. As the first half roars out of the gates at breakneck speed, we see the hostile takeover of Nerv by the Seele organization and each Nerv member's desperate attempt to hold it at bay.

We also see the mental states that the two main Eva pilots - Shinji and Asuka - have been reduced too. Shinji is severely depressed after killing the last angel, Kaworu, whom he had formed a close bond with. Asuka is in the same mental boat as Shinji as she sits at the bottom of the lake in her Eva, which she feels she can't pilot anymore. What's interesting is the paths that have driven these two characters to this point. The ideas of finding one's self-worth (examined perfectly in the final two series episodes), and what happens to a person when that is taken away.

At the same time Seele is trying to initiate their plans for Third Impact using Unit-01 and the downright creepy looking Mass-Produced Eva Series, Gendo has his own plans involving Rei and Lilith. As Asuka, (with a little help and inspiration from her Mama) rages an extremely violent battle with the Evil Evas, Gendo takes Rei down to Lilith. He does this to unite the souls and bodies of Adam and Lilith only to find his scorned lover, Ritsuko there. It's interesting that two of the most shocking and violent scenes (the Asuka/Eva battle and the Gendo/Ritsuko confrontation) are played out to Bach's beautiful "Air". The infusion of the music in this film is truly brilliant and a major reason why many scenes are so effective.

However, this is the point in the film where most people will start to become completely lost. Without a really good understanding of the NGE story (and perhaps even with one), it's hard not to. It's very difficult to make the extremely complex simple, however I'll try without many spoilers.

Suffice it to say that Seele were trying to initiate Third Impact and reduce humankind back to its original form - the Primordial Soup of Life where all souls and beings are one. Gendo had different plans and just wanted to see his 'dead' wife, Yui again. Neither Seele's or Gendo's plans go exactly as they were meant to. Unit-01, along with Shinji, ends up becoming the Tree of Life, and the ark in which all souls are ushered through and into Lilith's Egg. Understanding the idea that in NGE, humans - Lilim, as we're called - were born from Lilith, and Rei is essentially Lilith helps make this clearer. What's happening near this point is 3rd Impact is occurring because of the Unit-01 and the Mass Produced Eva encounter. This returns the Geo-Front (the sphere like cavern where Nerv HQ sits) to its original form, the Egg of Lilith (we see this during the "Eye"-like explosion). After the Giant Rei/Lilith forms, Shinji is essentially given reign over the future of the human race by Rei/Lilith herself.

At this point, the tempo of the film slows to a crawl and the most surreal images and scenes begin creeping in. Even the most seemingly simple scenes such as a young Shinji playing in a sandbox with a swing, mountains, and a setting sun in the background is just rife with symbolism (hint: try to relate everything in this scene with something in the show, be it scenes, characters, or themes). Here, the psychological interplay between the main characters is crucial, as Shinji's wishes are played out in the real world. When he feels that everyone has deserted him and essentially says 'everyone can just die' is when the Instrumentality and joining of all souls through Lilith really begins.

What's important to note is Shinji's thoughts after his 'choice' has been made. The place he escapes to - the world of Instrumentality where all souls are one - and his questioning of this choice and all his choices is what we see here. More than just his questioning of the choice, we also hear him questioning the meaning of reality and dreams. This is not just random philosophical ramblings. It's a study of a character's, as well as the creator's, thoughts and feelings. Shinji holds all of humanity's future in his hands or, more accurately, his own mind. When you consider how psychologically scarred Shinji is, the idea that he can completely shape the future of Earth and all of humankind is what makes this so interesting.

Once he is allowed to be in the world he escapes to, he's faced with another choice of whether to stay or come back. As he discusses these things with Rei and Kaworu (Lilith and Adam), we hear his final choice and reasons why. The ending of EoE, titled "One More Final: I Need You" is rightfully confusing to almost everyone who sees it. However, it's also the perfect note to end the series with. Not only does it leave us as uncertain as the characters are about the future, but it also expresses the frustration and realization of Shinji's choice and the culmination of all the struggles that has lead them there.

This film is simply a divine marvel. Much like the series it has to be watched multiple times for one to uncover all of its hidden layers and meanings. But it doesn't lose its ability to invoke emotions and thoughts even after several viewings. There are scenes of immense power and drama in the film - many that match the best of most films I've seen. But I think it's the quiet moments that make this film so moving and memorable. The Sandbox scene is one I've mentioned. Another is the live action shots with the monologue and Bach's magnificent "Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude" (Jesus, Joy of Man's Desiring) playing along on piano with it. Even more subtle moments, such as Shinji's SDAT (walkman type) player out of batteries (more significant than many would think), and Gendo's broken glasses in Rei's place. With the vivid beginning of Instrumentality played out to the appropriate sad-song-with-a-pop-beat "Komm Susser Tod" (Come Sweet Death), it's these scenes that never fail to give me chills.

There's a great quote that goes something like "A truly wise man always has more questions than answers." This is a series and film that asks more questions than it provides answers. What it tries to do is make you think about those questions, rather than provide an easily digestible story. Some may call the story incoherent and disjointed, but what many don't realize is that the deep psychological and philosophical leanings behind the show are inextricably linked with the storyline itself. So to distinguish one from the other is impossible without realizing how the two intertwine and effect the other. If you merely try to breakdown the sci-fi storyline, then you will be confused by much of it. This is because the story is so big and so encompassing that many finer details can't be uncovered without diving deep into the inner workings of the series.

In the end, I can only speak for myself when I say NGE did a superlative job of doing everything a great work of art should do. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it gave me chills on more than one occasion.... but most of all it made me THINK. Anyone who wants to enjoy this show as just a meaningless work of science fiction can do so, but will be baffled as they're crushed by the multiple layers of extra contextual meanings. So, if you want to understand NGE, you have to not only pay close attention to the small details within the show (small scenes from many episodes back play a role in the film), you have to really open your mind up to the ideas being presented, and how they effect the story.

However, taken as a film, and the conclusion to the NGE series, End of Evangelion is a staggering achievement and powerful last testament to what is, in my opinion, the greatest visual series of all time.

*DVD NOTES:

Those considering whether to buy just the EoE or the EoE/Death & Rebirth 2-pack, I suggest you go with the EoE unless you don't own the director's cuts of the last several episodes (available in the Platinum Collection). 'Death' is mostly a muddled re-crap of the entire series, while 'Rebirth' is merely the first 30 minutes of EoE. Death also doesn't contain remastered visuals or audio like the Platinum Collection does, so you'll be getting a low quality re-cap at that. Death really doesn't even work as an introduction to NGE, because most everyone not aquainted with previous episodes would be confused by the structure of the recap. The only thing worthwile in 'Death' is something called "The Magi Archives" which provides great information about key people, places, events, and thing in the series. This is very helpful to those who feel completely lost by all the jargon in the series and will help clear some things up, even if it won't answer any of the bigger questions. So just stick with EoE unless you feel the need for completeness to get Death & Rebirth as well.

Neon Genesis Evangelion - The Death & Rebirth + The End of Evangelion Movie Box Set

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Neon Genesis Evangelion - The Death & Rebirth + The End of Evangelion Movie Box Set

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