The End of Evangelion

Almost immediately after the events of episode 24 of the 1995 series, Shinji Ikari is having a rough time. He's lost his mother, several of his close friends and he can't even reach out to his neglectful father, Gendo, for help. His situation is made all the worse by a full scale invasion of SEELE headquarters, followed by a kaiju sized battle that could bring about the end of the world altogether. The only solution to stop this destruction may be for Shinji to once again pilot EVA Unit 1, if he decides to get back in it that is.

The End of Evangelion was released 2 years after the original 26 episode run of the anime. After the production company, studio GAINAX, ran out of budget to animate the intended ending in the series, they made the decision to write and produce a shorter, less budget intensive finale instead. Due to the poor reception of these final 2 episodes, as well as it not being creator Hideaki Anno's original vision of the show, the studio set out to animate the true ending using the money made due to the popularity of the anime. This led to the release of this film, one that was much more positively received by critics and fans alike.

Studio GAINAX delivers a film filled with incredible animation, from the gorgeous establishing shots of Tokyo-3 until the final devastating frames. Beauty is installed into every scene of the film, making it a true feast for the eyes. Due to the animated medium, Anno delivers some of the craziest science fiction that's ever been visualised. There's catastrophic destruction, giant battles between many Evangelion units, huge kaiju like figures and an apocalypse like none ever seen before. He expertly uses these elements to move the story into its ultimate resolution, with trippy sequences which prove to be difficult, yet rewarding, to unpack. Sure, it leaves you feeling utterly confused and bewildered, reeling from what you've just seen. However, the film is more than worth it in spite of this.

At the heart of it all, is the broken character of Shinji. The film explores his question of if he deserves life excellently, exploring the insides of his mind during a crucial point where his decision could affect everyone on the planet. The culmination of both the emotional and apocalyptic parts of the film collide during these moments in the second act, and create one of the most interesting conclusions to a franchise I've ever experienced. Any fan of anime or giant kaiju battles should be racing to catch up on the series to experience the full force of this magnificent conclusion to Anno's arguable masterpiece.

Tom Blakey