The End of Evangelion is a 1997 movie following the events of the show Neon Genesis Evangelion, which I reviewed yesterday. This movie is incredibly weird and surreal, and although it fleshes out the universe of the Evangelions a lot more than the show, it has a very confusing ending, and it seemingly disregards the ending of the show.
The End of Evangelion takes place immediately after the show, and it follows Shinji and his fellow pilots being attacked by an organization called SEELE, which is essentially the Illuminati. Their goal is to unite all of humanity into one soul, thus fixing all the problems of our world, at the cost of losing corporeal form and individuality. Shinji is the key to this, and at one point he does unite all of humanity, but later reverts the decision, and returns humanity to their bodies. It’s a very biblical plot, and the second half of the movie feels like the ending of 2001 with dialogue.
This movie is fairly epic. It incorporates biblical allusions with allegories of depression, and pairs them with some excellent animation and stunning visuals. It truly feels like a revelation when humanity is united as one body and soul at the end of the film, and thankfully, the movie does a better job of explaining just what the heck is happening in the world of Evangelion. It also portrays Shinji as a very different character, a darker, more weak willed character who is later redeemed at the end of the story.
End of Evangelion has an incredibly strange ending. The human race unites and becomes one, only to be split apart again due to the actions of Shinji. Apparently, the show’s ending and the movie’s ending are supposed to be different timelines, with the movie’s having a much darker timeline. The movie ruins Shinji’s character arc from the show, and seems to have almost completely different characters in the way some of them behave. It’s a little jarring and it almost feels like they aren’t the same people.
Overall, I liked how the End Of Evangelion cleared up quite a bit of the universe of the show, however it does kind of ruin the show’s ending a bit, and it’s overall a very surreal film. That being said, if you’re a fan of the show this movie is worth watching.