The name says it all. This is the end of Neon Genesis Evangelion (or is it?). Going into this without having seen the series is more trouble than it's worth.
It's hard to put into words the effect that the show had on anime as a whole, and it's just as hard to put into words the effect that this film had on the show. When people say that this was the director's original treatment for episodes 25 and 26 of NGE, it becomes extremely hard to deny the validity of the claim.
Visually the film is a treat for the eyes to behold. The series' distinctive art style benefits greatly from the heightened budget and the (now standardized) 16:9 aspect ratio. It can be hard to judge the film objectively however as there's no legal way to obtain a copy of the film in higher quality than 480i/560i (standard definition/DVD quality) outside of Japan. It certainly seemed to me like it was intended for the big screen and it's a shame that anime isn't played often in cult cinemas nowadays.
The film picks off right where Episode 24 ends and resolves every side-plot developed in the main series, and gives every character a conclusion to their arc. Innumerable pieces of subtle foreshadowing in the show finally pay-off in this film. All in all, it's a fantastically written continuation of the series. Having seen the film twice now, it becomes hard to imagine Neon Genesis Evangelion with a better ending than this.
However, the fact that this film was a by-product of the original series is undeniable and hard to ignore. Everything from the duration of the film to even the aspect ratio serves to remind you that, even if this was based on the original treatment, it isn't truly the original ending, certainly not technically. This is obvious especially when you consider how the "film" is formatted; as two 40 minute episodes titled 25 ' and 26 ', with the credits placed in between them. Not really a complaint but rather a detail that tends to go under the radar.
It could be argued that as a result the film lacks the artistic integrity of the show's finalized ending from 1995, although I am not of that belief.
On the flip side, the fact that the original treatment was able to be realized as a high budget, theatrical film rather than a low budget television series allowed the director and crew to go all-out on this final act and hold no punches. The imagery and soundtrack is spectacular. Had this ending been properly realized in the original show, I have no doubt that the impact and technical quality would have been far lesser than it is here.
The enjoyment factor is hard to define, and that's why I left it blank on the summary. It all depends on the viewer. This film certainly isn't for everyone. I found that I enjoyed the film far more the second time I watched it than I did the first time around.
On it's own? This film is frankly a confusing mess, which is part of the reason I couldn't give it a perfect score.
With Neon Genesis Evangelion? It's near-perfect. It's strange because it's not so much that the show enhances the film, but that the film enhances the show and truly raises it up to its full potential.
You're gonna have to watch it a few times though...
