I’m shocked I liked this as much as I did. I went into the Rebuilds with the lowest expectations I could possibly have. I’m a huge fan of Evangelion and I felt like the Rebuilds were just worse versions of the original. Surprisingly it ended up being pretty good.

I will say, I think it’s inferior to the first few episodes of the show in pretty much every way. The music is less impactful, the characters aren’t given as much development, the 3D animation (for the most part) looks super boring, and the designs of the Evas and Angels are a step down from the original, save for Ramiel. I think what put this movie a whole point up for me was it’s finale, which actually does manage to surpass the original in terms of scope. The last twenty minutes were frankly fantastic. The animation is also gorgeous, and while it doesn’t exactly have the same charm of the original, I still think it looks amazing. While I love the slow burn of the original, I also have to admire the brisk pace of this movie. Adapting the first few episodes into a movie works surprisingly well.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually like this movie. It’s not as good as the original show or End of Eva or anything but it’s a surprisingly quality adaptation of the first few episodes. While I would prefer a totally different film as opposed to what is essentially a shot for shot remake, it does it’s job well enough. 

I decided to watch this to prep for 3.0+1.0, which is slated to come out this year. From what I’ve seen the next two movies go in a completely different direction, going for a re-imagining as opposed to a remake. I’ll be watching the other two soon enough.

*Note: If you’re going to watch this, I strongly advise you to watch the show first. In my opinion it’s the best version of this story and it’s a personal favorite of mine.