Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) User Reviews

Well... that sure was a... thing

[artur-artborg · 9/10 · 17 July 2018]

A short transcript of my oral reaction to the opening of the second part of "The End of Evangelion": "Uhm...? Uhm...? Uhm...? Uhm? Uhm!? UHM!? UHM!?!?!?" Er, did... Did Lars von Trier write this? 'cause I feel like Lars von Trier wrote this. Did... Has anyone ever seen Hideaki Anno and von Trier in the same room?

"The End of Evangelion" is a messed-up trainwreck of a masterpiece. It makes "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" and "Sedmikrásky" look like rational slice-of-life dramas. It is utterly insane. But also quite brilliant. This film certainly isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy watching minds unravel in insanity on-screen then boy is this movie for you. I give it 9 [Shinji's Crazed Screaming] out of 10

Delving Deep

[anthonydapiii · 8/10 · 9 May 2020]

I watched all 26 episodes of season 1 in the span of a couple weeks.

My friend recommended this show and I take his opinion seriously.

When I started the show I had no idea what it was I was watching. I was just getting a feel for the information I was being presented and the things I was seeing.

As I went on through the episodes, it became more and more clear to me that the show gave so much symbolism and analogies related to humans, AI, and creation.

When I watched the last episode and additional movie to cap off the Evangelion, it became so clear to me what I was watching. I had major self realizations too.

This show was one for the books. And I got to learn some Japanese along the way.

Well, that was awkward

[ericstevenson · 9/10 · 20 September 2017]

As someone who's read "Neon Genesis Evangelion" fanfiction as well as the entire manga it was only suiting that I watch this movie and love it. It's the best film I've seen for Giant Monster Month! The giant monsters aren't even that big of a focus, but I think this counts. I admitted to being very disgusted by the opening scene of this movie, but I won't go into detail. This had eight logos, more so than any other movie I've seen in my life! Please call Guinness World Records! Anyway, I loved this movie but I will admit it had its flaws. The ending was really too weird and made up too big a part of the movie. The villain should have had more screen time.

Still, what's great is that this film works so hard to give all the characters their time to shine. Asuka is probably what made this movie for me as the scene where she fights off the Evas is one of the most awesome things I've ever seen in an anime. It's not really that much of a downer ending as many people claim. Rei says that people can still come back to life so it's not like the entire series was completely pointless. I don't know why Asuka appears at the end. Was she just one of the people who chose to come back to life? The animation is beautiful and it's as good of a giant monster movie as you could ask for. ***1/2

Simply stunning!

[Fiss · 10/10 · 29 October 1999]

Finally, after long last, I have managed to watch the End of Evangelion. It was worth any wait.

Those not familiar with the series will have no clue what's happening, so you should at least watch the first 24 episodes. End of Eva takes place as an alternative to the last 25 and 26th episodes. It may sound confusing, but trust me, if you just sit back and enjoy the ride, everything makes sense...even if not right away.

The final Angel has been killed. The 'hero' of the story, Shinji Ikari, now regrets doing it, as he was the only person who seemed to ever like him for who he was. But there is no time to lament on personal demons, as the shadowy puppet masters in SEELE have set the final stage of their plan in motion.

The dreaded Third Impact.

What's even more surprising is that the entire series shows one, giant plan to actually SPEED ALONG the Third Impact, as it could lead Humanity to it's next evolutionary step.

And so, Humanity will now rely on a weak savior who may or may not lead humanity to it's oblivion. A hero who must first fight his own inner dragons, and come to terms with life, and love from himself and from others.

As a response to the public outcry that the last 2 episodes were someone strange and had no "Mecha Combat", the End of Eva has enough of both combat, AND philosophical scenes. A strange, but wonderful mix.

Asuka's fight against 9 Evas is absolutely the most STUNNING visual fight sequence I have ever seen. The energy and awesome scope of the battle is impossible to convey through words alone.

Though Asuka's character is as flawed as Shinji's, she finds redemption in this movie. Again, an amazing testimony of the Human Spirit and our will to live.

The emotional impact of this movie is also quite amazing. It brings reality and the mind to question, and asks us if being individuals is better than being a whole. Is life just a dream, and can we ever be Gods of our own Reality? Those who have watched the last two episodes of the series will see instances where the movie and episodes combine and compliment each other.

Finally, the animation is wonderful. Creepy and breathtaking. Powerfully deep, but also amazing on the physical conflict level as well. This movie is EASILY a match for Akira and is an instant classic.

Watch it with an open mind, and be prepared to be stunned. Be ready to question yourself. Be ready to use your mind in ways you may have not before. This is truly the End, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

We asked for the TRUE end to Evangelion...

[HardLight · 10/10 · 14 September 2020]

The story of Neon Genesis Evangelion is a simple one. Its the story of a young man who takes on the responsibilities of saving the world and has to deal with the consequences of not trusting people.

Of not letting them in

If I go into massive amounts of detail here, it would ruin the impact of this story and its far more worth it to experience the series in its entirety

So I suggest you watch the TV series, the last 2 episodes and then this movie, back to back as much as you can.

Remembering one thing about all the characters you're seeing and loving.

They are liars and they ALL hate themselves on some level. Don't trust what they TELL YOU, trust what they SHOW YOU in their actions.

By doing that, when you get to the pivotal scene of "help me" you'll begin to understand what is going on.

Pray for the poor people who suffer like these souls. And trust they'll be okay if you reach out to them.

On its own, End of Evangelion gives to the fanbase every tiny little bit of what it wanted, it isn't what we THOUGHT want wanted, but its what we wanted.

And you should listen to what Rei is saying...and then realise that she's not just saying it to Shinji, she's saying it to EVERYONE - including you.

I have to walk back a worlds worth of bile and hatred of Hideki Anno for the things that I said about the Rebuilds, the man is not a hack or a fool.

He's always been a tortured genius Watch his work. Love it and spread the message he's giving.

I created an IMDb account just to review this.

[hahoangbao · 10/10 · 16 April 2020]

Despite being criticized a lot because of the ending and the 'deep' plot, I found both the movie and the original series simply amazing. I've watch anime for almost my entire life and this was one of the few I can empathize with.

I thought it was just some generic mecha anime that got praise a lot in the first place, and I was totally wrong.

I have no words to describe how jarring this outstanding film was. Ignore the critics, give this series a shot!

An animated sci-fi horror action movie that also comments on anime culture

[tapio_hietamaki · 10/10 · 2 February 2017]

Watching anime has always carried with it a social stigma: it is something for geeks, manchildren and perverts, not well-adjusted individuals. Of course there is the family-friendly, largely accepted anime of Hayao Miyazaki, and the teen-oriented action shows like Fullmetal Alchemist or Naruto, which are widely regarded as acceptable for the mainstream. But beyond that anime has a lot of unfortunate, 'problematic' tendencies. Anime idolizes cutesy and innocent girls in a sexual way, and in general treats women as sex objects, it has nonsensical, zany humor that seems infantile or incomprehensible to those encountering it for the first time, it is violent and graphic and often carries no 'message' for the audience, no lesson about inclusivity and solidarity. Anime fans also tend to get obsessed about anime. It seems to be addictive by its nature, drawing audiences in fantasy fulfillment and escapism, making them neglect 'real life' duties. Otaku culture is a big problem in Japan and is shunned by many anime creators, notably by Miyazaki himself.

Which brings me to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Evangelion is often hailed as a deconstruction of the mecha anime genre, in this context meaning that it took a popular anime genre and did something different with it, examined how it worked and what made it tick, took it apart and assembled the parts into something new. Evangelion gained a rabid following and merchandise relating to the show is still super popular 20 years after it was on air. This is largely because the anime introduced popular female characters that otakus love to moon over: Rei and Asuka. Both of these characters, one mysterious and submissive and the other so-called 'tsundere' meaning she's willful and antagonistic but still in love with the protagonist, are endlessly copied in other anime. (Asuka's character is partly based on the title character in Nadia, an earlier anime by Hideaki Anno.) Neon Genesis Evangelion the TV show ran out of funds before its conclusion, forcing its creator Anno to come up with two ending episodes that infamously feature hardly any animation and are ambiguous and introspective. A few years later this feature film was produced to make up for the ending: The End of Evangelion. I expect that fans of the show were waiting for it excitedly - they were finally going to know for sure what actually happened to their beloved characters. But as the psychological and surrealistic undertones of the TV show hinted, this was a story that was less about the 'what actually happened' and more about the expectations of the audience, subversion of genre and introspection, and the feature movie The End of Evangelion was no exception.

The End of Evangelion does tell the story - the literal story, not just what happened in protagonist Shinji's head. But the story might not be to the liking of fans. I don't know if Hideaki Anno purposefully wanted to insult his otaku audience and mock the entire anime culture, but it sure seems like it. The movie begins with Shinji masturbating to a comatose Asuka, a clear message on how disgusting it is to project sexual fantasies on a character that represents a vulnerable 14-year-old girl. The movie kills off every single one of the female characters that otakus love, and it does it in very frustrating ways. One survives a 12-against-1 battle only to find out that the enemies are actually undefeatable and the whole battle was a waste of time. She is eaten alive. One is blown to bits, another is shot offscreen, some are turned into orange jelly (though fans will be quick to point out that this represented only the death of their bodies, not their souls), and one grows into an alien giantess before decomposing and falling apart, her gargantuan pieces littering the landscape. And it also turns out that she was actually a clone of the protagonist's mother. (This we already knew from the TV show so it's not like we came into the movie expecting it to be another run-of-the-mill teen action adventure.) It is a brave endeavor, one that doesn't really care about what people think, concerned only with the vision of its creator. It's relentless, merciless and uncompromising. It makes no concessions - it doesn't even feature the iconic theme song of the TV show. And above all it is beautiful. It is animated smoothly, the giant robots move with the weight they deserve, the colors and compositions are expertly crafted and there are many images that will stay with you in your daydreams and nightmares and that you will come across on the Internet message boards several times. The voice actors do a chillingly good job - the shrieks are so horrible that I don't know if I ever heard anything as moving in any horror movie. I haven't seen the English dub so I can't comment on its quality.

The End of Evangelion is a robot action movie, and a good one, and it is a psychological movie, and a horror movie, and a science fiction movie, but it is also more than that. It manages to also be a commentary on anime itself, the state of the industry and the culture surrounding it. But it is also a look into the mind of the individual. At its heart it concentrates on why people do these things, why we become obsessed, alienated, violent. The End of Evangelion shines a light into the dark reaches of the human psyche.

The End of Evangelion

[Tweekums · 10/10 · 3 March 2020]

This film is effectively an alternative to the final two episodes of the TV series 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'; as such if you haven't watched the series it isn't likely to make much sense as no time is wasted in explaining what went before.

As the film opens Asuka is in a coma and Shinji is wracked with more self-loathing than ever. SEELE launches an attack on NERV headquarters and the unconscious Asuka is moved to Eva Unit Two while Misoto searches for Shinji. Shinji's father plans to use Rei Ayanami to initiate the 'Third Impact'.

Having watched the series I thought I knew what to expect but this film takes things to another level. It provides lots of impressive action but this is tempered by the feeling that ultimately our protagonists might not prevail or even survive. The film is made up of two episodes, with the 'end' credits positioned between them. The two halves are quite different; the first is where most of the action takes place. Here things are relatively conventional. In the second things are far more existential, not to mention a little confusing at times. Shinji is more irritating than ever but the other characters are great; Asuka was particularly pleasing as she battled nine other EVAs in Unit Two; Rei is as mysterious as ever and other main characters were well used. The animation is impressive, clearly there was more time and money spent on this than the series. Overall I'd say that this is a must see for all Evangelion fans.

These comments are based on watching the English dub of the film on Netflix.

The best movie ever.

[Vegeta-2 · 11 April 1999]

Never before has a movie put me through so many emotions. Anger, joy, fear, depression, hope, all flowed through me as the epic film unfolded before me. I was left emotionally wrung out the first time I watched it, and my view of life has been changed forever because of it. Just be warned, if you haven't seen all the TV episodes, you will be totally lost by this movie. Oh, and hope you haven't developed too much of an emotional attachment to the characters.

The Magnus Opus of anime

[etg1701 · 10/10 · 19 March 2006]

I am at a loss for words to describe this work. It does for anime what Beethoven's 9th or Wagner's Ring cycle did for classical music. End of Evangelion combines intense action with emotional drama superbly. A number of scenes depicting graphic violence and sexual content will probably bother some viewers. These scenes, however, serve to underscore the themes of the movie for the most part.

The animation is excellent and the music is great (and features a number of nice works by Bach) and the symbolism is truly rich and elaborate, involving many elements of Christianity and Judaism as the entire series is sort of a take on the Apocalypse. However, as many have already mentioned, watching the anime series before hand is necessary to even remotely understand what is going on.

Everything but mainstream

[voegel-45562 · 7/10 · 22 August 2021]

5 or 6 days ago, I started with the series. Yesterday, I finally watched ep 25+26. I was like... what the hell?

Then I read on Reddit that you have to watch EoE afterwards since the last two episodes are... idk what they are but not a good ending.

Still after I watched the film, the lore is pretty confusing (at least for beginners) and a lot of aspects from the series were not/poorly explained. Especially the last 30 minutes of EoE were just like the last half of ep 26 but more ordered and well animated. It is very hard for me to come to a conclusion of what I think of Evangelion.

I watched about 85 animes until now and somehow lost the ability to finish a show of that length within less than 3 months. So it was pretty refreshing that it kept entertaining me unlike other animes. But I still don't know what the franchise is actually about - and I say that as a Fate fan.

I'd prefer EoE as an ending rather than Ep25+26 and the entertainment stayed on a good level. I wouldn't call it good written though. I think a good written ending has the obligation to conclude the story more than to let the irritated you write an Imdb comment on it for some reason. At least it is everything but mainstream and stands out even after all those years. The animation quality is good, still to this day, and I can totally understand all types of ratings on this.

Thanks for reading! I usually don't write film reviews or what you would call it, but I felt the need to sort my thoughts after 1½ hours of ...whatever it was?!

(Also, I felt like this was a great opportunity to test my English skills a little bit, I'm not a native speaker)

this is the end

[neon47 · 10/10 · 11 May 2005]

A precaution one might want to take before viewing this is: if one HASN'T seen the series they are NOT going to get this. And even if one has seen the series they still might not get all of this, but that's the beauty of Anno's masterpiece Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion. This alternate ending to the series was released after fans complained about the series original ending. If you've seen the original ending you already know that the actual "ending" analyzes the characters Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and Misato. While episode 26 of the original series is a complete fixation on Shinji, everything that happens in that episode still happens to him in the last part of this. Only his decision reverses. This shows a much more dramatic and extended version of Episodes 25 and 26 however, and answers a lot of the questions that were left at the end of the series and does a great job generating new ones. If you're a fan of the original series then this is a must see because it's way better than the original ending.

Surreal

[briancham1994 · 7/10 · 20 August 2020]

This film is a rather bizarre ending to the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series with a higher budget. It has all the characters you know and love, but thrust into a far more confusing scenario than they left. This gets overwhelming at times but it's the progression of the characters that really matters.

fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice ...

[cherold · 5/10 · 24 August 2012]

I admit it; it's my own fault. Having had mixed feelings about the Neon Evangelion series, which became increasingly perplexing and offered nothing like a real ending, I should have just let it go. But no, I had to watch this movie to try and get some answers.

And yes, there are some answers here and there, but they are often confused half-answers, and motivations are still perplexing. There is also never an explanation to how Shinji has the significance he has in the end, although the idea of the Destined One is so powerful that even though he's never described that way I imagine people will take it for that.

The movie is basically set up as the final two episodes of the series. The first episode is very action packed, which is not at all like the series. In fact, one of the things I liked about the series was that it eschewed the mecha-battle-of-the-week approach in favor of studying the psychology of its characters. But in the first half of the movie there is mainly action and little psychology or character development.

The second half basically does exactly what the final two, famously unsatisfying episodes of the series did; it goes into Shinji's head and talks about his fears.

I appreciate that the writer was aiming for something more than a sci-fi fantasy tale, and that his real goal was to explore loneliness and unhappiness. But it is possible to do both, and offering half a story and then wandering into the mind is not the way to do that.

But of course, that's exactly what happened in the series. I hoped it would be different, because the director said much of what happened at the series end had to do with time and money constraints, but that now looks to be a lie. This is what he wanted to do. And some people love it. But for me it just didn't work.

DEEP!

[stanteau · 10/10 · 28 April 2001]

Going into this movie I had just finished the EVA series and was mentally drained.The first part,Air,left me totally stunned visually and emotionally.All my favorite characters were dying!Than came End of EVA ............Shinji's scream epitomizes the entire movie.It delves into the deepest,darkest human emotion and experience.From the amazing choking scene to the heart drenching "Farewell mother" scene EoE is perfect.I rewatched Kaoru and Rei's speech 3 times in a row.And Yui's advice to Shinji left me in complete tears.As the credits rolled there I sat,tears strolling down my eyes,wide eyed,with my mouth wide open.

People complain that it made no sense and they are right......to an extent.EoE makes you create your own movie.It is very mental as to what is happening.But what everyone (even Asuka) says to Shinji is so......deep and profound.....I will never see anything more meaningful,artistic,or emotional for as long as I live.

Art direction can define a movie!

[redskindav · 10/10 · 10 July 2009]

" How Disgusting" the last line of the movie may be in the minds of must viewers who see this film. This being an alternate ending to the post modern epic TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion. But although many viewers will probably leave either the theaters or their living room confused and dumbfounded this film is a great alternate conclusion to the TV series. The thing that makes this movie perfect is the fact that although one may not understand the details and significant plot points in the movie one can just marvel at the art direction and stunningly beautiful backgrounds present throughout the film. I myself am confused on some points of the film and the series but that does not harden my outlook on this film. Many hardcore fans have the luxury of understanding the plot and connecting the significance of each character to one another. I am glad that Anno gave us an ending that most fans agree is better than the TV ending. I think this film is a treat for all viewers and is one of the best anime movies i have ever seen. Even if one has not seen the anime TV series before, one can just marvel at the spectacular visuals displayed throughout the film and more importantly knowing the plot of the film is just a treat that adds to the films perfection. Overall even though this film leaves us a lot of questions the opportunity to find those answers makes this film and this film experience a reward for film watchers everywhere.

Direction: 10/10 Art: 10/10 Acting: 10/10 Plot: 10/10 Sound: 10/10 Writing: 10/10 Overall: 10/10

If i were to choose between my wife and this movie i would choose this movie

[neon_genisis_8 · 10/10 · 5 November 2005]

An epic series like Neon Genesis Evangelion comes to a close with the final installment, End of Evangelion. A masterpiece like Neon Genesis Evangelion should have an ending to live up to the show's greatness. End of Evangelion delivers and finally puts an end to the well told but complex story of Evangelion. With all the Angels defeated will SEELE be able to pull off its underlying ultimate plan? Will End of Evangelion bring the demise of the lovable characters of Evangelion? End of Evangelion starts off with the invasion of NERV as order by the secretive organization SEELE. SEELE is trying to seize EVA Unit 01 so they can start the Third Impact and realize their plans. The fate of mankind lies in Shinji Ikari who has psychologically given up at the start of the movie because of certain choices he makes. Meanwhile Asuka is being tormented because of her mother's death in the past.

The movie has some of the best animating I have seen in an anime movie. The animation is fluid and smooth. It is very well done by I.G. Productions (who did Ghost in the Shell and FLCL) and GAINAX Studios. Although I am a fan of the original Japanese cast, the English dub of this movie is one of the best dubs I have ever heard in an anime movie. The sound quality is amazing on the DVD, boasting 5.1 Dolby Digital EX Surround Sound in both English and Japanese. The DVD also includes a bonus commentary track with the voice actors and actresses; led by the voice actress who does Rei's voice in the English dub. It offers a lot of insight into the movie.

The story the movie follows is brilliant. Many fans of the series who were disappointed with the final two episodes of Evangelion; most think that End of Evangelion is an alternative ending. End of Evangelion tells the same story that episodes 25 and 26 but in the way the creators of the series originally wanted it. A great team like the one who made Evangelion would not change their artistic vision to meet the demands of lack luster fans. Director Hideaki Anno does an excellent in telling the story of the movie that puts Evangelion to a close.

End of Evangelion only falls short in one aspect. Many fans of the movie find it confusing and do not get the full point of the movie. They are disappointed in End of Evangelion because they lack understanding of the story. But this is not End of Evangelion's fault. The movie does an excellent job of telling the story and any fan who wants insight into this movie should watch it with the commentary and read the synopsis. I rather not hand anyone the answers but let them take it upon themselves to go out to find them. Once fans understand everything that is happening in the movie, they will see why it is such a masterpiece.

The movie End of Evangelion is one of the best movies ever created; it is second to none. The movie is excellent, the story development is incredible and the characters are brilliant. End of Evangelion is a true work of genius and deserves a perfect rating.

Great end to a very interesting anime series.

[Aaron1375 · 10/10 · 17 November 2020]

I would not have been happy had the ending to this series been the final two episodes as they were a non ending in my book as there were so many questions unanswered and so many things left unresolved. That being said, I do believe that those two episodes did happen and that there are not two endings as many other believe and the creator said it is open for interpretation so I elect to think of those two episodes occurring, but this time we are being given the broader picture. Within the human instrumentality is a battle with one's own mind to find peace and acceptance and without it is a horrific visage and seemingly apocalyptic event.

The story sees Shinji deeply troubled as Rei is not who or what he thought she was, he killed the final angel whom he forged a bond with and Misato has shown a side to herself that scares Shinji. Though not specifically stated, I do believe that she is the one that killed Ryoji and she herself is battling demons. He turns to Asuka, but this leads to further depression as his attraction to her finally becomes clear and his revulsion for himself becomes complete. His depression that follows is so bad it renders him almost catatonic. Bad timing as Seele is launching an all out attack on NERV headquarters, the soldiers doing what the Angels could not, penetrating the base and killing everyone in sight. Asuka, still in a state of mental breakdown, is put in her EVA for her protection and they want to do this for Shinji too so Misato has to find him and get him to his Eva. Asuka learns something and snaps out of her breakdown and becomes a killing machine, but Shinji has to be led by Misato who gets shot and left in the same state you glimpse briefly in the narrower view of what is going on in the final two episodes of the show. Seele seeing the military has no chance against Asuka and her Eva deploy their own Eva's and soon Asuka is brutally taken down leaving Shinji to save the day! Well, he gets taken nearly right away while his father and Rei in act the human instrumentality which is different from the one Seele wants. Soon Rei fuses with Lilith and Adam and becomes huge which totally breaks Shinji's mind and soon the people become one as they see their loved ones before turning into the same liquid the pilots are immersed in when piloting their Eva's. Thanks to Shinji's father and Rei, this state is not permanent and he chooses to leave this state and apparently so does Asuka. How many will follow if any is undetermined, but that so many interpret this as a sad or depressing ending is baffling as this is Shinji learning to deal with his depression.

Having dealt with a crushing depression such as this, I understand Shinji as he literally wishes to wipe out everyone. I, too, felt this way at one point as things looked bad for me and with severe depression so too comes rage and irrational anger. It is clear that he has feelings for Asuka, but being Shinji he is unable to cope with how he feels as he is an adolescent boy. He does not understand that she feels something for him too and tries to show him this, most noticeably when she kisses him, but he is to scared to react. She feels rejected and it shows during the last few episodes of the show. Shinji too, feels rejected, but this rejection is more a product of his mind as he is rejected by Asuka in his mind so he strangles her in his mind and when he sees her on the beach fearing more hurt he strangles her again, most likely on instinct; however, she caresses him leading him to breakdown realizing that she has accepted him though she still is a bit taken aback by his actions earlier says what one would expect her to say.

So, the series is at an end and we really have no idea what will happen. I do believe Shiji and Asuka will learn to love each other, but as I said, it is open to interpretation. I do not know how many others will wish to leave the strange melding, but I highly doubt the two pilots will be the only two to reform as so many people do not wish to be one with everyone and prefer to live on the outside with only a select few to hold onto which is what Shinji and Asuka wanted from my perspective. So a totally graphic and totally insane ending, but one that is not hopeless, but rather hope as one begins to learn to cope with their depression.

A perfect film for a perfect series

[flopezgraziano · 10/10 · 22 July 2020]

The End of Evangelion continues right where chapter 24 of the series ended, and does so in the most spectacular way ever seen in traditional hand-drawn anime. Despite the fact that at the beginning what may call the most attention to the film is its unquestionable technical and artistic quality, in the end it turns out that it is the most secondary thing in the film, and more important than the artistic power that the film shows, this film represents better than any other the tremendous power that is achieved with an unsurpassed narrative by images and with an infinite amount of symbolism and philosophical references that it shows throughout the film. All these elements together make this film the highest peak ever reached by Japanese animated cinema. The power and impact of the images seen on the screen, the tremendous philosophical and existentialist dialogues in the film, make this film infinite, since it covers so many possible themes and paths that every time you see it you discover some new reference. This film achieves what any other film based on a series would wish, to close the story or rather open it up in an absolutely perfect way and become one of the greatest cult films ever created. Simply the perfect ending to the perfect series.

The best anime movie

[LazyCoconut5 · 10/10 · 26 April 2021]

May be seen as an allegolical, philisophical and psycological complicated story. But in reality, this movie is a painful but beautiful melodrama.

An impressive ending to an excellent series

[dxgarten-2 · 18 June 2000]

This is an impressive ending to the excellent Evangelion saga. Everything that you thought should be in the last two episodes but were not there is here from massacre to evisceration. This film, however, is not totally different from the last two episodes. It basically shows what happened in real life before and while Shinji performs his self-assessment in episode 25 and 26. Many of the scenes that are shown vaguely in the two episodes are clarified in this film (for example, the Misato and Ritsuko scenes).

battling seizure robots

[nickthegun · 7/10 · 20 February 2003]

I know its one of the major points of the series, Shinji is a ‘normal' boy with severe emotional problems, but I after watching Death and Rebirth all I wanted to do was trap his head in a vice and thrash it with a golf club. He is, without a doubt, the single most annoying character I have ever witnessed. Obviously cowardice and several other character flaws are major plot points, but they were so overplayed it became stupid. Dragging a catatonic Shinji to pilot the EVA or his fit when he finally gets out there just made me angry.

Having said that, though, there was more good than bad in EOE. The siege was terrific. There was a real tension when the HQ was being stormed. I loved Asuka's fight with the Production EVA's (although the constant references to her mother became a bit wearing). The conclusion was interesting if a little overwrought and it was, stylistically speaking, spectacular. If a little ‘Battling Seizure Robots' at the end (the images flashed by so fast im surprised I didn't swallow my tongue)

Really, my only major problems with EOE are my basic problems with the genre as a whole. The dialogue often has the subtlety of a sledgehammer and plot points are often unnecessarily laboured. Like I said, Asuka's ‘Moootheeer, can you see me?!?!?!' was grateing and obvious and Gendo's obsession with his wife became a bit of a chore.

Don't get me wrong, though. I am a huge fan of the genre. And this is a pretty good entry. It is spectacular, well animated and often thought provoking. I suspect a little of the impact is lost in viewing it from a Christian standpoint (being predominantly Buddhist, the vast array of Christian ‘mythology' presented in the film would have been unfamiliar to Japanese audiences) but that's no big deal.

Absolutely Amazing, My life is now complete

[Manga_Man · 10/10 · 2 September 2000]

Being a fan of both Evangelion and Anime in general, this movie was the best I've ever seen. It takes the form of two episodes and serves as an alternate ending to the series. Everything about this piece amazed me, from the brilliant animation, to the subtle and deep storyline, to the feeling of dramatic climax the series was building up to in the first place. I have to say that Hideaki Anno managed to play my emotions like an instrument, and the effect is never lessened, no matter how many times I watch it.

Ohhh colourful shiny... meh...

[dabute · 6/10 · 8 December 2011]

WARNING!!! I am going to discuss the ending of the series as I feel it is crucial to providing context to the events of the film. Although I will not spoil the film itself.

The final instalment of the now notorious Evangelion saga goes way to overboard...

Firstly I just wanted to make this clear, I loved the series and quite controversially it's original ending. I loved the slight ambiguity of it though not so much it's build up of 3 episodes breaking down each characters Psyche in order to explore there place in the world and the reasons for their behaviour-that grated a bit on my patience. but that final overcoming of Shinji's depression was a truly mesmerising and heartwarming scene seeing everybody cheering and congratulating his decision, even his Father. The film takes the events of those 3 episodes and accounts the ending literally instead of in Shinji's psyche and it still manages to be five times as pretentious.

It's like a 1st year film student has gone mad with symbolism and imagery. With crosses, Halos, angels and foetuses flying into your face unashamedly throughout the entire course of the film. It's silly and childish even in comparison to the series, and that had a scene where Shinji Shows his genitals to a penguin. Saying that, Anno's heavy use of visual metaphors does create an incredible spectacle. I am tempted to recommend this film just for the visuals alone. The use of vibrant colour and the top quality animation make this some of the most gorgeous eye candy. But that's the problem, this film creates so much style and substance that it ends conveying barely anything to the spectator, the substance ends up so convoluted and in your face that it cannot be taken seriously.

And don't get me started on Shinji in this film. In the series he was a self proclaimed coward but crucially had good reason for being angsty due to the massive amount of pressure put on him and the amount of loss and betrayal he had suffered. And I was sympathetic towards his character. Those of you who thought Shinji in the series was an annoying, whiny little girl (I know there are plenty of you out there) you will definitely want to give this a miss. Shinji literally huddles in a corner and cries for half his screen time... That is not even an overstatement... He has to be physically dragged to his EVA and even then just sits in it and cries. I know he has suffered an unbearable amount yet there are better ways of showing a characters descent into depression Anno.

In summary, this film is like a whining baby wearing Polka dots and glitter waving glow sticks. But a good whining baby wearing Polka dots and glitter waving glow sticks. If you find the film to pretentious just disengage your brain and admire the gorgeous production. That is what I did. It fails what it intends to achieve but still remains entertaining enough to sit through.

Positive: Inspired use of sound/soundtrack, Jaw dropping visuals, oh I forgot to mention well executed and downright awesome EVA battles, Basically every bit of production

Negative: Pseudo psychological and religious symbolism delivered far too heavy handedly, Unlikable protagonist, Fails to convey anything of substance even though that's what the film sets out to achieve, The film itself is pointless the ending of the series was sufficient enough

P.S. How does Tokyo get rebuilt so quickly after every single EVA/Angel battle???

Visually riveting, but doesn't work as a whole

[tuomas_gimli · 5/10 · 10 October 2012]

End of Evangelion is a film unlike any other, and mostly not in a good way.

In short: there are individual bits in End of Evangelion that are very effective, exciting and often horrifyingly disturbing. Yet they're bound together by chunks of nothing, and it gives the film a schizophrenic feel, much like the series. If you start to think, pretty much nothing actually happens in the first half, and when things start to happen during the second half, they do so in a way that will leave most viewers scratching their head and going "WHAT?"

If you were bothered by the constant esoteric and weird dialogue in the series, you're not going to like this. When we are thrust into Shinji's mind in the second half the imagery on-screen truly defies explanation. In short: if you didn't like the last 2 episodes of the series, End of Evangelion has that same stuff and then some. There are multiple scenes where you could arrange the dialogue lines in any order, and it'd make exactly the same amount of sense, i.e. next to none. So much of the film is taken up by either tedious or incomprehensible things that it just doesn't work as a movie.

But there are individual parts that work, and oh boy, do they ever! Asuka fighting the mass production Evas, Misato saying goodbye to Shinji and the physical presentation of Third Impact among others are all effective moments, and visually outstanding. It is best to just drown in the visuals and the unique atmosphere than try to figure out anything that is going on. The second half features numerous "money shots" that would make excellent movie posters purely on their own. The animation is top-notch, and does the job excellently. The film also has a very unique atmosphere of strangeness and bottomless desperation.

Much like the series, I admire the concept of End of Evangelion. There are few films that paint such an effective picture of the apocalypse as this one. But it's constantly bogged down by the same problems as the series: incomprehensibility, pretentiousness and inconsistency. For example: why does SEELE constantly barrage the GeoFront even after having defeated the NERV personnel? My guess: the makers wanted the movie to have explosions.

But, I still recommend seeing this film, because it will provoke some sort of (and likely a strong) reaction from anyone, even if it's just shouting "WHAT the HELL was that about??" out loud.