Mar 17, 2022
*This review contains some spoilers!*
I just recently finished Neon Genesis Evangelion and was quite impressed by the slowly unraveling story and the secrets behind the Angels. However, the ending seemed very lacking and I was very glad to find out that there was an alternate ending to the series. I will now break down the plot and my thoughts on the first and second halves of the movie.
"Love is Destructive", or the first half of the movie is really quite incredible. The only downfall is the opening scene that left me feeling very uncomfortable. After that, we finally get some intense fighting as Seele's troops
...
storm Nerv HQ to capture the Evas.
Seele sends new MP Evangelions to help with the capture, and Asuka has an intense battle with them. Meanwhile, Misato brings Shinji to unit 1 and assumingly dies right after due to her wounds. Gendo and Rei go to the Terminal Dogma where Rei will merge with the Angel Lilith and start the third impact. They are met by Ritsuko who tries to blow Terminal Dogma for revenge against Gendo, but fails to do so, resulting in Gendo shooting her and killing her. In a fierce battle against the MP Evas, Asuka defeats them right before her Eva's battery runs out. The MPs then heal and destroy Asuka's unit 2 as Shinji arrives on the battlefield. He sees unit 2's remains as screams and the episode ends.
I'll admit, I was completely blown away by just how incredible the first half is. The plot of the main series had been built up perfectly to this moment where I thought Shinji would go berserk and destroy the MP Evas, Seele's troops would be defeated, Nerv HQ saved, and the mystery behind Seele, the Angels, Lilith, and Adam would finally be solved. And I really wish that was what happened next, because this is when things started to go downhill. What happened instead just seemed to add to the mystery and answer nothing.
"I need you", or the second half of the movie is where things started to make no sense. Maybe I'm just stupid and it all went over my head, but nevertheless I was very disappointed with the next half.
Gendo attempts to start the third impact by merging Rei with Lilith, but hearing Shinji's cry, Rei decides that he needs her help instead. Rei merges with Lilith and becomes a God like entity, leaving Terminal Dogma and going out to meet Shinji. Then suddenly, for no reason, the Lance of Longinus (which we never got much of an explanation for) comes flying through the air and stops in front of Shinji. The MP Evas crucify Shinji's unit 1 with spears and take him up into the sky. They circle around the Rei/Lilith god and create an anti-AT field that covers the entire world and turns everyone into an orange liquid, combining all of their souls into one. Shinji reflects on his life as the Lance of Longinus fuses with unit 1, turning it into something called the Tree of Life. The Rei/Lilith god tells him that all of the liquefied people's souls can turn back into individuals if they want to.
Then, suddenly, we get 5 minutes of real life pictures of empty movie theaters that completely kills the mood. Like, I have absolutely no idea what this was about. I guess the writers thought that if things weren't already confusing enough, why not make it more confusing?
After we return back to animation the Rei/Lilith god and the MP Evas decompose and Shinji is left on the shore of an ocean made of the orange liquid. He sees Asuka laying on the shore nearby, and for absolutely no reason at all, he goes over and tries to strangle her to death. She puts her hand on his face and he stops, then she mutters the word "Disgusting".
I guess she was referring to the strange and disgusting ending that I just sat through, leaving me with more questions than I started with. What were the Angels? Why was Seele trying to start a Third Impact when they knew that Gendo was as well? Who was Adam? What really happened in the end? Did everyone die?
I apologize for the small rant of questions. I really thought that everything would be solved and we would discover the truth, but I guess the writer had something else in mind, something that I may never understand.
In the end it's not terrible by any means, but nothing compared to what I thought it would be. This left me disappointed.
Ratings for the separate halves:
1: "Love is Destructive" 10/10
2: "I Need You" 3/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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