williamson.nasir - 2013-09-04 01:29:36

The Rebuild series has been experiencing something of an identity crisis from the very beginning.

This was supposed to be a “re-imagining” rather than a “re-telling”, so it’s understandable that one may be a little confused by how erratic this presentation has been. You Are (Not) Alone began being respectable of its source, even if it was a little too slavish with that material. You Can (Not) Advance seemed a little more sure-footed, striking a more palatable blend between old and new. You Can (Not) Redo, however, seems intent to continue the trend, by being completely unpredictable.

Still, though my feelings on the Rebuild franchise are very much a mixed bag, I’d be lying if I said that the previous film hadn’t piqued my interest. How it ended certainly left a measure of anticipation behind, having promised something a little different this time around. Well that is indeed the case; the only problem being that “something” is sure to polarize.

You Can (Not) Redo doesn’t seem to care what has gone before it, as it hurtles itself into a scenario all of its own design. In a way, it’s refreshing to see such a bold move, particularly as that was part of what we were being sold on from the beginning. So, it’s a little unfortunate that what with end up with, just isn’t that good. Both novel and maddening in equal measure, for everyone one thing it does right, it seemingly has several glaring problems to counter with.

The 14 year leap in time, is the both the films biggest weakness, as well as its biggest strength. This new unfamiliarity is still all about framing Shinji’s personal journey, though it allows us to see it in a unique light. Make no mistake; this is the same ineffectual Shinji that we’ve always known, leaving those around him (and the world itself) to have undergone the most radical transformations. The premise ostensibly allows the same character to be transplanted into a new world, and adds a new slant on Shinji’s descent. The series was more about trying to prevent and learn from the mistakes of the past, whereas here, Shinji is exposed to living through those transgressions. Is he truly capable of forging his own path? Or he is destined to repeat the same mistakes? It forms the basis of an interesting notion, and feeds into what is probably where much of the fan interest lies, namely his relationship with Kaworu.

It could be said that the earlier installments fostered a belief (at least in the audience) that things would be influenced by a slightly different set of emotions this time around. In that regard, perhaps it was something of a deliberate ploy to have had 2.0 allude to glimmers of a happier tale - because 3.0 is very much in an altogether more sombre affair. The fact that it chooses to focus on Kaworu, a character who what had previously been neglected, supports this. So it’s strange that a lot this is reliant on the audience already being aware on his presence within the franchise, particularly the implications of his continued existence. This in itself turns the act of watching his burgeoning friendship with Shinji, into something quite morbid.

I found it to be quite appealing, in that it evoked the same melancholy that was found towards the end of the Neon Genesis Evangelion. You begin to get a good sense that things are going to go awry, and it’s that curiosity that compels you to watch. But this is seemingly the only plot thread that the film seems concerned with. It dedicates much of itself trying to fashion a direct route towards its ending, rather than bothering itself with those details in-between.

The brevity of the story-telling is nothing new, but the effects of which are extremely apparent here. It all feels stilted, and much more generic than its predecessors. The situation dictates that everyone has changed, but we are never privy to this. Apart from the confounding introduction, which re-introduces a host of familiar faces - as well as couple of new ones, we are never given anything much in the way of momentum. In fact, one could be so cynical as to say that the plot is book-ended on either side of the credits. Though, the case could be made that Evangelion is about its characters anyway, and that time could be better spent with its cast.

Much of the time is spent with the aforementioned Shinji, Kaworu dynamic. It certainly feels much more natural here, with their bond given time to mature. And it’s easier to accept how much this resonates with Shinji, because the film at least does convey the true extent of his abandonment - with the whole world literally (and figuratively) against him. In the past, Shinji never lent himself to being the most likeable of protagonists, but you generally did come to understand how he come to such decisions, even if you may not have necessarily agreed with them. Here, he is funneled into a logical conclusion, because the world around him simply will not cooperate with him. It’s much less a case of him failing to understand the world, than it is, the world failing to understand him. This in itself could be an interesting notion to explore, were it not born out of these shallow circumstances.

Kaworu himself is much easier to interpret here, with the time affording his actions not to feel as though they are solely the work of a manipulative, monologuing, individual. He represents the hope of something new, which of course makes it all the more tragic, when we know the fate that awaits him.If the films main goal was to avoid this relationship feeling contrived, then it certainly achieved that.

However, there was a slight surprise in Asuka’s portrayal. Truth be told, she doesn’t appear all that much, but her interactions do display a slight wrinkle in her personality, she’s matured. No matter how pained the explanation behind her stilted-aging is, Asuka is ostensibly much older that we have been accustomed to. As such, it creates a fresh dichotomy between her and Shinji, one you suspect is no longer tinged with those romantic overtures. It’s frustrating that this aspect of the story doesn’t get more room to breathe, because her annoyance with Shinji is both justified and vindicated. But at the same time, he hasn’t had the same time to come to terms with just about…well, everything. In fact, it is only in the closing moments, do we see a hint of where this might lead. But considering how fast and loose this entry plays with the promises of its predecessors, I wouldn’t exactly pin my hopes on it.

The trajectory of Misato is tragic. She has gone from what is possibly the most grounded character portrayal in the entire series, to an archetype. She had previously been someone who was fully aware of their own failings, but puts them aside anyway, in an effort to support those around her. 3.0 burdens her with an unconvincing scowl, and the despondent tsundere routine to go alongside it. Though without the prerequisite time, her portrayal feels horribly trite. She acts illogically in a broken world. Mari exists within a different anime entirely. It’s extremely dumb.

Mari continues to be blight this franchise, as everything she does seems to be contrary to what is actually unfolding. Still seemingly at a pains to differentiate her, Mari’s various affectations only serve to annoy - from her obnoxious singing, to the joviality by which she treats almost everything that occurs. She an empathic failure, one who only serves to drag down every scene in which she features. I’m still kind of amazed she even exists. To think, that long-established characters are already feeling the constraints of a feature, and we are continually burdened with this new addition. It just makes me lament that they have been rendered into these one-note renditions, all the while, Mari has screen-time. As of the end of this film, I feel assured in giving up any hope of her being redeemable. Even if she was to have a pivotal role in this upcoming finale, will anybody actually care?

Rei served as the biggest disappointment to me, because as I noted in my impressions on You can (not) advance, she signaled the prospect of elements taking a wildly different approach in future installments. And even though that came to past, it did so without Rei, who was ostensibly reverted back to type, come the beginning of this feature. I am of course talking about her being “saved” at the end of the previous film, which seemed to indicate that we’d be remaining with the second Rei, which is to say the “original”, at least as far as the audience is concerned. She was a less a character, and more of an embodiment of a state of mind, serving as a exploration of how we engage with our identity, and how it ultimately shapes us. As you can expect, I was quite excited to see that suppressed personality finally given the chance to flourish. Particularly as we were always offered small glimpses of her latent humanity.

Conceptually, You can (not) Redo gets this right, in that it grants its characters the opportunity to be removed from their familiar workings. Yet, within the caveats of this particular tale, we rarely afforded the chance to spend time with them, or at least understand them. In fact, to use “characters” here would be a misnomer, because they anything but - largely existing as avatars used to drive the plot. No one simply withholds information here because they feel the need to, rather, they do so because that’s how they written, badly. For all intents and purposes, Shinji acts as our eyes, he knows nothing, just as we do. Yet, even as an inactive participant, it should quickly become clear that the surrounding world is apparently unable to carry out cognitive reasoning. From the very beginning, he continually asks questions, only to have everyone withhold the answers from him. If his role within this new world is so precarious, then why is no one trying to cajole him towards their cause? Even if the likes of Misato want to keep him at arm’s length, it would surely be in best interests to educate him. Instead, Shinji simply stumbles into each predicament because he knows no better. Likewise, Kaworu, whose relationship with Shinji is probably the crux of this entire movie, tells him nothing of any real-consequence. Even as part of some Machiavellian plot by Gendo, it all falls into place a little too conveniently.

This is the sort of indecision that permeates throughout, with no one able to truly deliver the answers. But then again, that just may be a failing on the part of the script, rather than something that was considered. The entire narrative runs on misdirection, something which isn’t conveyed through subtle foreshadowing or character machinations, but simply idiocy. It’d be naive to think that this posturing is the result of a deft touch, and not the result of bad storytelling. The lack of communication is simply staggering, and it doesn’t take much consideration to realize the central conflict could be circumvented by a simpe line or two. It breaks the immersion somewhat, when a character like Misato, someone who had previously been vehemently supportive of Shinji, is now a complete inverse of what she once was. It’s indicative of a real lack of cohesion in general, and if the poor characterization doesn’t deter, the silliness will.

It doesn’t feel like the same story told differently, much less than it does, a bad story told using familiar faces. The passage of time ultimately feels like a gimmick, because beyond the initial shock of the opening, it is clearly a crutch by which to elicit cheap drama. What starts off as something fairly novel, instead subverts itself by becoming largely dull. This manifests most prominently in the actions scenes. It’s not just the fact that these divorce us from any sort of meaningful character development, but that these scenes, even in isolation, just aren’t all that entertaining. But perhaps this is where the film is most divisive, because the film does make liberal use of CG. With the quotient having crept up between installments, Though I am of the opinion that it leaves us with confusing, not to mention, ugly, action scenes. There is no visible restraint being exercised here, and it’s hard to feel anything other than bemusement, especially when a hundred different things are being thrown across the screen at once. I can see how the frenetic energy afforded by this will please some, but it just doesn’t mesh comfortably in most cases.

It highlights the interesting dichotomy of 3.0, whereby the action (and the plot) is in service of itself, rather than the characters. These are the moments that I want to see things, feel things, none of which the film seems concerned with. These particular crescendos are never going to resonate if we never have reason to feel any sort of empathy, and we rarely do. This should be evident by how plainly they explain away several longstanding mysteries. It’s difficult to feel as though there is anything left to conjecture, because You Can (Not) Redo seems content to simply lay out its motive to bear. The execution is sloppy.

If they intended to exercise such reckless abandon within their narrative, then it begs to question, as to why they waited so long to break from the status-quo.

Ambivalence would be how I ultimately describe my feelings about 3.0, because I don’t consider it good, yet it’d be hard to be completely disparaging about it, when it actually strikes out at something different. Though as a self-contained feature, it’s unequivocally a failure. The narrative is so muddled, and so reliant on the audience already being privy to the minutiae of the lore, that it’d be incomprehensible for a newcomer. And it’s by that same token, that I imagine many longstanding fans of the franchise will feel aggrieved with the developments presented here. Say what you will about the previous Rebuild films, but they at least felt more suited to the Evangelion name. This feels as though it could be an amalgamation of any number of franchises.

Summary: If the finished product was meant as a clever subversion from what was alluded to in the initial preview at the end of You can (not) advance, then I’m frankly unimpressed. It feels like a contemptible ploy. As its own imaginings, You Can (Not) Redo is a fairly interesting piece, but as an actual part of the Evangelion mythos, it is putrid.

derick23 - 2013-08-28 18:30:51

Evangelion 3.0 is certainly has fans squarely divided. Some will even go as far to say this is either a love it or hate it film. However, is this film as bad many would tell you? To be honestly that is completely up to you but I will give you my opinions on this whole ordeal.

This movie takes place nearly fourteen years after the events of the last film. While the Third Impact was nearly averted it still had some lasting effects on the world. Now it been almost half a decade and the world is still bitter and slowly rebuilding. War is now being waged not only between humanity and the Angels but of Wille and Nerv. Plenty were turned off by the numerous changes from the previous film and by extension the original series. This film really does separate the Rebuild movies apart from the rest of the franchise. However this isn’t necessary something to cheer about. It feels that the time-skip was just there to give the franchise a face-lift as oppose there actually being meaning behind it. Why did they make such a big leap ahead in time? Couldn’t they just have done two or three years? I mean as much I adore everyone’s new looks don’t really see why such a huge time-skip necessary?

This is a surprising dark film and that saying much giving the source material and leaves only a glimmer of hope. This is also not as much action as the last film with the film giving more attention to the plot and characters. Shinji eventually wakes up obviously all lost and confused much to like we the viewers are. He thrown into new world where he is completely unfamiliar with and he doesn’t know who to trust or to turn to. Everyone blames him for the current state on the world and the majority of them are cleaning up after his mess regardless of whether it was intentional or not. Even those who were previously all for him don’t give much more than a glance. That is where Kaowru comes in and become what is essentially his guiding light through it all. One of the film’s few strengths is that it all about Shinji and his plight to the cope with the consequences of his actions. That in life even when you’re doing what you believe is right that it doesn't always guarantee that it will turn out for the best. We really don’t get much development from the rest of the cast and especially many of the new characters. To say that many of the new characters don’t really leave much of an impression is an understatement. I don’t remember or care whatever their names were. Almost forgot to mention Mari who really adds nothing to this film really save for the usual witty banter and of course the fan-service. Which is sad really because we really don’t know much about her.

The Rebuild movies continues to impress with its stunning visuals as you can really feel that effects of the Third Impact and its consequences. All the new character designs really do separate this film from the rest of the franchise but in a good way. I especially love all the new mecha designs present here and to see them in battle was a feast for the eyes. Shiro Sagisu's score proves just how lighting can strike twice. The music really does wonders to a already good film acting as a necessary supplement as it should be. The ending theme especially is quite beautiful and really gives me to the feels. Then again I expected nothing less from Utada Hikaru who became famous for her work the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

This movie gives you plenty of questions and not many answers and by the end you are still in bewilderment. This is glaring problem with the film and is many of the reasons why the movie incites so much anger from people including myself. By the end, none of our questions are answered and the lot of us will be left scratching our heads wondering the heck just happened. Hopefully the people at Studo Khara know what they are doing.

To put it mildly, this film was not quite the masterpiece as the last two films. To many unanswered questions and was quite literally a mess. There were moments where I genuinely enjoyed this film though. I was generally interested in main character’s struggle to right his wrongs and the huge spectacle the movie presents. However, this is sadly one of the movie few strengths. While the last two films try to consolidate the story of the original this films tells an almost entirely new story. Helping this film franchise feel more than just a mere reboot. Overall this is not worst film I've seen but not necessary a great one. It look and sounds great though I'll give it that. Now we have to wait who knows how long until the next film and hopefully it clean the mess that was this film.

bradtke.ansel - 2013-07-24 18:15:23

I havent been an Evangelion fan for long. I just watched the TV series a few months ago, and I loved it of course, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I hated the End of Evangelion, I feel like it kinda messed up the entire TV series. After that, I reluctantly watched the first two movies, and they were ok. I had my hopes kind of low for 3.0. Maybe that's why I am absolutely floored and how truly fantastic this film is. I feel like I cant express it in words, but I'll try. Story (10): Here's where 3.0 is either a hit or a miss with some people. I can see how the story would be completely confusing and frustrating for some, while amazing for others. Personally, I found the story to be fantastic. (Being a huge Kaworu/Shinji fan probably helped that a lot though. Maybe I'm biased.) Most of the time you don't know what's going on at all. This might be frustrating for some people but, remember we have another movie coming, and that will very likely explain most of the missing parts in our brains right now. Keep that in mind before you watch this movie. Confusing and dark plot lines in movies are my favorites, and Evangelion 3.0 delivered that beautifully, even more than the entire series could combined. The ending was heartbreaking. I should be used to bawling my eyes out while watching Evangelion at this point, but I'm not. And I don't think I ever will be. I really can't say much else story wise without spoiling, so I will move on. Art (10): I'm not sure I even need to comment on the art. It's the same as it was in Evangelion 1.0 and 2.0, except a bit darker. I love it. The animation, as usual, is glorious. It keeps true to the original series' style, while at the same time making it modern. It works very well. There are some disturbing images, but if you're an Evangelion fan, you're used to that already, so it's a moot point. Sound (10): As expected, the soundtrack is perfect. As it was in the previous films, and in the TV series. Not much else to say, except that it fits the dark atmosphere of the art and storyline as it always has. Character (10): 3.0 is centered mostly around Shinji and Kaworu for the majority of the movie. We do see Asuka quite a bit though, who acts a little differently than she did in the previous Evangelion movies. In fact, most of the characters do. This might bother some people but... whether they have aged on the outside or not, 14 years have passed. Of course things are going to be different. Misato we dont see much, but she is completely different than she was before, almost unrecognizable. Like I said, there's another movie left, so we have an explanation for that for later. Rei is the same basically, from what I can tell, never been a huge Rei fan. Though Shinji's attitude towards her does change drastically, which is completely understandable with the given circumstances. The only person I have a problem with is Mari. Never liked Mari. She just feels out of place, the only reason she's there is to back up Asuka. And to be the ""comedic"" relief, which this dark, emotional, action/mecha film does not need. She's utterly useless. She could be anyone, a cardboard cutout would have more personality. I don't even want to talk about her because it's just grueling how unneeded and annoying she is, so, moving on. Shinji and Kaworu really steal the movie for me... watching these two interact is incredible. Self-loathing, depressed, guilt-ridden Shinji, who has nothing and no one to hold on to, finally has someone to love him. And someone for him to love. When have we ever seen Shinji smile like the way he smiles at Kaworu in this movie? We haven't. Maybe this just hits a personal point for me, since I know what depression and guilt can do to someone, and how much just one person can do so much to help. It's truly an amazing story, whether it's "romantic" or not, you can perceive it how ever you want. But Kaworu means everything to Shinji. He is his last hope, the last thing that makes him happy, the last person who can "save" him and the world that he knows. But I'm getting a little off track, so let's get back to personalities before I go overboard. Kaworu's personality in this movie is mostly the same, as is Shinji's. If you enjoyed seeing the little interaction they had in the TV series, you will love them in this one. Though Kaworu's entire existence feels like he's only there for Shinji... that's kind of how it is. And he still has a personality of his own. He's quiet, thoughtful, kind, and extremely upfront with his feelings toward Shinji. It's hard to describe Kaworu's personality, honestly. But if you watched the original TV series you know how he is. He is my favorite Evangelion character, always will be. Sorry Misato, you're a close number 2. Enjoyment:This film is a blast for me. The dark story and atmosphere just really captured me, engrossed me into the post almost-third impact world. It's confusing, scary, and just has a really uncomfortable "what the heck is going on" feeling to it. I love it. Seeing the characters interact in this world (again, Shinji and Kaworu) is the best part. There is nothing that can spoil this film for me, not even Mari's annoying self. I had a blast watching it the first and second time, and I'll have a blast watching it the 50th time, I'm sure. Overall: Overall? Hm. I would say it's a masterpiece. Probably my favorite anime film, if not one of my favorite overal films, of all time. There's just very few things about this movie I dislike. I wish it were a bit longer but... We can wait for 4.0 right? I hope you guys enjoy this film as much as I did. And please forgive any typos I may have made, it's 3 AM and been a long day. I just had to talk about this movie before I exploded of excitement.Thanks for reading!

jaskolski.dariana - 2013-07-17 05:20:16

I saw Rebuild 3.0 about a month ago, and during that time I didn't think much of it. It was just another movie in the series, and I didn't analyze it to any significant extent. The action was intense, the plot seemed interesting at the time, the animation quality was superb. Recently however (coinciding with the UTW BD subs release), there has been an influx of discussion posts about 3.0, and I figured that there had to be a reason for such a community reaction to the movie; there must be more to think about. So I went to re-watch the movie again with a bit more acuity and that's when I came to a conclusion:

The movie was a huge cop-out.

Evangelion 3.0 answered no questions. I am in no way exaggerating when I say that the movie was better at taking away things that we previously knew rather than clarifying anything for us in the Rebuild series. This is itself is not a bad aspect of the movie, as it can be attributed to two things

a) Studio Khara wants us to ask a lot of questions and get curious so that we'll buy 4.0

b) Anno is trying to be clever and allow the viewers to emulate Shinji's confusion after 14 years in sleep by giving the viewers that same confusion.

The second option seems much more likely, and in such a case I could say that it was executed well. Shinji probably had no idea what in the world was going on during the entire movie, and I can reciprocate that feeling. If I had to make a list of everything that was left unanswered or simply pulled out of Khara's ass, it would have to be:

1. Why did there have to be a 14 year time skip? The teaser at the end of 2.0 did not imply a time skip in any way and I don't think there was even a need for such a long one. I expected the story to pick up immediately after Kaworu speared Shinji and it could have easily done so with much less clumsy exposition ("Hey Shinji, let's play play Shogi. Oh yeah by the way your mom is the soul of Unit 01 and all Reis are clones of your mom. Oh, and you suck at Shogi.")

2. Why was everyone a dick to Shinji when at the end of 2.0 it seemed like everyone was fine with him going all out and even egged him on? It was also clear at the end of 2.0 that Shinji did not cause enough damage to obliterate the Geofront as shown in 3.0, as Kaworu stopped him beforehand and everyone had evacuated to a shelter of some sort. The desolate wastelands and weird spinning moons and chalices were never explained and were most certainly not Shinji's fault (as the teaser in the end of 2.0 shows a clear afternoon sky and a calm Geofront shortly after Shinji gets speared).

3. Why did WILLE need to break from NERV? It was not NERV's fault that Shinji's supposed Third Impact happened, and it's not like anyone knew of Gendo's Human Instrumentality plan (which I assume was already on the way, because Kaworu seemed prepared enough). There's doesn't seem to have been a need for Misato to have broken from NERV, as NERV wasn't doing anything wrong. It feels like the existence of WILLE in 3.0 is just there to give a conflict without any real depth.

4.What's the significance of having the two spears be Longinus types? How does that even happen and why in the world did that make a difference?

5. Was there any reason to have Unit 06 to contain the Twelfth Angel? I thought Kaworu was pretty comfortable using Unit 06 and I'm not sure why the Twelfth Angel would even be needed to start Instrumentality. Also, how did Kaworu "fall" from the first Angel (which is supposed to be Adam) to the Twelfth Angel and why did that make a difference? Heck, I'll go as far as to say that the entire scene at the bottom of the Geofront was just pulled out of Khara's ass, there was literally no context for anything (Lilith is dead for some reason. Just go with it, we're not going to explain.)

Those are just five big ones that I named off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are plenty of other plot holes and unexplained things that I'm missing. 3.0 definitely had the well-choreographed fight scenes and beautiful animation to surpass it's predecessors in spectacle, but it was just that: spectacle. Every significant plot device (WILLE and Wunder, two Lances of Longinus, Adam's Vessel, etc.) just appeared out of thin air and was force-fed into our minds at a lightning-fast rate.

Of course I don't go into anything in the Evangelion franchise expecting answers. In fact, answers are the opposite of what I usually expect from anything Evangelion. However, there is a difference between using unanswered questions in context with previously known facts to generate suspense and curiosity and just taking a bunch of haphazard ideas, animating them, and throwing them in no particular order or significance into a movie that was three years in the making. In fact, I walked into 3.0 fully anticipating a high level of suspense and ambiguity. I would have left satisfied, but instead all I got was Studio Khara telling me, "Hey, everything that we told you before doesn't mean shit. Now here, take all of these incidental plot lines and characters that we just came up with and expect you to care about with no context and go enjoy yourself a movie."

In fact, none of these things would even have effected me if it weren't for my biggest peeve with the movie: the way Rei was treated. Okay, sure I can buy that original Rei wasn't salvaged from Unit 01. But don't try to play off this new Rei clone as being developed in some way and expect us to care about her or feel anything when she makes the supposedly miraculous decision and decides to eject from Unit 09. No Hideaki Anno, we've spent two movies geting to know the first Rei and seeing her develop from the stoic white-haired nonchalant to a character that can actually warm up and make Shinji happy. It's perfectly fine if she gets killed off for shock factor and for another burden on Shinji's conscience, but that in no way works if you simply introduce another stoic white-haired nonchalant and try to develop her in the same way. Let me guess, this Rei dies/disintegrates/becomes and Instrumentality Trigger too? Big deal. Maybe I had too many expectations of the movie.

Maybe I shouldn't have gone into 3.0 with security in my thoughts. Maybe I'm simply not watching it properly or maybe I even missed everything important in the movie (What more can there be? We already know that the all the imagery and symbolism is just there to look cool). But even if I had a complete and 100% understanding of everything that could have led up to and been in the movie (which is not really the intention of the Evangelion series, and is probably not possible), 3.0 still had a lazy and bullshit execution of a plot. Sure, anyone can go ahead and tell me that I am meant to be confused all I want, but a line must be drawn between confusing your viewers intentionally and failing to make a cohesive and coherent storyline.

TL;DR: Hideaki Anno pulled 3.0 out of Khara's ambiguous (albeit well-animated) ass.

rosendo.goldner - 2013-07-17 04:09:59

Now, since this movie hasn't been seen by a lot of people, I going to keep my review somewhat vague. Let's just say I was disappointed. After seeing the masterpiece that was 2.0, I was expecting a lot from 3.0, and boy was I let down! For the story, its been 14 years since the events that happened at the end of 2.0 and a LOT has changed. I'm not going to spoil it but let's just say that for how much has changed, not a lot really happens in this installment, and it seems to be almost like the filler movie of the series. Also, I sure hope you didn't care about pretty much every key character in 1.0 and 2.0, because they are barely featured. Misato, Asuka, Rei and several others are pushed to the side when really as an audience we want to see them and how they have changed in those 14 years, but we don't get that. Since there is a timeskip, there's barely any character development, Shinji is back to his old self, and like I said before, the key characters from the last 2 movies get barely any screentime, all the development happened within those 14 years we didn't get to see. We are introduced to two new characters, but I'm using "introduced" in the loosest sense here. As always, the animation is quite good, the music is nice, and I actually liked the interactions between Shinji and Kaworu during the middle of the movie, so there is some good here. Overall, nice art, but terrible story.

mkozey - 2013-07-05 19:48:53

This is my first and only review and I wrote it a little while after watching 3.33 and I was angry aaaaaand it was 5 a.m. I do not recommend taking this review seriously as there wasn't enough thought put into it (hence why I freaking spoiled everything here, it wasn't even my intention). I'll just leave it here for the sake of doing so.

For those who aren't aware of what the Rebuild of Evangelion series is about, it's pretty much the Neon Genesis Evangelion series with changes there and there and an ending that's promised not to be a complete failure. Also it gives eyegasms and eargasms to any person that watches this movies, which is expected for an anime that has such a big budget. But does You Can (Not) Redo live up to the hype that the outstanding You Can (Not) Advance set for the audience? The answer is well, rather difficult to say.

SPOILERS FOR ALL THE REBUILD OF EVANGELION MOVIES UP AHEAD.

Fourteen years have passed since the last movie, which had a very strange ending that wasn't explained to the viewer and I expected it to be explained properly here. Sadly, that wasn't the case. Evangelion 2.0 ended with the so-called Third Impact as a consequence to Shinji doing...something. So our protagonist wakes up after all that time not having aged and he doesn't understand why. The problem is that throughout the movie, you'll be as confused as Shinji here. Several plot devices that appear here just come and you'll have to swallow it like that food your mother used to make that you didn't like. A few more things happen and the film ends. Like seriously, I'm not even joking. Stuff such as the two spears in the end is never explained why things happen when you interact with them, no one ever explains to us what does waking the EVA up means, nobody explains to us why it took this new organization, WILL-E (who want to throw down NERV for whatever reason), fourteen years to find Shinji's body on the EVA. All those plot holes can be slightly ignored due to the fact that 4.0 has yet to come out and they may be answered, but if not this movie could throw all the amazing work 1.0 and 2.0 did out of the window.

If you recall the extremely popular and controversial anime Sword Art Online, one of the main problems it had is that the time-skips didn't show the characters evolve or gradually turn into different people, they simply changed because the plot demanded it. Here, sadly, it's the same case. The characters are the weak point of 3.0. Shinji had become a much more likeable person in 2.0, much manlier, let's say, not letting his emotions show off like a seven year old kid playing Call of Duty. But now, due to all this mess that's happening to him, he's back to his whiny side. However, I think that (finally) it's acceptable that he's a wuss, because you know, thinks are pretty different from what he remembers. Rei is literally a different character, for reasons you'll find out when you watch the movie. She's as dead as she was in the beginning of 1.0, all that development for nothing. Asuka remains still pretty tsundere-ish, although we're not explained how the hell did she survive from that event on You Can (Not) Advance. However, the biggest problem here and what makes the character aspect of 3.0 mediocre is Misato. On the other movies, Misato cared a lot for people, never took things too seriously and was extremely close to Shinji. On this movie, we see she's not like that. She doesn't speak much, she's cold and even hesitates wheter if she should KILL Shinji or not. What's even worse is that if she had talked a little bit to the protagonist about what has happened the whole movie wouldn't exist. Why is she like this? The movie doesn't tell us. We have to bear with it. What about the new introduced members of the crew? They appear only in the first scene. To never talk again. What about Kaworu, that white haired guy? He is the most likeable of all the characters here, but, there are still problems. Why does he care so much for Shinji when they just met? How did he come into being? It is seen in the movie that he can survive in conditions normal humans can't, but why? Fuck knows. Gendo and Fuyutsuki have around 20 lines together and Mari still seems like she's only for fanservice particularly in that scene in the end where her boobs jiggle around like jelly.

Saving the rather average aspects of the movie is the Art and Sound. Evangelion 3.0 looks beautiful, every little piece of detail that's added in the backgrounds still blows my mind. The movements are never rough, everything extremely "soft" let's say. There is always something to look at, the scenes in the movie as alive as they could be, except for that LSD piano song. As for the music, the epic soundtracks still fit the action packed anime that Evangelion is, particularly that tense song in the ending. Overall, did I enjoy Evangelion 3.0? Well, yes I did. Maybe it's that dear spot that the Rebuild series goes in my heart, that feeling where I can understand most of what's going on that I didn't have in the original series (which, might I add, isn't the case here).

The animation, the soundtrack and the outstanding first minutes just kept me thrilled throughout the whole movie. It's just that lasting appeal which dropped more and more that left me with a bittersweet flavour in my mouth. That and the rather short length of the movie for what they were trying to go for. You see, while the "action" begins right when the movie starts, the plot begins 50 minutes into the movie. It seems like that even the developers knew this due to them showing us viewers the title of the movie "Evangelion 3.0" at that moment when they sort of explain to us what originated this much destruction in the world. This wouldn't have been a problem in a movie like The Disappearance of Haruhi, which starts slow but is an hour longer than this.

You should watch Rebuild of Evangelion, including this one. It may have been a huge disappointment, but it's still pretty good and my expectations are really high for 4.0, with hope that they will explain all the loose ends this movie has.

brycen.collier - 2013-06-28 12:57:11

Ah, Evangelion. I like to consider myself something of an Evangelion fanboy. I loved the first two rebuild movies so much, I went back and watched the original series as well as EOE. I bored to death anyone who would listen to my numerous theories and explanations behind the recurring symbolism and the less "cohesive" sections. And most of all, I would never pass up a chance to illustrate my excitement for the next rebuild movie. I spent four years waiting for the release, and another 4-5 months for the BDs. I watched, I took in, I digested, I frowned. This wasn't what I was waiting for.

Evangelion 3.0 (technically I watched 3.33, but that's irrelevant) takes place a whole fourteen years after the events of 2.22. Shinji finds himself a prisoner of the anti-NERV organization Wille, led by his old friend Misato and countless other acquaintances. What was expected to be a happy, warm welcome turns out to be a cold rejection, as the entire crew seems to hold a grudge against Shinji for doing he doesn't remember doing. From here on is a roller-coaster ride that will play with your mind and crush your preconceptions. Not in a good way, mind you, but it will. Every single character has changed, as to be expected after fourteen years. But the fact is that why they have changed ironically remains a mystery to Shinji until nearly half-way through the film. People frequently refuse to offer him an explanation for no good reason, seemingly only to make him (and the viewer) more and more confused. There is also no explanation of what happened within those fourteen years to bring the characters to where they currently are, and some very important characters (such as Gendo) are given such incredibly short roles that it's positively stupefying. A few terms are tossed around so liberally and then never used again (Key of Nebudchanezzar? L barrier?) and the climax of the movie was a haphazard (from my perspective) mess, nearly impossible to follow and increasingly difficult to care about. I watched and understood EOE, but ironically, this is what stumps me. It's a good thing then, that there are redeeming factors.

The art and animation are fantastic; not as good as the previous movies, mind you, but still most definitely exceptional. The liberal use of CG distracts from it, but what is here is eye-catching, jaw-dropping, and simply brilliant. The sound is of similar caliber, but it's relegated to the side in the movie; I would not listen to a single song on this OST without visual accompaniment, which is truly a shame, as many songs on 2.22's OST were fantastic while standalone. The only exception to this is the ending theme, Sakura Nagashi, which captures the feel of the movie incredibly well, and shows why Utada Hikaru is very deserving of her widespread acclaim. Voice acting continues to set a high standard, particularly Megumi Ogata's performance as Shinji, which I thought was very well done and brought me farther into an otherwise broken movie. The characters, on the other hand, do not deserve the same amount of praise, in my opinion. The interactions between Shinji and Kaworu were well executed and definitely entertaining to watch, but that's as far as I can go. Mari is a completely unnecessary character, and doesn't contribute anything of value to the overall story. Misato's new character isn't explored nearly enough, and is frequently very off-putting. Ritsuko has no role other than to deliver exposition, and Gendo's has about five lines in the entire movie and shares Misato's problem. Rei has been reset to, well, rei (I'm sorry), and has lost all of her characterization from the second film. And Asuka, well, I'm not sure what to say about her. That's the problem, really. Her character wasn't really developed or explored, but what was there wasn't taken away, and I at least appreciate that. Other than that, there isn't much to say.

Out of all the Rebuild movies, I believe that 3.0 is the closest to the original's psychological themes, even going so far as to say that it's trying to emulate them. But if that's the case, then it's failing spectacularly. There is no real psychology to see here, and the original series wasn't known just for being confusing. There was a message, an overarching story-line, characterization. This movie has none of these things. It is simply confusing, and just being confusing does not Neon Genesis Evangelion make. There is much more that needs to be added.

ruecker.lorenza - 2013-06-25 17:26:19

Based off the two previous Rebuild of Evangelion movies, 3.0 takes the cake for being the movie that really sets Evangelion in a much radical and different direction that's foreign to even the most hardcore Evangelion fans. Arguably, Evangelion 3.0 is a step closer in the direction of a much more darker Rebuild movie that is almost on the levels of its original roots from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Evangelion 1.0 was merely a summary of the events of the first half of Neon Genesis Evangelion, while Evangelion 2.0 offers a gradual diverge from the original series and ended on an optimistic note. With 3.0, it's this type of film that thrusts you into a whole new atmosphere you will (not) be ready for, no matter how many times you re-watch it. This is only natural however as there's still one more movie left to go with a lot more material to explain and cover. So, what exactly does 3.0 offer?

To start off, I must emphasize that it is not recommended to make the same mistake I did and drop it within the first ~30min of 3.0. The reason I mention this is because the first 30min of 3.0 is arguably the most jarring part of the film that leaves you scratching your head, or worse, feeling frustrated. This is because nearly nothing makes sense at all, as characters you once knew in previous installments of Evangelion are now acting as if they did a complete 180 on their personality. Nearly everyone exhibits a state of being cold, angry, and uncaring. Not to also mention, NERV is not a single entity but instead branched off into a rogue organization known as Wille. Details behind the "who, what, and why" are never disclosed, which is quite a pitfall in the story telling considering the 14 year time-skip that took place; what you saw as a preview from Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance is not applicable to this film at all.

On top of that, spoken dialogue by the Wille staff (which features most of the former NERV employees) consists of a lot of technical babble that is not explained to the viewer, rendering the viewer feeling at a state confusion. Granted, even in the original Neon Genesis Evangelion, the NERV staff would spew out technical terms that wouldn't make complete sense, but at least you got the idea that "Pattern: BLUE" meant the enemy was an Angel or when the psycho graphs went crazy, it meant the Evangelion pilot was in deep trouble. For 3.0's case, it's not entirely easy to figure out what Wille's objective was during the "decisive battle" sequences. At the very least, you can infer that Wille is trying to combat Angel related beings, even though the unknown attackers behave in odd ways, even stranger than your average Angel threat. However, not every character is trying to make you play the guessing game. Thankfully, our main character, Shinji Ikari, is the pinnacle boy that the audience can sympathize with. Why? As you will quickly notice, Shinji will also be entirely and utterly confused, lost, and frustrated just as the audience is. If anything, this is director Anno's clever spin of Evangelion to make the audience of naysayers as well as fans of Shinji to be able to sympathize with this character more easily; the whole cast around him are far too alienated away from the audience, as there's not much choice but to default and rely on Shinji to help progress and make sense of what's going on.

As the movie presses forward, a familiar (iconic) character makes his appearance: Kaworu Nagisa. Similar to how Kaworu interacts with Shinji from Neon Genesis Evangelion, he is no different in 3.0. This is the only character in the film to make the audience breathe sigh of relief knowing that there is at least someone else that will open up to Shinji and make better sense of what's going on.

Not only that, but Kaworu has more screen-time compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion, which can be seen as a good thing since it allows the viewers to see a more developed Kaworu. Watching up to this point is rather important as you will see how they fit some explanations into 3.0 with the events that took place in 2.0 to a degree.

One of the high points of this movie however is the OST. While the last two Rebuild movies recycled some old Neon Genesis Evangelion tracks with a modern spin to it, 3.0 takes a bold approach and actually consists of new unheard Evangelion tracks. Only a few NGE tracks transgress into 3.0, such as an altered musical score of "Decisive Battle" which is still just as good as the ones featured in previous Evangelion installments. To further elaborate how well the rest of the OST did, it's really a mash-up of various musical elements thrown into each individual track. Usually, one might say opera singers, electronic bits, classical instruments, and guitars would make a terrible soundtrack. To my surprise, 3.0 does exceptionally well to use such aspects and create an epic-aspiring piece to help the movie stand on a leg; "The Ultimate Soldier" and "God's message" being prime examples. Oddly enough, while this movie isn't as merry as the past two Evangelion movies (well as merry as you can get when it comes to Evangelion), the OST helps keep a hopeful tone in the atmosphere throughout the movie without many depressing themes.

Animation wise, some of it is rather decent. The reason I say decent is because while the quality is there, like in the previous two films, it's a little over the top. For instance, a whole sequence is dedicated to seeing this new and unheard of aircraft, called the Wunder, take off from the sea and unneeded CGI takes up screen-time. In some ways, it doesn't blend well with the rest of the anime as the CGI will stand out too much.

In other areas, it is lackluster, as the CGI is mostly used for objects not used for action sequences and eye candy seen most notably in 2.0. When CGI isn't a major glarring issue, it's still worth a viewing experience, especially towards the end where the animation is pleasant to see accompanied by a "godly" OST.

Overall, gathering from this review, it may seem I was displeased with Evangelion 3.0, and you would be correct. As most of us know at this point, Anno is not one to cater and spoon feed to his fanbase, no matter how much we kick and scream; 3.0 definitely expresses this bombastic notion. However, I feel it is too early to jump on the band wagon and say this is the the most horrendous Evangelion movie I've ever seen. While I did 'rage quit' the first time I watched this, the more I looked into it and read up others' take and interpretation of 3.0, the more it didn't seem like such a bad movie. What I mainly want to applaud this film for however is how effectively Anno was able to mess with the audience's emotions and actually feel like you were literally in Shinji's shoes. Other than that, take it as you will and brace for the most confusing Evangelion movie at the current point in time until 4.0 is released to hopefully clear up the story better.

Extra Bonus for this Review:

-Whenever you get around to finishing Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo and come out as a lost and confused lad like Shinji, I highly recommend checking out this video (especially around the 12:28 mark) that may reinvigorate your interest in 3.0 for its fan-based theories (who doesn't love juicy Evangelion theories?)

haag.joe - 2013-06-03 03:55:26

The third installment in the rebuild series, Evangelion: 3.0 You can (Not) Redo is seen by most of the fanbase as a confusing, lumped-up troll by the series creator, Hideki Anno. However, there are so many small details in this movie that make it more over the top and mind-blowing than any other of the rebuild movies. From the mystery of Shinji's SDAT, to the confusing Eva containment glyphs, to the Curse of Evangelion, this movie will keep you wondering just what you're watching, but in a good way. It inspires the watcher to not watch the movie for enjoyment, however, to watch it to understand it deeper. I, for one, think this movie is very undercut by the community, who have shrugged it off as a simple troll movie. It is much more than that, and deserves more credit in the communities' eye. 

Accompanying the complicated story is a visual and aural masterpiece that brings both exciement and chills to the viewer, mostly thanks to Shiro Sagisu's wonderful compositions. Though Evangelion is mostly known for its rendition of classical pieces, this movie has a number of beautiful piano pieces, giving a eerie tone to most of the film in itself. 

However, every giant has it's bad points. To those who have not followed Evangelion though the original TV series, The End of Evangelion, and the other two Rebuild movies, this film will confuse them immediately, and they will be unable to see the complicated and deep plot being presented to them. The characters will appear confusing and sometimes awkward. However, overlooking this fact, one might watch this movie as their first exposure to Evangelion and wish to look for more, scrambling to uncover the countless mysteries inside of Evangelion.  

(For more info on Evangelion and the many easter eggs that 3.0 holds, I suggest checking out http://evageeks.org 's wikipedia and forums.)

pbrown - 2013-05-17 07:07:06

Story: (no spoiler review) This isn't the story you expected.  It is told from the perspective of Shinji Ikari after he wakes up from a long comatose state.  He doesn't know whats going on and neither will you for the most part.  This annoys you just as much as it does him.  "TELL ME SOMETHING!" is something you both may scream at one point.  The story is presented this way on purpose so you can relate to Shinji's anger.  This also sets the stage for 4.0.  Many will feel the story is incomplete for this very reason as this is definitely a "part one of two" scenario just like how End of Eva is actually two episodes(Air/ONE MORE FINAL:I Need You).  There is a large amount of emotion and history that has been held and repressed over time.  This story is not told here.  This is more of an immediate scenario waiting for the follow up (and the scenario is insanity).

 NOTE: The 3.0 preview at the end of 2.0 does not happen in the movie whatsoever.  It is a situation recap of things that happen before the movie.

Animation: Top notch. Stellar. Khara knows whats up. Every scene is eye candy.

Sound: Loud emotional choir and instrumentation mixed by the gods.  Shiro Sagisu has a reputation for awesome and keeps it.  Buy the soundtrack.

Character:  You REALLY should know the backgrounds of the characters from the original show and 2.0.  Once you have that, you can compare with 3.0 and how they have seemingly evolved over time.  That is the amount of character development you get from this movie.  No real back story is given (yet).  You only get the world situation and scenario.  4.0, based on how everything is presented, will shed light on most of these events.  

Enjoyment:  Shinji had his happy moments in 1.0 and 2.0.  Happiness is over.  This will probably annoy you just like it did in the original show.  Shinji wants to fix things. Shinji wants things to be how they were and the fact that they will never be breaks him.  The feelings of hate and resentment towards the whole situation and the lack of non-Shinji character development will jar your enjoyment.  You will still enjoy the crap out of this movie.  Just always remember that Hideaki Anno is a MASTER troll.  Nothing has changed.

Overall: Damn it Anno.  Clap Clap Clap.