Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

I was a large fan of both the original series, the half-release 'Death and Rebirth' and the replacement ending 'The End of Evangelion', so I'm not giving this praise as some guy who's just walked in on this.

I am extremely pleased with this new iteration of Evangelion. I don't even know where to begin ... Gainax threw out everything they had, completely redrawing all the animation and backgrounds in painstakingly high detail. It is the most apparent revision to the series at first glance ... all the visuals are top-notch, even the computer-generated graphics which I would typically find unforgivable in a film - but everything is drawn and animated so smooth, and the rare use of CG is so well-integrated into the film that it feels like you haven't been taken out of the organic animation at all.

The storyline is quite similar to the original, though first on the side I want to say they've taken much thought deciding how to develop the characters better; and the result is that the cast is much more believable and their chemistry is quite fantastic. The characters just feel deeper, their emotions are more genuine; it's hard to describe in a review but if you're a fan of the original series you'll find their personalities and interactions much more developed and satisfying.

The plot, as I've said; has not changed too much at this point.. there are exceptions here and there, with the introductions of pivotal locations and characters earlier on; no doubt to lay down continuity for the later installments. (The original Evangelion had a slight problem with eclectic character and plot point introductions.) They have taken care to set the stage more carefully for the first scene this time around; and as shown with the early introduction of an important character Gainax intends to make full use of some fantastic characters that didn't get enough time in the spotlight to really add anything especially deep.

I recommend this film to anybody who is a fan of serious animation; and I would say that it's an absolute must-see for fans of the original series.

It's comforting to know that in a world of poor remakes and extensions of popular titles, that Gainax has their wits about them and shows true dedication in their efforts to make Evangelion into everything that it could possibly be.

Evangelion 1.11 is basically a retelling of the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series ep1-6 with very few deviations from the original. Of course, this is a decade newer with a much larger budget, so the animation quality itself is vastly superior, spectacular by every sense of the word. If I have any complaints they are that this new version simplifies the characters and their faults (in my opinion, the crowning achievement of the original show) and instead focuses more on action and intense battle scenes. However, this directorial decision also makes the whole thing more streamlined and accessible for the average anime fan. Finally, the English dub of this film is fantastic, practically as good as the original Japanese audio and that's saying something!

Suggested rating: PG-13 for violence and brief nudity

This film is more like an abridged version of the first few episodes of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series. It doesn't contain much that's new or interesting but has a much more polished level of animation and sound. I would have preferred more points of difference from the original series but only if there was a purpose to it. Some of the additions seemed a bit tacked-on.

Evangelion has been a never-ending cash cow for Gainax and all associated parties since it was released, so it's not surprising that they've decided to go back to the well with a four-movie revision of the original series. The new movies offer a chance to see Evangelion animated with the budget that such a famous title deserves. The fight scenes are slick and everything is well put-together. It's not absolute top of the line animation, and it hews very closely to the default anime art style, but it's certainly better than the infamously low-budget original animation.

My memory of the original series is a little hazy, but what's shocking about this movie is how close it sticks to the TV show. Several scenes are line-for-line, shot-for-shot reprises of scenes from the original, and as far as I could tell there weren't any major changes in the plot, although I think the order of the Angels might have been shuffled around a bit. The main change is tightening everything up and making it an efficient, fast-moving giant robot action movie.

And that's fine if your main problem with Evangelion was the lack of action, but it also removes a lot of the show's style, and completely eliminates its almost meditative pace. With an actual animation budget, the show doesn't need animation shortcuts like the long almost-still scenes that crop up periodically, but losing those makes Evangelion lose some of its definitive flavour. A lot of the moments in the movie just don't have the emotional impact that their equivalents in the TV series do -- it's just one plot point after another.

Evangelion 1.0 is an effective movie, and retains some of the original's charm. But all the same I feel I can't really recommend it to anyone. If you've seen the TV show, this will all be a retread for you. If you haven't, then I would still recommend the original over this remake. The original series was far from perfect, and there was a bunch of room for a new interpretation of the general story, but Evangelion 1.0 chooses to play it safe and winds up being kind of forgettable.

Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone permeates limitless possibilities and pathways in a story so connective and universal yet shakes the foundations of the genres on which it stands on so much a new and profound experience emerges from its daring. Young Shinji Ikari arrives in Tokyo-3, a city rebuilt after a cataclysmic event called Second Impact that shed the world of half the human population, to meet and work for his estranged father. It turns out he only wants his son now to pilot a giant humanoid machine named Evangelion Unit 01 made to stop unknown beings referred to as Angels from eradicating the rest of humanity. Shinji is shocked and broken hearted but nonetheless agrees to pilot it. The question he now asks is why?

Evangelion 1.0 wants to know the answer. Besides saving humanity from eminent destruction, what does Shinji want, desire, need or even get from piloting such a contraption? Praise from the world? Respect? Purpose? His father's love? As Shinji begs for the answer to these questions the city befalls attacks by Angels that serve more than just an excuse for action scenes. When the Angels attack Shinji sees the sides of people around him he never saw before. It forces him and the others around him to understand their relationship to one another.

One of these is Shinji's follow pilot Rei Ayanami, a cool and collected girl who spends better part of the movie giving a ponderous stare into space more or less oblivious to those around her. When she does react she hardly seems to understand her own feelings. Shinji asks her why she pilots an Evangelion and her answer is as simple and contemplative as the movie.

The film is the first in a planned production of four films that re-imagine the 90s series Neon Genesis Evangelion. One of the most remarkable things about this movie is how easily the episodes translate into the arch of a feature length film. Despite that the movie is as much if not more so for viewers who have never seen the series. The movie itself refines certain points left unclear in the original show, making this version more clear and understandable for old and new viewers alike.

Though the final film in the set of four promises a completely new end to the story, old fans will find the first movie very familiar. However old fans who pay close attention to certain scenes in this movie will learn that the film does more than retell the story and in the process may redefine two of the most overused formats ever in the history of cinema.