Having already reviewed Neon Genesis Evangelion I figured I’d try and tackle it’s controversial “ending”, End of Evangelion. Following the colossal success of the series, and fan backlash of equal size over the original ending, director Hideaki Anno released two feature films. The first, Death and Rebirth, was a retelling of the original story crammed into a much smaller timeframe. The second film is the one that’s important, End of Evangelion is a feature-length replacement for the show’s original ending which left audiences bewildered and in many cases angry. While the film is enjoyable it shares many of the strengths and weaknesses of the rest of Evangelion that will no doubt polarize audiences.End of Evangelion is intended to replace the final two episodes of the series so anyone who has not watched the previous 24 parts will be overwhelmed from the get-go. All the characters are where we left them as the final pieces fall into place for an epic final chapter in humanity’s story. The protagonists, still saddled with the same flaws as before, will fight through the final battle both physically and psychologically as is the series’ trademark.It is important to note that despite the fact this film was created due to negative feedback it never makes a serious attempt to correct any of the divisive points. It doesn’t feel as if this was an ending created due to fan feedback at all but rather the true vision of the creator realized because of the opportunity that negativity presented. It is clear Anno had no interest in appeasing detractors but is instead creating the finale he had envisioned all along which will change no one’s mind because it doesn’t intend to. Evangelion’s confused psychobabble is perhaps the show’s most irritating and endearing quality and it is in full effect here. No explanations are offered and few can even be deciphered from the visual bombardment taking place on screen. The viewer is assaulted with wave after wave of seemingly arbitrary metaphors with no compass to direct them toward the correct interpretation. For fans of the show this will no doubt be a good time but for those turned off by pretentious pseudo-philosophy and the like it’s not going to be a particularly fun 90 minutes.While the apparently unrelated stream of metaphors can be disorienting it is also quite a spectacle. Few shows that have attempted such grandiose sequences have pulled them off this well, and that can appreciated regardless of whether you care for the confused undertones. In addition the audience is treated to one of the best mech battles I’ve ever seen, and while I admit I’m not a big fan of that genre in general I’m confident that fight sequence is as good as any. Anyone who enjoyed the series in the first place will find a lot to enjoy here, the characters do not have any sudden change of personality and End of Eva never really tries to surprise. It fits well within the original work and your enjoyment of it will rely heavily on whether you were a fan of Evangelion to begin with.The production values are solid throughout. The original series was well-known for recycling sequences or using other tricks to lower production costs and that burden has been lifted for this film. The scope of many scenes is far greater then anything seen in the series no doubt because of the improved budget. The majority of the original voice cast returns and they do an equally competent job this time around. Some minor characters are played by new voice actors and their performance is notably worse, in the early part of the film especially. The musical score helps create a sense of scope but is nothing particularly groundbreaking.On the negative side End of Eva is something of a missed opportunity. While it can be argued the film never intended to be an improvement on a flawed ending, because the creator ever considered it flawed in the first place, the reality is people expect more from a retold finale then the same jargon made even more confusing with more elaborate imagery. There is no attempt to find a middle ground between the original vision and a milder conclusion that would resonate with a larger audience, if anything this film will create an even greater split between the two sides.The simple fact is End of Evangelion is a film for fans of the original vision of the creator. It does nothing to appease the angry horde of detractors and isn’t even particularly kind to the legions of fans that try to decipher meaning from the metaphors by being even more confusing. For this reason it is a difficult film to rate, is it good because it gives the fans what they desire or is it bad because it missed a fantastic opportunity to recruit a new audience? It is a very rare anime film that can simultaneously excite one group and further infuriate another.Final Score: 8.5Storyline: PassableAnimation: GoodSoundtrack: GoodDub: Good
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