For me the rebuilds so till 3.0 + 1.0 focussed a little too much on the story or the world building. Now I love Evangelion's lore but I have never really liked when its in the forefront. Not in the series or in the Rebuilds. I think EOE has the perfect blend of incredible character psychoanalysis and mindfuckery that is Eva lore and 3.0 + 1.0 achieves something very similar especially in the first act of the film. The village section in the beginning with all the characters just trying to come to terms with themselves and the world around them is honestly some of my favourite Evangelion material ever and was one of the best parts of this film. The action heavy second act was fine, but action throughout the Rebuilds has not really impressed me. It looks a little too clean or mechanical and I miss the grit the original series and especially EOE had. The action here was probably the best in the Rebuilds but it still left a little to be desired. This was all made up for in the final act though. The final confrontation with Gendo was phenomenal. Cool Eva action, thought provoking conversations, incredible imagery and intersting meta commentary all came crushing together to form a segment which was peak Eva for me. Its here that Shinji's growth is very apparent and all of it leads to one of the most satisfying endings to anything ever!
To be honest I don't think I understand all of it. I doubt anyone but Anno himself can fully understand Eva but the little I got from it, from the original series and the films was so empowering and powerful I will never forget it.
Thank you, Evangelion
Goodbye.
