As the end of the TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion, it's a pretty shocking conclusion. The series was definitely violent, but it's not even close to the level of violence in this film. As an entry in the Evangelion franchise, it sets a new standard of sheer insanity and over-the-top violence which 2.22 would attempt to match 12 years later. As a movie independent of the franchise, it's animated extremely well, experimental in a way I've failed to see before or since, and... well, so frigging VIOLENT.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. End of Evangelion is the 1997 follow-up to Neon Genesis Evangelion - who'd have guessed - which brought the story to a close after the last 2 episodes of the show ran out of budget and had to get creative with the storytelling. It starts off almost directly after the end of episode 24 and "replaces" those last 2 episodes, if I'm not mistaken, so if you haven't seen the series, the first half of this movie will probably be confusing and unsatisfying.
Story: Personally, I think the story is incredible, in-context of the series or not. It's coherent for one half of the movie, but then it goes off the rails and everything goes to hell. And I love that. The underlying theme in both the series and this movie is Shinji growing up and learning to connect with people, and it all comes to a head in this movie. The plot might get very confusing and impossible to explain, but keeping in mind that it's a story about Shinji connecting to people and how he feels about humanity, you might be able to relate to him enough to stay invested in the story. Whether you're looking at the screen and asking yourself "what happened?" or empathizing with Shinji as everything goes to hell, this movie will throw you around like a ragdoll. And personally, I loved every second of it.
Art: The animation in this movie is second to none for 1997. I think it holds up exceptionally well, but it's not going to be the same quality as the Rebuild films if you've seen them first. It's a definite upgrade from the series - which wasn't bad, mind you, but End of Evangelion blows it away in pretty much every department. There's a mech battle in this movie that must have cost about as much as 7 fights from the show. The movie also makes use of rotoscoping in a very unique sequence late in the movie, as well as live-action sequences and hand-drawn images that flash onto the screen for about a second each. The animation in general, just the regular stuff that makes up around 85% of the movie, is very well-done, managing to bring to life scenes I never thought would have been possible otherwise. The art, in one word, is incredible.
Sound: This movie has some great music. This is legitimately one of my favorite anime soundtracks - the score is loud and bombastic in parts, but also has a lot of sad and even peaceful tracks, and each song really complements the scenes they appear in. And the movie makes great use of dissonance - Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude, one of the most serene and satisfying pieces of music I've ever heard, is used in one of the bloodiest and most violent scenes of the movie, and the song Komm Susser Todd - a soft rock jam with depressing lyrics - plays over a scene which I can't mention due to spoilers, but which I can assure is horrifying on a major scale. But the music that fits with the mood of each scene fits well - The classical song Il Air is used on one of the most breathtaking scenes in anything I've ever seen, and contributes to that atmosphere a lot. This movie knows how to use its music very, very well.
The voices, though... Okay, I know this breaks up the review a bit, but this is probably an important detail to mention. I personally subscribe to the dub of this movie for reasons I will get to in a bit, which varies from the original (of course) and is disputed regarding its quality for a few reasons. Please try and bear with me on this.
Dub-wise, they're competent at the least, but there are some cringe-worthy moments in this movie due to the voice-acting. Shinji screams a few times in this movie, and while I get that it's meant to be a kid screaming in despair and all that, it just sounds so bad. I like a good scream in a show or movie - something that rushes down your spine and captures your attention. This movie doesn't have that scream, in my opinion. The voices are good - Rei's voice is pleasant as always, Asuka's angry barking is motivating, Gendo has a great moment which is helped along by his vocal performance and Fuyutsuki - while not being the same VA from the dub I watched - was great fun to listen to. There were downsides, though - Until the last quarter, I didn't like listening to Shinji talk. His opening lines are great and help sell the scene, and his dialogue with Misato is understandable, but I just can't enjoy how he sounds until nearly the final quarter of the movie. Otherwise, great performances all around - Shinji's unique voice is a reason I stick with the dub, even with his downsides.
Character: Remember when I said this movie was hard to review? This section is a major contribution to that. The characters can be a bit flat unless you know the source material, though Fuyutsuki, the bridge bunnies and Ritsuko are all pretty good consistently throughout the movie. Shinji is relatable in a way, but the fact stands that he does something awful at the start of the movie which drives home that he is not a healthy person. Without the context of the show, Rei is incredibly flat until the big catalyst that kicks the movie into overdrive. Asuka's alright as well - she chews the scenery to the point where the scenery is decimated - but she's very one-note in her major appearance, and her later appearance is basically her usual volatile behavior on steroids. Gendo has a powerful moment, but without the context of the series it might just come across as confusing and meh. Misato, another compelling character who might not have the best performance if you don't know her throughout the series, is a bit better in that she has some insight and some action scenes. But Gendo and Shinji are both horrible people, Asuka has a moment where she just yells abuse, Misato spends a lot of screentime being abrasive towards Shinji and it's all a big misery circlejerk. The characters are still good - but they really aren't great, especially if you don't know them from the show.
Enjoyment: I enjoyed this movie very much, to the point where it's currently the only anime on my list with a perfect 10. Like I've mentioned, the art is out of this world and creative as hell, the music is spectacular, I love the story and I empathize with Shinji even with his worst traits. But there's another reason.
I found this movie on late-night TV when I was 11 or 12. I was being pretty viciously bullied at the time, and also having a hard time at home due to my sister. You're expected to be happy when you're a kid, and even if you're not, a lot of media aimed at you is pretty positive and about sticking together with friends, overcoming challenges and all that. I didn't have any friends, I couldn't overcome my challenges, and everything was just piling up. I was diagnosed with depression around the same time, because I told my mother how awful I felt and she booked me in to a child psychologist. Nothing could make me feel better, everything was just getting overwhelming.
Then I found End of Evangelion on late night TV.
Half the movie had already played, so the second half had just begun. And what I saw was legitimately terrifying. I'd never seen something so balls-out insane. There's a scene with Asuka later on which leads into the whole depressing-soft-rock-playing-over-horrific-imagery scene, and it took my breath away. It was like catharsis - it was the first time I'd seen something that wasn't some dumb action shoot 'em up movie or some optimistic cartoon movie about overcoming adversity - it was a downward spiral that never ended. And for the first time in years, I was legitimately happy. I realized that there were things to watch that weren't all smiles and "the day is won, hooray!" - and I finally began being able to feel okay with being depressed. I wasn't alone, and there was a world of content that showed that the world wasn't okay, that not everything is better at the end of the day.
Yes, that led directly into my grimdark tween period, but without that catharsis I wouldn't be how I am today. I enjoy this movie on its merits alone, but just for having the audacity to go as far into the realm of nihilism as it does, I love it that much more. It doesn't toy with the audience until the end - It starts off horrifically, it gets a bit better, it gets even worse and it doesn't let up until the last quarter. Even when the movie gets happy in some way, the outcome is horribly grim and dark and you know that. It's exceedingly true to itself. That's also why I stick with the dub for this show - I can't separate the english voices from the characters who helped me when I needed it most, because in my mind they are the character.
Overall: I have to give it a 10. This film isn't perfect - the characters are a bit flat unless you've seen the show and connected with them, the story is incredibly grim and loses most of its structure about halfway in, and the dubbing is decent enough but has it's downsides. But this movie led to a very transformative period in my life, and I can't thank it enough for helping me out like that.
