Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
|
Our Price: $151.48 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
Movie Review: Beautiful and Terrible, Traumatizing and Enlightening: So this is what animation can accomplish
Summary: 5 Stars
In writing a review about "The End of Evangelion", I honestly do not know where to start. To begin with, it is my favorite movie of all time. I will not bother reviewing the plot or setup here, since so many other reviewers have already done so perfectly well. Instead, I will try to shed just a smidgeon of light on the immense literary and artistic depth that this fim encompasses.
There is so very much to say about this film. Its depth, emotion and meaning are unsurpassed by nearly any other film I've seen, from the East or the West. Every minute of every episode of the Evangelion TV series has led up to this film. Every character's personal quest is resolved, for better or for worse, and all the fundamental thematic elements (if not every aspect of the plot) are resolved in truly mind-blowing fashion. Practically every shot of the film is loaded with complex Freudian and/or Judeo-Christian symbolism. (On a side note, many have dismissed the religious symbolism in this series as being frivolous and unnecessary due to the unfortunate comments to that end made by assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki a number of years ago. However, those who possess an extensive familiarity with both the subject matter and the series find it, to say the least, difficult to accept that such elaborate symbolism could be merely coincidental.) It is not only a fine work of unconventional directorial artistry, but quite possibly the very pinnacle of the literary potential of animation as a medium. The film pushes its medium - one which is frequently condemned to be overlooked by serious critics due to its employment in children's entertainment - to the very limits and beyond, accomplishing true exploitation of its potential for expressionistic value that has never been rivaled before or since, even by the many other great figures in the field of anime. The "flash montages" that Evangelion has become famous for are used to the very maximum of their potential, and the brilliant incorporation of live action into the whole postmodern flow communicates its message to the viewer on a level beyond words - something many films strive to accomplish, but very few ever achieve. The dialogue is concise, powerful, and well-chosen, and is translated into English with exceptional care for both the subtitled and English versions by anime-whiz Amanda Winn Lee and her jolly band at Gaijin Productions. (With the exception of one line of plot exposition that may make viewers' interpretations a little hazy therein.) It is clear, as it has always been, that director Hideaki Anno went to great labors to find the perfect lines for each scene, and just when and how to have them delivered for the greatest possible emotional impact. A previous reviewer has stated of the highly postmodern psychological sequences that "the viewer will soon find that the person under the microscope is not Shinji Ikari, but you." I could not agree more. This film is personally affecting in a way that none other has been, or perhaps ever will be.
The voice acting in both the English and Japanese versions is beyond superb. While the English has a couple of flat deliveries (mostly by stand-in actor Keith Burgess, who took on and subsequently butchered the role of secondary character Makoto Hyuga since the original voice, Matt Greenfield, would not work on the Manga Entertainment dub), none of them truly mar the onscreen drama, and even some lines that might make us laugh in other contexts ("Sweet Jesus, an Anti-AT Field!") are delivered with such confidance and sincerity that we have no choice but to take them with all seriousness. Furthermore, almost all of the beloved cast from the Eva TV series return to their roles in the movie, with leads such as Spike Spencer, Tiffany Grant, Amanda Winn Lee, Allison Keith and Tristan MacAvery delivering what could well be the performances of their lives. The original Japanese cast is just as good, with Megumi Ogata, Yuko Miyamura, Kotono Mitsuishi and the rest pushing their characters to the very limits. Any argument as to which version is superior seems ultimately trite, as both versions are delivered with stunning expertise and emotion.
The visuals of the film are stunning, overwhelming and beautiful. The animation is fluid and stunning, and the shades of gray communicate the melancholy mood of hope, loss and destruction that pervades the film. Even the incredibly graphic violence is delivered with a sort of horrific beauty that makes us reflect upon its greatert significance, not to the story, but to humankind itself. "The Beast" is brought out within all the characters, as the grim slaughter of the first act turns out the ugliest aspects of humanity in an apocalypse that is as emotional as it is visual. We truly FEEL every loose end of the story coming together, as it all falls apart at the same time.
The musical score for the film is unconventional, to say the least. While the TV series fell back to extensive use of synthesizers and small musical ensembles due to budget, Shiro Sagisu's oddball talent finally graduates to a full orchestral range for the big screen.This proves invaluable to the film's delivery, with several key themes from the series making their return in orchestral reprises, most notably including a sweeping choral reprise of the contemplative and bizarre theme "Mother is the First Other" from the later TV episodes. Also unforgettable is the eerily catchy "Komm, Susser Todd", played during the most apocalyptic segment of the film, which extends the already-disturbing imagery to nightmarish proportions.
While the DVD itself does not contain nearly as many extras as one would hope a film of this caliber to receive, the commentary by English-language director Amanda Winn, her husband Jason Lee, and coworker Tallison Jaffe is both refreshingly humorous and helpfully enlightening in regards to the labyrinthine abstraction of the film. Some have criticized it for taking the film too lightly, but I, as a truly sincere fan, must protest. I, for one, would certainly not have sat through the commentary track for the entire film if it were NEARLY as serious as the film itself. The commentators more or less excuse themselves for their lighthearted tone by coming right out and saying that if they were to do a deadpan commentary to "one of the most horrific pieces of violence ever put to cel", that they would probably "be jumping in front of a truck or something". A humorous excuse, of course, but one that, at least to me, endears them significantly enough to allow me to get caught up in their delightfully childish humor. Of course, it's not just "Mystery Science Theater" here - there are serious insights on many of the more abstract images or potential symbols found in the film, and ones that I probably would not have caught onto myself if I had not listened to the commentary track. If the viewer is concerned that they do not have sufficient respect for such a fine film, well, one need only look as far as the film's aforementioned brilliant English adaptation to see otherwise. Despite the fact that there is no laughter to be found within the film, I think it is safe to say that Ms. Lee and her colleagues are laughing with the drama, not at it. (Even in Japan, Hideaki Anno himself decided to parody the film in an audio drama entitled, "After the End".)
I could go on about this brilliant work of art forever and ever, but why should I? If you, the reader of this review, have seen the TV series of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" but have not seen this movie yet, you should feel downright obligated to secure and view it as soon as possible. This is one of the finest achievements in the history of anime, if not Asian cinema itself.
Final Verdict:
Rating: M+ (recommended for 17 and older, with strong content) - For graphic violence and gore, nudity, brief language, sexual situations and disturbing themes and images.
Score: 10/10 - Perfect (or as close as you can get)
Bottom Line: Any fan of anime, Asian film, or just fine cinema owes it to him or herself to see this film. Period.
Movie Review: A baffling end to a baffling series
Summary: 5 Stars
Having watched the 'End of Evangelion' many times over, I still find it as baffling as ever. Watching this movie is much like watching the climax of 2001 A Space Odyssey where David Bowman enters the 'stargate' at the monolith and undergoes his psychadelic trip to nowhere. After such a bizarre parade of juxtaposed images, events and themes (often splashed around like images in a Picasso painting) you wonder what the hell it means.
The End of Evangelion is the alternative ending to the 1996 anime television series directed by Hideki Anno. Anno produced several works, however Evangelion proved to be the most popular (and controversial).
On the surface the premise of the series is fairly straightforward and similar to many other science fiction anime series; a group of humans living in a post-apocalyptic world are fighting to defend humanity from alien invaders. In Evangelion the aliens are called 'Angels', powerful and dangerous beings who appear to come from another dimension and cannot be defeated except by giant robots piloted by young children.
The main character in the series is the anti-hero Shinji, a cowardly, indecisive, apathetic and introverted character who is frequently depressed and gripped by anomie and acedia and seems to be unable to do the most basic tasks without being forced by other people. As the series unfolds it is clear Shinji and how he relates to others is somehow central not just to the angel-human conflict but even perhaps to the salvation of mankind itself.
Shinji relates most closely to three characters, Azuka, Misato, and his father, Gendo Ikari. As the series unfolds each of the characters is revealed to have a deeply tragic past which has resulted in all having very severe neurotic and psychological problems which border on hysteria and nervous breakdown. Indeed virtually all the characters come to pieces, either mentally or physically, as the series progresses and darkens.
The End of Evangelion seems to complement the interior fragmentation and destruction of the selves of the main characters by telling the 'narrative' of events in the external world. NERV is invaded and destroyed by a human invasion after the last angel is defeated in battle and the main characters are killed, including Azuka (in a rather horrible and gruesome way). Shinji, trapped in psychotic shock at the death of Azuka, enters his evangelion but is then taken by other evangelions who seem to undergo a bizarre ritual which reforms the 'Tree of life', the central symbol of kabbalastic mysticism. This leads to a giant Goddess-figure called Lilith rising to life, who proceeds to bring about the end of the world by merging the souls of all individual humans back into an undifferentiated unity, while Shinji looks on.
For some reason the process seems to fail and Lilith dies, perhaps because Shinji exercises his free will to remain an individual being rather than to re-merge his self into God. Azuka, perhaps also merged with aspects of Rei and Shinji's mother, also reemerges beside him along a deserted shoreline, while the rest of humanity and life remains as a red soup, an undifferentiated unity from which all things began. At the end Shinji attempts to strangle Azuka but relents, and then Azuka says 'How disgusting.'
The ending of the world and the 'recreation' of a new world seems to contain some very complex themes, such as free will, the relation of humans to the Absolute, how we relate to the 'Other' and existence in an incomplete world where the paradox of reality is where we suffer but suffering is also part of growth. Anno seems to draw deeply on Kabbalistic mysticism, Existential philosophy (many of the themes in the end are allegories of themes explored by philosophers like Heidigger, Sartre, Gadamer and Emmanuel Levinas) and Christian symbolism. Why Anno chose to use symbols from the Judeo-Christian tradition (in particular Kabbalah) for the series and the end I am not sure, but perhaps Anno felt the Zohar's profound sense of exile in a world where the divine is deeply hidden and absent and associated existential themes of angst, alienation, being in relation to death and nothingness were appropriate when dealing with psychological themes such as repressed emotions, the unconcious, introversion and extroversion, sexual desire, and frustration of our dreams and goals, and suffering.
I get the sense the ending of Evangelion is open, and I think Anno intended it to be so. To 'close' Evangelion where everyone is happy and gets what they wish seems to negate the deeper premise of the series which pointed to the universality of human suffering in the inner and outer worlds; the extremes of torture and pain all the characters endure to the point of death seems excessive but perhaps makes the important point there is no safe refuge in this world of change where the divine seems absent. While using Christian/Jewish imagery and western philosophical themes, I get the sense in the end Anno's message is Buddhist; we learn to grow through suffering, pain and evil and by accepting ourselves as we are, and we must accept there is evil and pain in all of existence and there is no escaping it, as evil and good exist even in the Godhead itself. In this sense Anno approaches the Gnostic systems of Jacob Boehme and also some of the more radical forms of Kabbalah, where humans must restore a broken world by experiencing good as well as evil.
Certainly the End of Evangelion is a multilayered world with extremely complex imagery, and cannot be watched as most other ordinary movies would be.
Movie Review: Real artistry should always be admired*poiler alert*
Summary: 5 Stars
Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 11:44 pm Post subject: Review:The End of Evangelion(spoiler alert)
Along with Akira and Vampire Hunter D I think this is the most lyrically graphic and beautiful anime film I've seen. I have a problem with the fact that for some reason there's drastic lighting changes almost every scene on my DVD,but I wonder if that's just mine. Still the images represented here are like great heavy music,they are totally outside of trends,truly uncompromising,and completely without taboo. The blood flows freely and quite graphically throughout,but you learn to accept it,and the deaths they represent,because in the end this film is an allegory around the roles of humanity and God,and the ultimate consequences of death and rebirth.
This is a movie that the first 7 or 8 times even that you see it,especially if you have not finished the series,like me,that makes you go 'WTF'. Nothing makes sense at first,especially the ending when Rei becomes Lillith and Shinji takes on the role of the new Christ or the new Adam,not quite God the Father in the purest form but undoubtedly the maker of all humanity. It will really mess with your head at first,but that's the goal really,to make you think,perhaps deeper than you ever thought. It challenges the notions of humanity trying to become God and presents a truly appocalyptic vision of if that ever happened. It also challenges the ideas of linear story-telling.
As usual the characters are well thought-out and very relatable on some level,in spite of the grandiose situations they are presented in. You respect Rei,the shy,quiet,but caring (secretly of course,she's not really designed to be caring,but is)one,for accepting the responsibility of becoming in essence the mother of us all,and hence the mother Shinji never had. The first half of the film we view Shinji as we always do,with the right amount of sympathy and revulsion at his self-loathing and weakness. As the movie progresses and we see him finally accept himself for who he is and what he is,and decides he does have a purpose and as long as he's alive he will find his happiness in some way,we respect him at last. Asuka we can never make heads or tales of anyways,but when she dies about halfway through the film,and we see her torn apart eva bleeding and dripping everywhere with it's spine sticking out,and we know she's dead,ripped apart inside the bellies of the EVA's,we are deeply disgusted,as well as extremely angry and violently sad. The other characters in the end we feel sorry for,but besides Misato,who does not deserve to die like she does,we aren't really that connected with so our sympathy is not totally heartfelt.
I want to thank the guy that wrote the kids review explaining the ending for me on Amazon,so now I can say something about that. Some people might wonder why Shinji,who is given the chance to create whatever he wants,chooses to have the same Asuka who loathes his weakness and his crying,and even at the end of the movie after he weeps when he sees she's real says "How disgusting". I know I did. But now I understand why. He wants things the way they were. He wants to try to find his own strength in the world of pain he's always known. He wants to make himself stronger,and in doing so win the love of the real Asuka,for in the end he chooses her as the one he loves and the one he wants back,instead of Rei,who he lets become Lillith and take on that responsibility. Now that I understand the scene,I think it's one of the most psychologically impactful of the movie. I think the movie ends in a superb fashion,because like all great endings it leaves you craving more. You want to know if Shinji and Asuka ever do become one heart,ever learn to love and accept eachother. You want to know if this new world is ever repopulated. Endings like this are annoying at first,but are brilliant because they allow YOU to create the ultimate ending,and once you do that you are finally satisfied.
This is almost perfect,a true artistic dream. I hope you all enjoy
Movie Review: Instantly beautiful, Eventually understandable
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is a rarity in the world of film making and in TV production. The first important thing to note is that you will never be able to fully appreciate this film until you've seen the TV series - this has been touched on by others, but it truly is important. The film compliments the final two episodes of the series, and was a labor of love for the creator of the series as well as many dedicated production companies who helped it get made (look at the list of credits! I think it's the entire population of Japan!).
While the last 2 episodes of the series eschew the Eva action scenes of earlier eps (a necessary evil...the production team completely ran out of money), they unravel the workings of the mind in an absolutely brilliant way. It was basically a self-help guide for viewers, showing them the way towards happiness and fulfillment. Plus, it was nice to see Shinji stand up for himself for once. However, as an end to a series, it fell short. What IS the Human Instrumentality Project? How was the plan initialized? What the hell happened to all of the characters we got to know? They wanted to show us, but they knew they couldn't in such a small time span and with so little money. Luckily, we've got this movie.
And what a movie it is. On visuals alone, it stands above practically every animated or live action film I've ever seen. The imagery and the symbolism (especially in the last half of the movie) is amazing and would cause a theologian's brain to explode. The film combines animation and live action, as well as interesting filming techniques like producing animation to look like it was filmed with an 8mm camera. There are important reasons for all of this. It is to create mood, moods that range from fear, hopelessness, loneliness, to utter ecstacy. It's a movie with religious symbols and religious names that, when you watch it, feels like a religious experience. But in a strange way, it has nothing to do with religion at all.
The main focus of both the series and the film is on the self; filling in the holes in each one of our souls with parts of each other, and identity and how it requires human interaction (in spite of how painful it may be for some) to be formed. In short, this film comes closer to explaining the meaning of life than anything I think I've ever seen. Wow, what a statement!
All of this would mean nothing, however, if we didn't care about the characters, or if the movie was boring. Neither of these are true. All of the characters, whether it be Shinji, Asuka, Misato, whoever, are people you can relate to in a very true way. They are all flawed. No one is a "hero" in this film, no one is completely virtuous. This is another brilliant aspect of this story: these humans attempt to become God while blind to their inherent problems.
The action scenes in the first half of the film more than make up for the lack of it in the latter episodes of the series. To see one of the main characters we've cheered on for so long finally kick some ass is a beautiful thing (until we're brought back down to earth in the most painful of ways). It's in part 2 of the movie that the visuals become overwhelming, however. I never thought the end of the world could be so beautiful.
The music? Perfect. That's all I'll say, because I've rambled on too much.
You know, for a guy who is not much of an anime fan and who is in no strong way a religious person, it's pretty amazing that a movie like this can affect me so much. All I can say is, watch the entire series first. Buy it, borrow it, I don't care. Get through the slow beginning episodes, stare dumbfounded at the confusing ending, and then watch the movie. Then do it all again the second time. You'll either hate it, love it so much your life will change, or you'll get so confused your head will explode. But you won't forget it and you won't have a neutral reaction to it, and that's the sign of a truly wonderful work of art.
Movie Review: This is your brain...this is your brain on drugs.
Summary: 5 Stars
The End of Evangelion was originally scripted to be the now infamous existentialistic, soul searching, and ultimately inconclusive episodes twenty-five and twenty-six that made up the ending to the hit anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. However, due to budget constraints, it never saw the light of day, presented only briefly in the debut of Death and Rebirth. Now, director Hideki Anno brings us the final, conclusive chapter in the Evangelion series, a gut wrenching two hour finale that shocks, horrifies, and depresses on a scale that only the sinister themes of Evangelion could possibly present. For any true Evangelion fan, this is a must buy.
With the Angels defeated, the unity humanity enjoyed rapidly deteriorates as the world turns against each other. SEELE, a collation of allied nations, betrays their former military ally, NERV, and launches a surprise attack on their base in order to obtain the key to humanity's destruction and eventual rebirth: Evangelion Unit-01. Stuck in the middle of the unprecedented war is Evangelion's protagonist, Shinji Ikari, who, without the guidance from his friends Asuka and Rei, finds himself rapidly losing his grip on reality and returning to a state of helpless self-pity. As the battle rages and SEELE introduces its own line of MP Evas, Shinji finds the fate of humanity thrust into his unwilling hands. Once again at the helm of the creation he has grown to hate, he must decide the outcome of the world.
In my previous review of Evangelion I thought the ending was more than satisfactory. While I still stand by that, the Ending of Evangelion blows it out of the water. It has the action that made the series enjoyable to watch, the thought provoking ideology that forces one to ponder, and all drama that made the characters seem so real. In keeping with the trend presented by the series, about halfway through the End of Evangelion, Hideki Anno jumps off the tracks of traditional story telling and returns to the whirlwind of incoherent thoughts and images blurred together in a cyclonical representation of the human psyche. It's insane, but brilliant. Disturbing, but beautiful. Confusing yet intriguing. Half-story, half-art, that's the way Evangelion, has always been, and it's wonderful to see it conclude this way. The soundtrack is integrated brilliantly within the movie. Each track kicks in at exactly the right moment, and the theme song Komm Susser Todd (Come Sweet Death) could not have been played at a more suitable moment. The appropriateness of it is overwhelming, and accentuates the emotions in scene in which it's presented.
A warning to younger audiences: the Ending of Evangelion is not for kids. There is not an ounce of humor or cuteness that filled some of the episodes of the series. The violence is quite graphic, but even more terrifying is the disturbing imagery that is used prevalently throughout the film. While far from tasteless, some of it will leave you rather shaken, especially if you're familiar with characters from the series.
Like Evangelion, the End of Evangelion does not end with a happy ending. Far from it, and yet it forces the viewer to look at the story from several different angles. If the symbolism can be interpreted differently, then perhaps the ending can also be perceived in a different light. Either way, I left with a raw feeling in my stomach, a sad hopeless feel that made sure I would never be able to see the series the same way ever again.
Conclusively, the Ending of Evangelion is recommended to only those who have seen Evangelion solely because only those who have seen and appreciated the series will be able to enjoy the film to its fullest. If you hated the series, then the Ending of Evangelion probably won't change your mind. If you loved the series, then there's no reason why you shouldn't add this to your collection.
JA_Japster's Final Score: 10/10