I have a lot to say about this, but I can’t think of a concise way to get it all down. Because of that I just decided to do a positive/negative list. I feel like I can get my ideas down easier this way.

Also there are going to be lots of comparisons to the original show. It’s hard not to to bring up the very thing it’s based on.

POSITIVES
-There’s a shot of Misato on her laptop and it’s the cutest thing ever
-There’s also a shot where she’s rolling around in an office chair, also cute. These are important details I swear.
-There are some fun small character bits, featuring Ryoji, Asuka, Misato, and especially Rei.
-The preserved ocean aquarium is cool. Fun concept.
-We get more glimpses at city life in Tokyo-3
-Misato’s ringtone is King Ghidorah’s cackle from Godzilla.
-Even though I’ll complain about the action here in a bit, it’s still pretty good. Doesn’t have anything on NGE, but pretty fun moments none the less.
-The music is pretty awesome and is a big reason the action scenes are as grandiose as they are. Bellowing choirs not only back up the religious themes of the movie but also support the sense of scale in battles between giants.
-Zeruel’s design is really good, but it’s no replacement for the original. Sheet metal arms and stocky figure > ribbon octopus woman.
-That magnetic crossbow that Unit 02 uses is pretty neat.
-2D animation is fantastic.
-Unit 05 is alright. Somehow still has more screen time than 04.
-I kind of liked how much development there was between Shinji and Rei, and as dumb as the last scene were he rescues her is, I do like the connection there. It was an emotional scene, albeit held back by the music. I’ll get to that in a bit.

NEGATIVES
-Yet again none of the designs are as good as NGE. Unit 02 looks alright but just isn’t nearly as solid as the original design. As mentioned before the only standout is Zeruel, who still isn’t as good as the original.
-Gold, white, and grey Unit 00 is neat but it doesn’t have the slick look of the original blue.
-Just like the last one the CGI is awkward and just doesn’t have the gorgeous look of hand drawn animation.
-The Third Angel, colloquially known as Tunniel, has a really bad design. I get that they were going for an Angel who’s been experimented on for years, but in what reality would it be practical for NERV to attach this skeleton to a big wheel with spider legs on it? It also owes too much of the good aspects of its design to Gaghiel, who’s infinitely better.
-The action, while quite a spectacle, just feels so weightless and over the top. The visceral and weighty action of the original was far more effective. Every remade action scene in this movie, weather it be the battle with Sahaquiel, Bardiel, or Zeruel, are all worse.
-The sappy music that plays when Unit 01’s dummy system activates as he kills Unit 03 didn’t work for me. Tried too hard to be disturbing when the original was already more effective in every way. People really love the music here but I just didn’t dig it.
-Asuka piloting Unit 03 instead of Toji just didn’t work for me. Wasn’t nearly as interesting. Plus Unit 03 and Toji is the best combo.
-The action scene that introduces 02, while fun, is completely weightless. The fact that Angel’s can be dispatched so easily makes them far less threatening.
-MARI STINKS. She’s loud and annoying and she has like zero development. I don’t care that she’s supposed to be mysterious and all that. No excuse for a boring character. She’s just another Asuka, but far less compelling.
-Glowing Evas are dumb.
-The “beast mode” is so stupid that I can’t even wrap my head around it. Did anybody get the memo that Evas are just giant people wearing armor? Who decided that, instead of just going berserk like Unit 01 in NGE, that it needed to have some stupid switch that just turns it into a limber mutated demon with a bunch of tubes sticking out of its back? Was this always a thing built into Evas? It’s just too much for me and I can’t take it seriously.
-Berserk Eva 01 having angelic powers isn’t nearly as cool as a rabid angel-eating bastard. Unit 01 devouring Zeruel was far more disturbing and fascinating. One of the most memorable scenes from the original has been turned into a mindless light show.
-Music during the aforementioned scene was kind of just laughable.

Overall it’s a mixed bag. While I commend it for trying something different and fresh, it just didn’t work for me. There are some cool moments and ideas here and there, but you’re better off just watching the original show.