The End of Evangelion played in theaters in America for the first time in March 2024. The film is a beautiful piece of art that will stand the test of time for decades. 

The End of Evangelion (1997) is another ending to the television Anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion.”The End of Evangelion (1997) was released in 1997 in Japan. It didn’t reach theaters countrywide in America until this year, as it has only stayed on home video and streaming in the USA. If you missed the film in theaters, you can still watch it on Netflix in America or rent it online. With how well it is doing in theaters right now, it might come back eventually.

It goes without saying, but you would have a hard time watching The End of Evangelion (1997) without watching the show beforehand. Yes, there was a film made that was a recap of the show, but you’re missing out on plenty of plot points that would makeThe End of Evangelion (1997) feel more important.

The show itself is on Netflix as well, and I would recommend anyone who likes anime to check it out. The show is usually recorded somewhere in the top 10 or 20 of the best anime ever made. Now, The End of Evangelion (1997) should be in anyone’s top 10 anime films as well or at the very least most influential. It feels like 2001: A Space Odyssey for Anime films.

To begin to explain The End of Evangelion (1997) or the universe would take forever, so I’ll try to keep it very broad. The film shows how the world is coming to a “third impact,” which would end all life and have all humans mesh into one consciousness.

In The End of Evangelion (1997), you have these giant robots, or, if you want to be more fancy, biomechanical humanoid mechas, called Eva’s. These are what Earth uses to combat otherworldly beings called angels, which look like Eva’s as well. They are piloted by children, who are carefully selected as the only people on earth with the capacity to pilot these robots/machines.

The only problem is that they are under extreme pressure and have problems of their own. Our main character, Shinji Ikari, has a horrific backstory and an extremely rough story with his father, who runs the corporation, Nerv that is in charge of the Evas.

The End of Evangelion (1997) spends a lot of time showing Shinji’s mind and him dealing with all his trauma. The End of Evangelion (1997) goes into these experimental scenes about his current state. These scenes are some of the craziest things you’ll ever see in an animation. But they are extremely interesting and give you a ton of information at once, requiring multiple viewings. For anyone who has suffered any trauma in life, it is pretty easy to relate to our main characters. We see trauma manifested in these strange images and concepts throughout the film. At times, it is very hard to watch because of how real the trauma is.

So many films try to show the dark side of the human subconscious and what goes on in our heads. It comes off as pretty corny at times in other films. But The End of Evangelion (1997) creates extremely serious, intense scenarios that resonate very well with the viewer. I found it hard to watch as the mental health and trauma represented in the film were so real. A lot of the film is hard to watch because of how real and grounded the characters are in reality. They feel like real people with real problems. Regardless of their age or gender. 

Spoilers ahead. Once we get to the point in The End of Evangelion (1997) where it seems like the world is doomed and everyone has merged into one strange consciousness, we feel like we have no hope. We are just seeing a strange dream-like world that our main character is traversing. In this world, we see Shinji go through many thoughts in his head that led him to this moment. Ultimately, his decisions and those of others around him led to the world ending. We see some of the most interesting animations you’ll ever see in these scenes.

Eventually, Shinji realizes he can accept an imperfect world. He can accept the fact that he will not be a perfect person and will make plenty of mistakes. While he might not love himself, he begins to accept himself, and there can still be hope in a world that is shrouded in darkness.

There is extreme beauty in the fact that, ultimately, you can find solace in the fact that the world is not perfect, you are not perfect, and you will always be a work in progress. The film’s message is beautiful, and it resonates very well in the final act. The ending sticks with you, and the final images of the film are just as iconic as ever. 

The spoiler section is over. Another thing to mention is how great the music is. There’s a reason why a lot of the music in this film is seen online, circulating in other videos. It’s so iconic and has stood the test of time. That goes for just about everything in this film. The animation itself is a product of its time, for sure, but it looks so beautiful and colorful. The vast amount of color you’ll see in this film is insane.

The imagery and cinematography are incredible as well. There are so many images in this film that will stick with you for a long time. Some might be because of the graphic nature, and some might be because of the beautiful nature. But it seems like plenty of frames from this film could be hung up on your wall. Actually, Just about any frame could be hung up on your wall. It’s insanely beautiful. Even when the world is ending, it still finds ways to wow you with its images and its beauty.

I think it is worth mentioning that I have seen both the English dub and the original Japanese audio. I think both are fantastic, and it’s really up to the viewer to decide which one to watch. A lot of English dubs sometimes don’t have the best acting, especially with older anime. But this is one of the rare cases where the dub is fantastic. The Japanese-language one is the one I saw in theaters and the only option shown. 

Seeing The End of Evangelion (1997) on the big screen after years and years of people speculating if it would ever come to America was something special. I can tell that a lot of the images in this film were meant for the big screen. The feeling of such a massive film on a massive screen is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

The sound and music in this movie are meant to be seen with others around you in a movie theater. These are multiplied, especially when a film can legitimately change your outlook on a lot of things in life or feel something, as I mentioned in my Spaceman review. That is the best kind of art, in my opinion.