...I cannot deny that with these rebuild films (especially the 3rd and 4th films), if anything, they are a visual spectacle. People love to hate on CG in anime, and I can see why in most cases; it is almost always half-haphazardly put into anime as a time saving method, rather than an aesthetic design choice. In these rebuild films though, I really do think that the mix of CG with traditional hand-drawn style of animation is done really, really well. Like seriously, especially in this last film, there are some jaw-dropping scenes that somehow are both hectic and easy to digest which is quite hard to pull off with CG (looking at you Star Wars Prequels just throw as much shit onto the screen as possible just cus you can). Visually, I think there is no way for someone to knock this films on.
...again however...I think you are doing yourself a serious disservice whenever you go into a film thinking, “Yeah I'm just going to turn my brain off and enjoy a spectacle”. To me at least, cinema is a place where art is crafted by masters of storytelling, design, and audio prowess. In some circumstances, that level of artistry seeps into TV shows and anime (a la the first half of Game of Thrones, The Wire, The Monogatari series, Ghost in the Shell: SAC, ext). I can understand why people go into some films with this mindset, I just cannot. Call it “high standards” or whatever, I see films that demand you “turn your brain off to fully enjoy” as flawed films...and because of that...ALL the rebuild films (save the 1st one just because that one is a line-for-line retelling of some of the TV series...in a boring muted way) are flawed. They give you all this eye and ear candy to enjoy...only to fill them with salt in the middle...totally ruining the experience.
I'm sure some people out there are not at all bothered by the butchering of the character development of these characters. I'm sure people out there do not mind that with a lot of these films, the pacing is really all over the place (especiallyyyyy in this 4th film). I though, am and it really is unfortunate that such a great IP has be diluted over the years. In this 4th film, while the beginning is promising (finally taking a breath to give the character...well character development at a slow pace), it's almost wholly thrown away once “the film actually starts” (you don't see the title drop until halfway through the film) at which point the film devolves back into what made the 2nd and 3rd film so bad...just action action action for the sake of action. If you think back to the “End of Evangelion” film, that film had lots of action...but it all had a point...it had meaningful impacts on the film. When watching these Rebuild films...I cannot help but think there is action (mind you beautifully animated action) for the sake of action...rather than aiding the film's narrative.
I don't think I have the means of fully relaying my thoughts on why the Rebuild films seem hollow and hurtful to Evangelion. I apologize that this flurry of thoughts might not be cohesive enough to form a fully structured opinion. All I can say is that...the Rebuilds feel like a wasted effort. If they were not sequels to the TV series (which by this point it is obvious they are), I think they would be ok. However, they are..they attempt to carry on what was established in the TV series...and it does it quite poorly. This 4th film starts out promising...but again devolves into action action action inter-cut by a desperate attempt to rationalize an ending that feels thrown in from left field. I remain with the same opinion I had back when the first Rebuild film came out...if you really enjoy the TV series, do not watch the Rebuild films. There just isn't enough here to even risk recommending it. The TV series (along with the “End of Evangelion” film) gives you a conclusion that is...well a conclusion that has a well-tied up beginning, middle, and end. The Rebuild films just try to expand upon something that really did not need expanding, let alone 4 films worth of exploration on that endeavor.
Enjoyment: 4.2/10
Overall: 5.0/10
