Rating: 
Summary: Original ending= Death /// This DVD= Rebirth
Review: After suffering through the last two episodes of Evangelion I was dumbfounded with disgust. "No! It can't end like that! So many questions unanswered! BLARGH!" I actually thought that this DVD was neccessary to the plot-line of the series (its not, End of Evangelion is), so I was a little disappointed that it isn't. However, after watching Rebirth my faith in the series skyrocketted! So happy! This is packed with extra features that no fan of the series should be without. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: -1 star because of the audio commentary
Review: I have only good things to say about Neon Genesis Evangelion and recommend the TV series and the two films to all. My one minor gripe about this DVD is the audio commentary with Amanda Winn Lee, who supposedly was the English language director for this film. She will spoil "The End of Evangelion" for you if you haven't seen it. She lavished praise on all the English voice actors to a degree where it became ridiculous. She had nothing interesting to say and only degraded all the main characters with her superficial comments. Considering that one of the other commentators Taliesin Jaffe (an anime enthusiast) had the most hilarious and insightful comments on Evangelion, Amanda's squealing and her constant attempts to be funny became very aggravating.
Rating:
Summary: A pleaser for fans of the series
Review: I've been a fan of Evangelion since it was originally brought into North America back in 1996. As probably a lot of fans are, I really didn't understand what most of the series was trying to say. So when I heard that the 'real' ending to the series would be released this year, I was overjoyed.The first portion of the DVD, titled 'death' is basically a recap of the original 24 episodes (we won't include the 13th volume as it's 'purpose' is to also recap the first 24). It is mainly flashbacks of the series, using animation already seen plus new footage. It chronicles everything from the origin of the Second Impact to every major character in the series. It's nice the way it was done as it's not done in chronological order but rather broken up into pieces and each 'episode' relates to a song played by Shinji, Asuka, Rei, and Kaworu in the school's auditorium. Following a portion titled 'Intermission', we get 'Rebirth', which is the beginning part of the next movie titled "End of Evangelion". This is the beginning of the official ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion. In it, NERV is issued an order to surrender the Evas, Adam, Lilith and the Magi to SEELE. They refuse, which promotes an attack on NERV HQ by the JSSDF. This portion of the movie is basically non-stop action all the way to the end, which ends in... well... you'll have to buy it and find out... The 'Mokuji Interactive Feature' is pretty cool as it is the regular movie but when it comes to certain important parts you are able to select key choices from a menu about characters, events, items, etc. that relate to the scene(s). It's a very nice feature as even long-time fans of the series can learn from it (I did, for one). Other nice features include the usual image gallaries, an audio commentary, and a comprehensive dictionary including files for all the characters, organizations, equipment, the angels, and events that are in the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. One of the original concerns was that because of the fact that this movie is published by Manga Entertainment, many fans were concerned if the English dubbed version would retain it's ADVision (it's North American original publishers) version voice actors. Don't be alarmed, all the original dubbed voice actors are still here. If you have not seen the original series, SEE IT FIRST! You will probably be completey lost if you buy this one first. Otherwise, fans of Eva shouldn't have this missing from their DVD library.
Rating: 
Summary: Useless.
Review: Death and Rebirth, as a package, is an utter waste of money. Granted, the animation is nice, and it makes for some good eye candy, but the content is completely pointless. The first episode (Death) is nothing but a clip reel recapping the first 24 episodes of the series. The second (Rebirth) appears at first to be original content, but it's nothing more than the first half-hour or so of the End of Evangelion. The only content here you won't be finding more completely in either the series or End of Eva is the original song that plays at the end of Rebirth... Just buy End of Eva: you'll get all the original content on this disc, without the cliffhanger.
Rating:
Summary: Served Its Purpose
Review: Ever since I started watching anime (which has not been all that long), I have been curious about some of the big series. Like the nearly infinite number of Gundam's, the Lodoss series, and, of course, Evangelion. The latter has such universal popularity that I finally decided to try it. Put off by the price of the episodes I was attracted to this DVD, because of its two features, 'Death' was a recap of the series, and 'Rebirth' would provide some insight into its ending and meaning. As usual, I was being optimistic. My first viewing of 'Death' left me feeling that I had just experienced one of those shorts that were titled '26,000 Years of Art in 60 Seconds.' It does indeed recap the high points of the series, but as a crazed rollercoaster ride - with flashbacks. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. However, I felt that I had watched something incredibly momentous yet utterly inexplicable. Certainly, Evangelion is quite a bit more than the sci-fi, kid-in-a-robot series that I thought it was. In fact, it deals with a surprising breadth of issues. From emotional trauma to the future evolution of the human race. What I did not realize until I read some reviews is that 'Rebirth' is actually the starting episode of 'The End of Evangelion.' As such, I was unprepared for an apocalyptic vision of the attack on NERV headquarters, complete with the new EVA circling above like vultures. The action and emotional pitch are intense, really a step beyond most of the films I had seen before. Lacking any guideposts though, I found it difficult to piece together the story behind the action. And, as in the companion piece, creator Hideaki Anno shows no mercy to the viewer. However, the DVD includes an entire encyclopedia of Evangelion knowledge called the 'Mokuji Interactive Feature.' This ingeniously flashes the names of people and things that I might want to know about, and provides a great deal of background data about them. Another useful tool was an excellent running commentary on 'Rebirth' by Amanda Winn Lee (the English language Director) and friends. I'm not a great fan of commentaries, but this was excellent, and pointed out many things I would otherwise have missed. What this DVD did was whet my appetite and draw me into the Evangelion world. It impressed me with both the fine artwork and characters that are far more than cardboard heroes. It convinced me that I wanted to see the rest of 'The End of Evangelion' and all the previous episodes as well. So for me this DVD was a great success, although I will tell anyone who asks that they would be a lot less confused if they just broke down and bought the series DVD's. This production is probably better suited to those who are already fans of the series and are willing to keep freezing the action to examine the plentiful little details.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for Evangelion neophytes
Review: I think this movie is too fragmented and interrupted for someone who (like me) is a complete neophyte to the Evangelion TV series. It seems to be an ambitious summary, made by cutting/pasting small and sparse fragments of relevant chapters or events of the long series into the much more limited movie time frame. I haven't seen the series, but just judging this movie on its own, it is way too fragmented and over-compressed. It gave me an impression of too many omissions of important developments, and I found it somewhat frustrating to try to follow. Obviously the makers assumed the viewers would know some things about Evangelion that I didn't know at all. Some examples of the weak points I found: at some times the movie suddenly starts explaining (e.g. resolving) some issues as if it was perfectly clear to the viewer that those were pending issues in the plot, when I didn't even had a clue about the existence of those issues in the movie. Also some characters are just shown in one scene, and in the next their true nature is suddenly revealed, with no development in between. On the good side, I was particularly impressed with the musical fragments in the movie, absolutely beautiful, particularly the Bach one. If I ever have the opportunity, I'll try to watch the first chapters of the series to get into it, instead of (or before) trying to follow this movie. I would recommend the same to anyone that is not initiated in the series.
Rating:
Summary: A frustrating...
Review: Atter watching the re-caps of old episodes, you get treated to a good half hour episode. But please. I can think of better ways to spend my [money] for 30 minutes of "fun". And to add insult to injury for all the hard-core fans (who obviously are the ones buying this DVD) they have added new speech to the re-cap section... Which in my opinion is like re-writing the bible so that the "simple" folk can understand it.
Rating:
Summary: Pointless but still good
Review: Death is a very quick recap of the series. I didn't really care for this half of the movie. I can watch the series over and over again and still be completely captivated by it. I thought the "Death" recap was too fast and distant. I was actually quite bored by it and found it very hard to sit through it. Rebirth is the first 30 minutes or so of the movie. When I ordered this I wasn't sure or not if this footage was also included on the End of Evangelion DVD or not. *The entire "Rebirth" section on this disc is also on the End of Evangelion DVD.* Before I received my copy of End of Evangeion I was extremely impressed with the "Rebirth" part of this movie. I also loved the special features. Now that I have the End of Evangelion DVD I'm pretty sure this disc will never find it's way back in my DVD player. If you are on a tight budget and you already have or have seen the eva series this dvd is pretty pointless now that End of Evangelion has been released. If you are a collector you should definatly get it to help complete your collection and you will probably enjoy the special features.
Rating:
Summary: Part 1 of the movies
Review: Death and Rebirth is, in my opinion, not the movie of the set of two you need to own. But you should have it anyway. The first half is mostly re-hash of the entire series, to remind people what's going on and to bring up important points. The second is the first bit of the next movie, End of Evangelion. Why should you get this? Well, I don't recall for certain because I haven't watched this movie by itself recently, but I believe some of the scenes that are clips from previous episodes in the series have somewhat alternate dialogue or added effects that are worth seeing. It also does a good job of explaining what is going to happen next and who the major players are (and why). You should have the Evangelion series. Or know someone who does. And watch it. Then you're really ready for the movies. Anyway, this is the start of the end of everything. 17 Angels have made their moves. SEELE is poised to fulfill their plan, and NERV, under Gendo Ikari, is the focal point. Eva Unit 01, lift off....
Rating:
Summary: Gread DVD for Eva fans
Review: This disc contains Death (a 60 min. recap of the characters, events, and themes of the first 24 episodes), and Rebirth (30 min. of the End of Evangelion movie). Death is a very dramatic overview of the first 24 episodes, with a combination of music, certain dialog from the script over certain events that occurred in the series to show and explain what happened. I find it very effective and is an easy way to remind yourself of all the events instead of watching the whole series again. Rebirth is a short introduction to the next Eva film called End of Evangelion. It starts of heated, and jumps right into the conflict and suspense. This 30 min. intro reveals some insight into Eva Unit 02, we learn of Seele and Nerv's plans for 3rd impact, and we see Shinji totally devastated now that he has killed Kawru. This is a good short for getting Eva fans siked up for the next film. The extras on this disc are amazing! It contains a good Image gallery with pics of the characters in the most dramatic scenes. Also contains the previews for Death and Rebirth (which were very fun to watch) and End of Evangelion. One of the best features here is an encyclopedia explaining key ideas, characters, angels, and Eva's, which is very informative. There's a commentary track and an interactive feature where you watch the film, and at certain scenes you click on an item that comes on screen and it gives you detail and explanation for that scene. Overall, I really enjoyed this DVD and would recommended it for any serious Eva fan. If you find the recaps that were in the series boring you will probably find this boring, and I would recommend you just wait until End of Eva comes out, for that new story. But, any fan with a slight interest in Evangelion will enjoy these extras, so I would say at least rent 1st if not buy, if you enjoy Eva. My only complaint is that they used different English voice actors, which didn't sound as good as the ones in the series, but overall you get used to it very quickly, and can still enjoy the film. 5 stars, enjoy.
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