Neon Genesis Evangelion - The End of Evangelion

Rating:
Summary: Beyond Amazing......
Review: Like some people's reviews have said before this one, if you want the real effect, watch the Japanese version with English subtitles first, because it is a lot more dramatic than the toned down english version. I am not saying that the english version is bad, because it is still the best anime I have ever seen, but nothing can touch the original japanese version. My one example is at the very end where in the Japanese version when Asuka says "I feel sick" instead of "Disgusting" and then it goes into that amazing piece by Bach, you just sit there staring at the screen knowing you had just witnessed something utterly amazing. (The song is "Jesus Bleibet Meine Freud" if anyone has tried to search for it like I did) In the English version it ends in some cheesy song that just doesn't set the mood.

Ok though, enough blabbering about what was wrong, let me talk about what went right. NGE: End of Evangelion is easily the greatest conclusion to any series I have ever seen. I would rate the original 26 episode TV series as decently good, but this movie just blows everything away. Not only will it mess with your head and leave you speechless, but you will also feel a since of accomplishment when you have finished watching it, as if you have just experienced one of the finer things in life. End of Evangelion is everything an anime should be and more. It makes you think and look for deeper meanings in things. I don't really want to go into heavy detail and spoil this for anyone, so I will leave my review at that.

This movie is a must see for anyone who has watched the TV series. Like someone else said, and like I did, sit down and watch all 26 episodes in a row and then watch this. You will be totally blown away.

Rating:
Summary: It's NOT an alternate ending
Review: The End of Evangelion is a beautiful piece, completely consistantwith the rest of the series. It (along with Death and Rebirth) was written and produced before the last two episodes were. The purpose for the final two episodes was that the television station in Tokyo that was producing Evangelion demanded that Gainax fulfill the 26 ep. deal, even with the two movies already in production. So, episodes 25 and 26 can b seen as the alternate ending.

The movie truely is astounding, in that it provides exactly the sort of ending the series demands. It's ambiguous, and purposefully so. Throughout Eva, Shinji second-guesses himself, changing and chaing his mind and decisions. Finally, he's forced to make a decision that cannot be changed; the outcome of Third Impact is left up to the viewer, based on the information you've collected about Shinji's characer through the series. It isn't something that can be shown.

The animation is beautiful, the story rich and complete. It may not make a whole lt of sense, but then, it doesn't truely have to. It's a story that has no ending, just as it was meant to happen.

Rating:
Summary: What the [heck]?
Review: ... I've seen the entire eva series, and frankly wasn't too impressed with it. With that said, this film makes no sense what so ever. After watching it I thought that I had been on an acid trip. Some people may say this was "deep and philosophical", but I think it was just plain whacked out...
Moreover, the violence and sex in the movie was really disturbing. Shinji masturbating in front of a comotose Asuka was just sick.
Unless you are a hard core eva fan, or a stoner avoid this DVD at all costs!

Rating:
Summary: There IS a difference between confusing and complicated.
Review: There are many kinds of art in the world. Art that exaults the mind and exerts its power over human emotion to make the heart race, sink or fly. While many of the moden day art forms are not to my particular taste I find massive enjoyment in many others. But, personal preference and perspective to one side there is only one form of art that I despise with a blow-torch passion: modern art.
Modern art, in fact isn't really art at all unless you were to count the 'art' of self delusion. Where with true art you feel that you have learned or experienced something worthwile, nomatter how deep, meaningfull, or frivolous. Yes, with true art, there is always that degree of humility when you stand before it, even if that humility is summed up in one simple exclamation: 'Wow!'. Modern art however is the exact opposite. It's when the artist, however tallented (or not) suffers from a deplorable inflation of the ego and creates something deliberatly confounding; not to pose a question or riddle, but simply to state how much more intelligent he or she must be to create and understand such a thing. This then seems to atract scores of highfaluting fops to pronounce the abomination a masterpiece and the 'artist' a genius. To do otherwise would be tantamount to admitting that they are just as baffled as the rest of us poor uneducated commoners in the street.
Evangelion, I am deverstated to say, falls squarely into this contemptable catagory.
Of the TV series, the first 10 or 12 episodes where great if a little repetetive plotwise. I loved the characters and the character development, deftly mixing tragedy with comedy often in the same episode! I was intrigued by the plotlines and the quesions they developed: What ARE Angels? Why are they attacking earth? What is Shinji's farther's true motive? All packaged together with some beautiful character designs and often sublime animation!
However, two thirds of the way through the TV episodes, it became clear that this wonderful series was not going to go anywhere near the direction in which it started out! The characters, for one thing, actually start to evolve backwards, forgetting the things they have learned so far. For example, shinji seems to get more screwed up as the series goes on until we reach the 'End of Evengelion' where he does nothing in the whole movie except sit mute on the floor while his friends are being killed, screem hysterically, and cry; not to mention some morally questionable acts. The other characters seem to go though a similarly torturous degeneration. This would all be well and good if there had been a discernible point made. There was not.
On the whole, I feel very betrayed by the series and it's makers. I feel that they made me care about these wonderful characters and the journey they were all on, only to make me watch as each character is destroyed though one horrowing emotional mutilation after another and then to prety much say with 'End of Evangelion' "well, the plot is too complex to be understood -- it's art". Evangelion started off as a wonderful collection of interesting and highly entertaining characters wrapped in a comedy/sci-fi/mecha anime that only the Japanese animators can do really well. The whole family could enjoy it on it's many diferent levels. However, it ended up as one of the most sadistic excuses for art I have ever experienced. Certanly something you would NEVER show to your kids. To analogize, watching Evangelion is like listening to a beautiful, up-beat song about friends, life and the challenge of having both, only to have the song turn, inexplicabley, into a Marilyn Manson 'masterpeice' about drinking the blood of the devil's children!
I apologize for the image; but if you don't like that, you definitly won't like the End of Evangelion.

Rating:
Summary: Eva's Final Chapter Leaves An Impact
Review: After experiencing all of Neon Genesis Evangelion it was absolutely imperative for me to see this, the BETTER ending to the show. It ties up most of the loose ends left by the series' original finale. However, the end of this movie isn't much more forthcoming in explaining itself than the series' end was. It was more physical, perhaps, but still not satisfying enough in my opinion. There's closure here, no doubt, but not the kind I was hoping for.

Luckily the disk has an amusing and interesting commentary from 3 individuals who worked on the show. It's a godsend because it explains a great deal of the movie's bizarre imagery. Without that commentary I would have been lost in trying to understand some of the key plot developments.

I really liked the overall quality of this film. You can tell the production values were higher here than in the series because the animation is a significant step up. And geez, talk about graphic! Unless you're terribly desensitized to violence and gore, be prepared for some harsh visuals! The action sequences are brutal, yet gratifying at the same time. The music was mostly impressive but towards the end it gets strange. It sounds kind of odd considering the events during which it plays. You'll just have to listen (and see) for yourself.

This film entertains while making you feel for the characters. For that reason alone it is a success. But Evangelion viewers will get much more out of it. Any fan of the series would be crazy to miss this final chapter. After all, you have to know what REALLY happens to everyone at the conclusion, right?

Rating:
Summary: Hideaki Anno is a genius!
Review: Just to make this clear, DO NOT WATCH THIS UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE SERIES!!(and if you haven't go away and watch it now). With that out of the way; everyone who has seen the series should buy this film.

End of Evangelion was originally created to replace the last two episodes of the eva series, although there is evidence to say that this is more of concurrent ending rather then a complete replacement. The film still keeps the detailed picking of Shinji's mind present in the last two episodes, although this is not as long, to some fans rejoice! (I actually liked the last two episodes).Although the ending to the film is completely different to the ending of the series, replacing the happy, almost hopeful ending to the series with a much more dark and devastating ending. The film keeps true to the series, however everything seems to be maximised; violence, nudity, disturbing situations etc. From the very first scene, you'll see that this film takes on a much darker tone then the rest of the series, and this feeling carries on through the film to the brilliantly constructed ending.

This film will, however, change your view on the entire series and the characters involved (weather that's a good or bad thing leave up to you). Nevertheless, this is a remarkable ending to one of the greatest anime series of all time.

Rating:
Summary: This is a warning
Review: I've come to the conclusion that the people who didnt give this movie a 5 star rating, must have been watching the dubbed version. If you are interested in watching this series, please watch it in Japanese with subtitles. The english voice actors are terrible. The downside to the to the subs are that they are an exact translation. The dubbed voices did a better job of translating, but the actors are still realy bad. So if there is a part that didn't make sense, watch it over in the dubbed, but don't watch the entire series that way, it will ruin your eva experience.

Rating:
Summary: The best possible ending to the greatest series ever.
Review: After seeing this movie, I truly realized what the people in Animerica were talking about when they did a huge write up on this movie and the series ending...it will mess with your mind. Having watched the series and the two endings that were created, this one is more visually appealing and still presents the watcher with the same questions as the first ending did...only, this movie brings you to do much more thinking and forces the viewer to realize that the true final determination is only in the eyes of the one watching it. After this movie, I don't see an interpretation being much easier.

A small revelation that I gained was this...that man truly controls their own destiny. This fact lies in the later truth being revealed that humans were the eighteenth angel and knowing that coming in contact with Lilith, the second angel, or Adam would cause the third impact. It shows this through Shinji, as well. Shinji was the only one who could determine whether or not the human race would still exist. This one being makes the determination that all the pain he has felt or will feel is a small price to pay for living amongst the ones who care most about you. In his case, they were all dead...except Asuka.

I also found several other things from this series, and movie, as well, but I will allow other viewers of this great picture decide their own interpretations. Please, WATCH THE SERIES FIRST!!! You can't understand this movie without having seen the series.

Rating:
Summary: If you want philosophical enlitghtenment or...
Review: ...just the film experience of a lifetime, watch this film. Do *NOT* watch it before you have seen all 26 episodes of neon genesis evangelion, the faboulus anime series wich this feature concludes.

Rating:
Summary: The Best anime movie- ever
Review: First things first. If you have not seen the seiries or at least have read all the extra stuff in death and rebirth, stay the heck away from this movie. It will just confuse, and depress you.

Now that I got that out of the way , lets talk about the actual movie. This movie takes place after episode 24, after shinji killed koaru. Suposedly this is what happened in the world around shinji during the last 2 episodes of the seiries. That could be a good theory. Well, the first "episode" in the movie is action packed and full of eva on eva action, and a little of gun play at the heart of the Nerv Command center. Relitivly Easy to understand.
The last half is a weird mind trip staring shinji, and how the apocolpse coes along. I think that that is the "Human Instrumentality Project" that they were talking about in the sieries. It is strange, butiful, and deep. THe ending will aso leave you thinking for a while.
A good reason to own the DVD is because of the feature length comentary featuring Amanda Winn Lee (the english language diretor and voice of Rei Ayanami), Jason Lee (Co producer and voice of Aoba), and Talison Jafe (anime enthusiest, know it all, and "general Eva monkey"). It gives a lot of valuable information of the movie and there is also a few chucle moments that makes it really fun to watch. This movie is simply breath taking.