Evangelion Movie 1: Jo

So it was really just Evangelion with better animation and the long scenes cut out.

First the Bad. I didn't think that I would have prefered to have the long scenes in the anime over having them cut out. This is assuming that you have watched Neon Genesis before, if you haven't then you probably have no idea what I am talking about. But the lack of the long scenes in the from the original anime results in a lack of character development and really just makes Shinji look whiny instead of realistic. Another thing was the lack luster soundtrack, they went from classic compositions to ... generic action series music and a credits song that really lacks the calming quality of Fly Me to the Moon. Also, this was only the first part of the series, I'm assuming that once Asuka shows up in the next movie that I may like it a bit more. It does, in no way meet the production quality of End of Evangelion.

A good thing is probably the art, it got a massive upgrade in the animation department.

Final Verdict:
I didn't hate it, but it didn't meet the standard of the original. I would suggest the fans of Neon Genesis avoid it.

6/10

Is Neon Genesis Evangelion a Masterpiece!? Why is this regarded so highly in the Anime world?

I tried to watch the TV series but it just got too boring after 12 episodes. To sum it up: Whiny fuckin EMO kids mixed with MECH Battles and Illuminati Symbolism!

How is the upgraded blu-ray "Rebuild of Evangelion 1.11"? the same fucking shit but way better animation, don't get me wrong it looks fuckin cool and slick. I actually enjoyed it more than the TV series. Whiny EMO kids at least with underage nudity exists, and the MECH battles look cooler in "HD", but nothing really ... engaging about the characters or story.

I WILL watch the other remakes just to see how plot develops.

But honestly...this is some overrated shit!

This movie is basically just the original NGE but worse. When i watched the original evangelion, i felt the depressing and hopeless tones the show was trying to convey, which to me were the things that made the series so beautiful. It showed how all of these characters were struggling so much and it made me empathise with them. This entire vibe of the original is just completely omitted in this movie. It's still a good movie, its evangelion after all, but it just feels so rushed and emotionless. It's action after action after action, with barely any points of rest. Also BAD CG alert!!!! ... I'm sorry some shots just feel so out of place from the 2d animation. But i guess it is a 2007 movie so I'll forgive them for that.

Overall, if you watched the original eva, i dont recommend you watch this rendition. It's just a recap.

the rebuilds as a whole are better-suited as companion pieces than standalone representations of their respective franchise, and in no way is that more apparent than in the first film of the planned 4-part saga.

it's fucking fantastic to see the first 6 or so episodes redone with gorgeous animation and new pieces to the score, plus the intriguing bits that tell us that this rendition of evangelion is definitely going to veer off the path we're familiar with, but at the end of the day, it's not that great of a film on its own merit.

the pacing is whack, motivations and characters introduced make the ... plot more convoluted than it already is, there are even some contextual nods/plot points that really rely on foreknowledge of the series in order to understand/appreciate.

but yeah, as a companion piece, this first film is great, especially if you haven't seen the original series in a hot minute. but it's not that great of a film on its own; it's merely the rushed foundation for the next three chapters and a recap for longtime fans.

The first rebuild feels like Evangelion on crack. It’s a glossy remake of the show intended to expand the audience and offer a rewrite of the ending. However, the translation from show to film is a bold, but clumsy move.

There’s more to film adaptations than a simple copy-paste from the source material. There doesn’t seem to be much attention in transitioning from an episodic to a feature length format. Eva 1.0 is the first six episodes crammed into one with a stretched out climax. It all lacks a strong sense of direction and pacing.

Having watched the show before, Eva 1.0 feels like an extended movie ... trailer. Long, contemplative edits are sacrificed for quicker, choppier scenes. Its montage-like quality diminishes much of the spirit of Evangelion. It goes through the motions without any of Hideaki Anno’s eccentric and spacey direction. It’s like a kid that can’t sit still. It’s obvious that lots of story is being crammed in an obligatory fashion. It’s a recap, not a rebuild.

The only positives that are exclusive to Eva 1.0 are the improved animation and the climactic Ramiel fight. While the third act is a lot cooler than the show, Ramiel isn’t exactly what needed fixing.

For all the intentions of creating Eva 1.0, it remains essentially the same as the show. If you don’t like Eva already, Eva 1.0 won’t change that. Most of the positives carry over here, and the negatives do as well. It can’t stand on its own, and although it’s the first of a four-entry series, it nonetheless lacks any sense of finality. It’s really an inferior version overall.

Ok, first real review.

This movie was really intriguing to watch after the original series and End of Eva. I'm not sure what I was expecting. I was at least expecting something better than what I watched.

To really talk about this movie, I have to delve into SPOILERS. If you'd like to just see what I think overall, I'm giving the movie a 6/10.


Story [7/10]:

I'd give NGE's story a 10 without question. But this movie took what made Eva's first six episodes interesting and just squeezed the slice of life and development out of them and just used what was left. The story is really ... the exact same just sped up to turbo and lacks a lot of what made the original series interesting and kept me coming back for another episode. There are also plot edits, one of the most annoying for me was having Misato show Shinji Lilith herself early-on. That really made no sense with further context of the series, and yes I am aware that 2.0 and 3.0 change the plot, but this just seems nonsensical. Misato went the whole series in the dark about a lot of NERV's true goals so having her completely aware of Lilith and its location feels... strange. Either way, just judging this plot based on just the movie plot, it's way too rushed, and is just monster battles with vague foreshadowing at the moment. Very incomplete. Though I did enjoy the ending with Kaworu, and the fact that we're getting more from him and his story. I can't give the plot a bad score, due to it just being what we got in NGE, but I can't really praise it either since what it does to the original's key elements isn't really fair.

Art [7/10]:

Of course, since this was made about ten years after the original anime, the art style has drastically changed. We have entered an age of digital animation and artwork and you can definitely see the difference here. The artwork and animation is very clean, very fluid, and looks great. The bigger budget and the fact that it's a movie is very clear. Though, the lighting looks horrid. Some scenes are way too dark and aren't visible. And overall the lighting and overall color choice isn't the best compared to the really standout fantastic style of the 90s original anime. And the obvious use of CG is here and isn't ever really welcome by me. The scene of the Tokyo-3 buildings looked nice, but the handdrawn version always looks a bit more in-universe than CG does.
The directing is again done by Hideaki Anno, and it looks really good. Some new scenes don't really feel that special though. One I can think of is the Misato and Shinji at the hospital scene felt pretty bland. Other than that, he did a great job, and his old style still flows though this. It's a shame because of the amount of content required to really fit into one movie though, since it really seems to hinder Anno's potential here. His directing style, similar to Ikuhara's is about slow psychological buildup and foreshadowing. In an action-packed hour-forty film, it just doesn't work.

Sound [6/10]:

Ok, Shirou Sagisu, your music is really fantastic. I love it to death. In Bleach, Magi, NGE, and End of Eva. Your pieces are just amazing. But they just aren't used to the right effect here. Almost every scene is battered with audio and the viewer is never given a moment to really rest their ears or mind. NGE excelled at moments of tension through psychological silence and unique animation and this movie just threw that away. The music made those scenes feel great, and the lack there of improved that. Here, the music was used in more of a "blockbustery" effect.
In regards to the VA performances, they all do a great job reprising their roles from ten years ago. I definitely prefer the original when it comes to this (and everything else), but as a standalone discussion they do a fantastic job.

Character [7/10]:

Ah, NGE's fantastic cast. Probably my favorite cast of any anime. Some fantastically developed characters that all have significant arcs. The movie format really hurts those characters. They aren't given time to really breathe and are just pushed down the plot aisle as fast as possible. Most are relatively the same though when it comes to the basics. The only standout difference I noticed was in Shinji. The amount of scenes where he refused getting into the Eva were reduced which I'm not personally a fan of since I was never annoyed with them. I always completely sympathized with Shinji and understood him. He's still fine in this movie though. He's basically the same. Judging this movie on it's own, the characters aren't finished with their arcs so I can only really give them a 7.

Enjoyment [6/10]:

This is obviously a topic I can only answer subjectively. As you might've noticed by reading this entire review so far, I was disappointed. Considering this movie was made ten years after the original shows run, I was expecting a neat reboot, but I really just got a carbon copy that added in strange new scenes, and kinda ditched aspects that made the original TV anime so good. I liked it of course, if I didn't I wouldn't be giving it a 6 for this category. It just didn't live up to what an Eva movie could and should be.

Overall [6/10]:

Okay, so I really do not have much more to say. I think the movie was a fine movie. It had the same characters I love, the same world, mechs, and music I adore. It just misplaced some of those aspects. The CG was off-putting at times and I certainly enjoyed the overall art style in the original.
I really just hope to get more out of 2.0 and 3.0, and obviously 3.0+1.0 when that comes out. I hear they definitely go in their own directions, so hopefully those new directions serve as interesting paths for Eva to explore.


[Would I recommend this movie?]

- If you have seen the original TV anime and End of Eva, this particular movie really won't give you anything more or better than what you've already gotten. I can't speak for the next three, but they obviously will work off what this one has done already.

- If you haven't seen the original TV anime and End of Eva, then watch them instead. I would advise action junkies to watch this, but I really don't see a point in missing out on all the fantastic writing the original has to offer. And if you don't like the original then, I guess you may enjoy this movie. I can't really say.

This first movie works well as a summary of the first few episodes of the anime. However, the movie itself doesn't introduce anything new or different, besides a few minor changes to the plot structure. As someone whose seen the anime, it was hard for me to stay invested in re-watching something with most of the interesting character development and other details rushed through.

TL:DR - This first part does well as a recap, but doesn't offer much else in the way of intrigue for anyone whose already watched the anime. Here's hoping that the second part delivers something different from what I've already seen of ... the series.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is my favorite anime of all time. This film, for most of it's run time, is the first 6 episodes of the original NGE, but worse.Most of the shots in the movie are taken 1:1 from the original with different background details and a more toned down color palette. This is until the last 20 minutes or so when there is a major plot divergence and film starts actually doing it's own thing visually. During this final portion the film becomes Evangelion, but different. I just wish this whole movie was Evangelion but different, rather than Evangelion but worse.

Imma just say it, if you've seen the first ~6 episodes of NGE, you've seen this movie. That doesn't make it bad, because the first six episodes of Eva were good, but this movie doesn't add anything new except ~2 scenes. However, there were some moments where it felt new, the redone angel battles were great, and I loved the new designs of the Evas. Should you watch it? Well if you want to see a more than solid redux of the first quarter of NGE, then go ahead, you'll have a fun time. But if you're looking for something new, then I don't recommend ... this movie. TLDR; same as show, kinda disappointing.