Lind_L_Tailor

If you've heard of Neon Genesis Evangelion, chances are you've heard somebody raging about how irredeemably bad the ending was. What you might not know, however, is that due to massive (and justifiable) demand for it to be ended properly, a movie, End of Evangelion, was made to create a proper ending for Evangelion. It has been theorised that this was the ending all along, and considering the episode previews for episodes 25 and 26 I think that may be true. Another popular theory is that the ending was Shinji's subconcious during the events of this movie. Also possible, but less likely and with less backing evidence.

But enough of that, let's get onto the film itself. It kicks off with the infamous Coma Scene, which instantly raises the bar for how fucked up Evangelion can get, and sets the tone of the movie. Sort of. Immediately following, NERV appear to be in a "what now?" kind of slump, since having defeated all the angels they now have no work to do. However, they are immediately attacked by NERV's governing body SEELE, who it would appear have been planning this from the start, as they kill, maim, and burn alive any member of NERV personnel they can find. Plotline ensues.

At first, this seems to be very good, and the first outright ambiguity-free moment Evangelion has actually had. Good, by all measures, but just doesn't feel like Evangelion. This immediately follows with Asuka and Shinji being brought in to pilot the Evas, as they will be killed by SEELE if they are anywhere else. Meanwhile, Gendou and Rei head towards Central Dogma (also, Rei is naked, for some reason...), and this is where the fun beigns. And when I say fun, I mean horrible mental scars. Honestly, if End of Evangelion doesn't horribly disturb you at some point, you are one desensitized bastard.

The second half of the movie kicks in with true Evangelion style and then some, with Asuka FINALLY kicking the living shit of something... Only to be impaled through the face, eaten alive, and stabbed over and over and over by the mass-produced Evas in the worst overkill in anime history... Along with Shinji being utterly and truly mentally broken. Also, this is where the bizzare Biblical references truly show their colours, particularly with Adam and GNR/GNK. (If you've seen the movie, you should know what that means.) It stands for Giant Naked Rei and Giant Naked Kaworu, just in case you aren't familar with the acronym.

And it only gets worse, considering how we FINALLY find out exactly what InstruMentality is, and just what the horrible scheme SEELE have been planning always was.

On first look, End of Evangelion does fall short in the sense that it isn't quite a truly satisfying ending for Evangelion... in fact, Hideaki Anno apparently set out to make the most sickening mindscrew he could, as something of a "fuck you" to all the demanding fans and death threats. But the exact moment you stop viweing it as an ending to Evangelion and start viweing it as a movie in its own right, it actually becomes an absolute work of art. Every scene sticks vividly in your mind, wether it be because they were downright stunning or because of the mental scars, and becomes the most memorable thing you'll ever view, although wether this is for all the right reasons or all the wrong ones is merely down to your point of view.

Frankly, how much each individual person will like this film is absolutely unpredictable, considering that it will effect every viewer in a different way to the other. But really, if you liked Evangelion even a bit, you really have to see EoE, if only for a proper ending.

The Rebuild of Evangelion movies might create yet another patch to the ending, but at least after this it has a proper finale.

Animation/Graphics: 10/10
Story/Plot: 8/10
Music/Background: 8/10
Voice Acting: 5/10

Overall: 8/10

For Fans Of: Paranoia Agent, Serial Experiments Lain.