Hogan Reviews

It’s time to, well, bring an end to my look at the original Evangelion series with the big film finale, not that it was ever actually planned to exist (Hideaki Anno was happy with the more… unconventional ending of the TV series) and frankly that shows. While it has the visual spectacle and great soundtrack you’d expect from the series it also doubles-down on the more downbeat aspects of the series, especially putting poor Shinji through the wringer, as if Anno said “You want a different ending?! Well here: have THIS!” and projected how unhappy he was onto his own characters (he apparently tried to take his own life at one point, so… yeah.) It makes for interesting, if uncomfortable viewing, but does it make for good viewing?

The story picks up from Episode 24 of the series (so if you haven’t watched the series or at least read my previous reviews you’ll be confused, though given the title of the film I’m not sure why you’d think it was a good jumping on point…), with Shinji still upset about having killed Kaworu, despite him being an Angel trying to bring about the apocalypse, while fellow Evangelion pilot Asuka is so depressed she’s gone into something of a coma. This leads to one of the more controversial moments of the film as Shinji tries to wake her, sees her breasts and decides to masturbate, complete with a rather disgusting look at Shinji’s hand after the fact. He, in this case rightfully, points out how pathetic he is and once again falls deep into depression himself. We then get a bit more information on the infamous “Human Instrumentality Project” that ended the TV series and we know it’s the plan of Seele, the shadowy group in charge of NERV, but Shinji’s father and NERV head Gendo has his own plan with the original Angel Adam that will use Shinji’s EVA unit to bring his dead wife back to life, as apparently her soul lives within it. Righty-o!

“For the love of God, Shinji! Stop getting depressed! … Wait, you did WHAT in front of your comatose friend? …. Never mind.”

Seele send a bunch of soldiers into NERV Japan to stop Gendo by slaughtering pretty much everyone, including Misato, though she manages to inspire Shinji somewhat in her final moments. While Asuka comes back to life thanks to finding out her mother’s spirit resides in her EVA unit (there’s a lot of that going around…) Gendo meets our third pilot Rei Ayanami who apparently has the Angel Lilith inside her and by combining her with Adam Gendo hopes to start the Third Impact that will bring him back face-to-face with his wife. Asuka defeats the military but struggles against a new mass produced and regenerating EVA army, who cut her guts up and generally put her through physical hell before carrying off her EVA’s remains with her inside. This sets Shinji off again but it’s all irrelevant as Rei kills Gendo and willingly merges with Adam, causing Rei to turn into a planet-sized version of herself, or rather the Angel Lilith.

There’s a smile you can trust… to betray you.

While this is happening Seele manage to capture Shinji and his EVA and use everyone’s favourite penis metaphor the Lance of Longinus to crucify the machine, starting what they hope is their own Third Impact. This leads to the “Human Instrumentality Project” and more inner monologues and dream sequences, during which Shinji strangles Asuka and generally thinks he’s alone and that he and everyone else in the world should die, a request Lilith is happy to comply with, turning everyone on Earth into goo and forming the one singular consciousness…

So yeah, things get a bit introspective and contemplative again, but at least we get some “cool visuals” this time! Lots of religious themes and stuff to analyse if that’s your bag, but for me: I’m a simple man, and End of Evangelion is a good film to look at, but not very fun to actually watch, if that makes sense. It’s like the “bad ending” of a video game, interesting in its own downbeat way, but you’re left thinking something more uplifting would be easier to swallow for a “main ending”.

Overall Thoughts:

Asuka’s struggle against the multiple EVA clones is one of the definite highlights, as uncomfortable as it can be (like much of the film!)

End of Evangelion is a treat visually and audibly but the dour mood does weigh down on you, especially when you know what Anno and the team were going through at the time. Once again there’s plenty of religious themes and psychology on display for those who want to dive deep into the series, but on a pure surface level of something to put on and watch it’s not really something I’ll be reaching for again. Even the slideshow ending of the TV series was better than this!

While being apart of the gestalt entity Shinji makes a breakthrough and realises life is about both the pain and the joy and this state of being is no good for either, which acts like poison for Lilith as it then essentially explodes along with all the EVAs. Shinji’s mother’s spirit tells him that anyone with the will to continue living will return to their (somehow restored) bodies.

Bet you’ve never seen a city get levelled by something like this!

This leads to the infamous and much debated end scene, where Shinji and Asuka wake up on a beach in front of a destroyed city, and Shinji starts to choke her before breaking down in tears, leaving Asuka to say that she “feels sick”. It’s an… odd one. The most common theory is that Shinji chokes her to make sure she’s real after choking the image of Asuka, then crying because she is in fact real, but I don’t know… You’d think a gentle poke would do the job just as well really. *shrugs* Either way, it’s a confusing and somewhat unpleasant ending, which does at least suit as a finale for the original Evangelion series well!