Rating: 
Summary: end or begining?
Review: The End of Evangelion is one of those titles that you either love to death or hate with a passion and while i'm sure i'm just repeating what other people have said it must be stressed. At times I found it very confusing and I must say there are still things which i'm confussed about relating to the film. The other thing I must say is that this is one of the most disturbing and graphic animations I have ever seen. While the pace slows down in the second half of the picture it is not one for the faint hearted. The battle with Asuka and the EVA series is one of the gorriest action sequences I have ever seen. But the reason I gave this 5 stars is because it's different and unique and it is fair to say this anime is in leauge of it's own. Aspects of the original series are only fragments of whats in store in the movie ending which is a welcome elaboration of the alternate ending. Hints of religios symbolism are woven into this masterpiece like a vivid tapestry with glimses of symbols from the crucifixion, kabbala and bible. The psycological abuse witch Shinji has endured in the evangelion series has taken it's toll on Shinji's self-esteem and as SELEE atempts to bring about the evolution of mankind with Shinji as it's their tool. The fate of mankind hangs in the balance. In a world in which he only knows pain and suffering where will Shinji find the will to go on in a new world. Shinji controlls the fate of humanity and the difference between total destruction and a new genesis lies in shinji's hands. The movie ending combines mind blowing action sequences with an in depth look into the human mind and soul. Similar to boogiebop phantom and Lain. This animation was thought provoking and interlectually challenging and raises many questions about humanity and religion. If your smart enough to buy this DVD you wont regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: Will Test What You Believe...
Review: End of Evangelion. Hmmm. Let me say this, after the whole Eva series (even after the odd episodes of 25 & 26), I could not wait to watch the movies. When they finally arrived and I could watch them, I was ready to be on the edge of my seat. I never expected to feel so much disgust and disappointment. My whole week was ruined. How could a series that started out so upbeat and interesting end like this? I loved every one of thopse characters and this was how they treated them. I about had it with the whole Evangelion saga.
However, my husband wanted to watch the whole series after I ordered them in the mail. So I watched all of the episodes and movies again with him. Boy did it all make complete sense. My husband of course was completely confused.
Regardless, I was finally satisfied and happy about all of it. I could accept the fact that it was all about the beginning of a new era of life. It was all a concept of how the end of the world would be for the human race and how it was up to Shingi to decide on mankind's fate. That was why the angels were trying to get to central dogma. They wanted to join with Lilith and Adam so their their form would continue to exist. There really wasn't much else to it. Yes there were images and phrases that could lead to deeper meaning, but it was really all about another theory on how we may have come to be and how we will continue to exists.
It did help listening to the commentary. So if you need some sort of closure on this series, watch the whole series a second time and then view the movie with the commentary.
I know a lot of people were pretty disappointed about the movies and how this amazing series ended. Some may be shocked by the nudity and violence. But that is how life is and we come into this world with just our bodies and birth is violent. Made sense that the characters were naked during the final sequence.
People need to have open minds when viewing these movies and let go. No need to hold onto reality. That is the beauty of Anime! It never really makes sense in Anime. Enjoy it.
It is like Shinji's mother said in the end of this movie, as long as the sun, earth and the moon still exist, it will be okay. Recommend strongly to a person who enjoys a challenge.
Rating: 
Summary: Not What I Expected....
Review: I loved Eva, all the episodes before "The End of Evangelion", made perfect sense, and we're all around great. The End of Evangelion had almost nothing to do with the other episodes, it leaves many questions unanswered, and it's very long and quite boring. During the entire episode it seems to repeat itself thousands of times, and drags on forever... I really really loved Eva, it was my favorite Anime series, but after seeing the final episode I don't care much for Neon Genesis any more. The voices seemed to have changed from the original 1-13 series, and to tell you the truth, they really bother me.. Misato's new voice sounds so... UnMisatoish.
If you're an Eva fan then rent it!! Don't waste so much money on this DVD, trust me, you won't want to watch it again. If you've read all of my review then you're probably wondering why I even recommended renting it since I've graded it so horribly. You just have to rent it to know the real ending of Eva, even if it is one of the worse animes out there, you've just got to see it for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: PSYCHO!!!
Review: Well, it certainly isn't the original ending, that's for sure. It keeps certain aspects of the original ending and expands on it a whole lot more. I don't know what was running through this guy's mind when he made this movie though, some of it is a bit disturbing. Definitely not what I was expecting. It's jampacked with random violence, graphic sexual content, and an overall morbid effect. I'm not going to say it wasn't good, it was just weird. Although it follows the Evangelion storyline, it seems to have little to do with the creator's original intentions. It seems as though Hideaki Anno was slowly having a mental breakdown as he made the series, if you have seen the original series you would know that it starts off like any typical anime and becomes more and more twisted as it moves along. I would recommend this movie for anyone who has seen the original series and would like to have more questions answered. Beyond the bad stuff, there are, of course, some good points. There are some great action scenes and it does, as I said before, answer a lot of questions left over from the original series.
Rating:
Summary: What a disturbing piece of cinema...
Review: If the first 26 episodes that constituted the original Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series held anything back in terms of philosophical quandary and paradox, EoE is obviously the catharsis for it. Within a mere 90 minutes, viewers are bombarded with an innumerable amount of dogmatic, Kaballist and existentialist metaphors embedded in a series of cryptic and ambiguous scenes that sternly command repeated viewing to allow the audience to sort through the ambiguity to satisfy their own understanding of the ideas Director Hideaki Anno presents. In other words, this is the type of film that will keep you awake at night. Not only is there a conundrum at every turn, but also a whole helluva lot of disturbing visuals, to boot. In fact, Asuka's death scene, while not gratuitously gory [Anno leaves the details to the viewer's imagination], still actually made me feel sympathy for what I thought was otherwise a despicable character. And there were other parts, too, that had me uncomfortable and almost wishing for more of the light-hearted -alternate universe scenario- that Anno taunted us with in episode 26. You'll feel a lot of conflicting emotions like that while watching this film [assuming that you've seen and absorbed the full TV series, because if that's not the case, the thought of watching EoE shouldn't even cross your mind]. It's a brilliantly crafted animated feature that, unlike the vast,vast,vast majority of entertainment, actually challenges the audience.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant in Concept, Complex in Execution
Review: This film is the second ending produced for this series. The first ending (Episodes 25 and 26) left fans so dissatisfied that director Hideaki Anno felt compelled to create an alternate ending and issue it as a full length film. One should keep in mind when watching it that in the voice commentary provided in this edition this film is referred to as "Hideaki's revenge." I really do not think that is true, but there is no question but that the Director/Creator of this film has made a film that challenges the view on all fronts, making it an unusually difficult film. The film opens on the impending destruction of NERV headquarters. With the destruction of the 'Angels,' the members of SEELE move to implement their plan for the forced evolution of humankind. Stage 1 is the capture or destruction of the EVA and their 'riders.' For the rest of the NERV staff only a grim and violent death is offered. Shinji and Asuka manage to activate their EVAs and fight back. Meanwhile, Rei descends into the heart of NERV with Dr. Ikari to confront Lilith. While this apocalypse occupies the first part of the film, filling the screen with both spellbinding action and some unnerving interior insights, one could argue that it is only a prelude to the real core of the film. Almost haphazardly, symbols from the Kabbala and the Crucifixion are woven into the action as SEELE prepares the ritual that will recreate humanity. Magically, Rei and Shinji become the main characters in a metaphysical play that will decide the future of man. It is no surprise that these two become bound to the moments of decision and rebirth. Both the characters are not completely whole as personalities. To each of them the conflict over individuality is both interior and exterior. Without these flaws, the decision would not have been in doubt. As the story progresses fluid, the hurried action of the attack on NERV is replaced by a more elegiac pace. Longer still shifts and slower pacing give the viewer a rest, but at the price of an ever more complex and difficult plot. Without the film length commentary available on the DVD, much of the subtexts to the visual displays would remain impenetrable. This is the first time that I have felt that the commentary was required viewing. This film is worth seeing simply for its stretching of the limitations of anime. This is a marvelous but elusive work of art. Be warned - 'The End of Evangelion' lacks any manner of explanation of the events leading up to the film. Thus, familiarity with either 'Death and Rebirth' or the series itself is almost a requirement for making good sense of what is happening.
Rating:
Summary: Great visuals, but...
Review: ... What the heck is going on? This final episode of the Neon Genesis saga doesn't really answer any questions that the last two episodes of the original series posed. It looks great, the sound and music are superb, well worth the cost of the DVD; but it seems to me like a lot of sound and fury signifying a lot of nothing. There's a lot of action going on, a lot of people buy it in very dramatic ways, there are lots of explosions but the whole wrapup towards the end will have you reaching for Dramamine or aspirin (the choice is yours). It seems that the creator of this Magnum Opus is trying to make some grand statement about life, death, and the universe that gets lost towards the end in this ball of confusion. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to armaggedon at its creativity
Review: When I first placed this DVD into the player I had to wonder if all will Go will with this finale or will I have to weep in just pure sadness. But the only answer I can give you in a nutshell, this movie is a jaw-dropping experience that will leave in wonder and in awe and some of the graphic visuals that is brings to teh plate but at the same time the music to it makes it will place you even more into the scenery...especially in one big scene where the beginning of the end starts its orcestrated performance will make your mouth drop at the same time leave you in awe that the visual wearness it produces. I feel that this is a great ending to a very Great and contrvercial movie...it answers a bit of the question that the final part of the series didn't ...
Rating:
Summary: An Incredibly Deep Journey
Review: I want to begin by saying that if you have not viewed the series, do not even consider purchasing this DVD. If you do, you will not enjoy the movie, you will not understand it, and you will not absorb how incredible it really is. Neon Genesis Evangelion is an incredible example of intellectual anime. It begins as a simple giant robot series, but it seems that once Gainax ran out of money, the series truly began. It consisted of mostly pans across still shots in the later episodes, with characters performing long philosophical monologues that slowly hint at the subtleties in the series, and begin to give away some of the many questions that plague viewers. The series delved deeply into religious symbolic and analogous points, with the Systema Sephiroticum and the Lance of Longinus making constant mysterious appearances. By the final two episodes, Anno and his team at Gainax had little funds remaining. So instead of the vision of the apocalypse that many fans had been anticipating, he gave them one of the deepest and incredible fourty-five minutes of video yet. Of course, many did not understand what he was trying to do, and became quite upset at the series not having a "real ending." Anno at last got his funding, and created what the fans wanted: the end of humanity. Enter End of Evangelion. Created as two episodes meant to be alternatives to the original 25th and 26th, this movie needs to be seen several times to be fully understood. Note that the movie's ending and the series's ending do differ (Shinji accepts instrumentality in the series, and rejects it in End). The first half is simple enough, it reflects much of the series up until this point. Incredible battles marked by stunning animation, such as Asuka's battle against the Evangelion mass production series, make this movie question all other anime you've seen thus far. And it's just getting started. When the mid-way credits roll (with some very nice music, I might add), it starts becoming amazing. Instrumentality. Third impact. The apocalypse. The end of mankind. I've never seen it portrayed as deftly as Anno has done in this movie. This film does not wrap up many of the loose ends in the series itself; rather, it creates one for each it ends. Do not watch it if you want a clear-cut conclusive ending, for I've yet to see two people who agree on an explanation of how it ends. It's simply incredible. Wonderful music, beautiful animation, stunning story, and talented voice acting (even the dub!) make this movie the gem that it is. The finale Anno paints is haunting.. terrifying, even. Buy this movie. It will change the way you look at the world.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: Disappointment is an understatement. I was hoping for a suitable closure to a great series, but found mindless babble. Looking at the series and the movies as a whole, it looks like the creator just didn't know how to end a great run, so decided to make it as vague and abstract as possible in hopes that people would think more of it then what it really is.
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