Review of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo

(Note: This review may contain some minor spoilers.) Evangelion 3.0 is ultimately a film that sparks a bit of disappointment in the eyes of big Evangelion fans across the world, myself included. One would assume that after the epic and masterful film that Evangelion 2.0 was, the film following it would deliver a similar feeling of colossal and monumental entertainment of storytelling. Sadly, Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo is a story that throws many of the fans off, and what you receive from it is an average to mediocre installment in the Rebuild series. The story may very well be the weakest aspect of Evangelion3.0. Out of nowhere, the film throws you into a time skip of exactly fourteen years after the ending of 2.0. After recovering a confused and post-comatose-state Shinji Ikari from space, Misato, Asuka, and the other members of the organization known as WILLE reveal to Shinji that they are fighting against NERV, the EVA organization that Shinji's father runs. Why are they fighting against NERV? That is only one of the many questions that you will ask while watching 3.0. Other questions that may arise from the viewing are questions such as why does Asuka have an eye patch? Why is she operating an EVA in the first place? What happened to SEELE? Why is Rei almost completely mute throughout the film? These unanswered questions as well as the muddled and confusing plot of 3.0 makes for a less enjoyable experience than the past two films, leaving you confused and worried for the finale of the series.

Although I have always loved the characters of Evangelion, I felt as though they were written rather poorly in this latest entry. Shinji who, by the way, is a character that I've always liked and appreciated, is utterly boring in the film, and is shown in the film only as a character who is constantly confused and riddled with questions. Sure, maybe Shinji is a person who tends to ask many questions, but this film only portrays him as a big, walking question mark. Asuka and Mari barely had anytime to shine on screen in this installment, Misato became a wooden and stereotypical anger-filled woman, and Rei is even more of a "girl with a robot's personality" than ever before. The only character worthy of praise in the film was none other than Kawroru, who, just like in the original show, is equally charming and intriguing whenever he is shown.

Evangelion 3.0 has many flaws but also contains a couple of pros to it as well. For one, the soundtrack is still amazing, containing a great blend of classical music, such as works from Beethoven, as well as a great use of rock n' roll for the action scenes. Speaking of the action scenes, they are amazingly directed and epic to look at, causing you to become awestruck by how enormous the scope of the action appears to be in the film. The biggest pro of the film, however, is the many different easter eggs and hidden subtext within the writing that further back up the theories that most fans have created regarding the film series. Without potentially spoiling anything, I will say that the many hidden things that you may witness or see in 3.0 will keep you looking forward to the finale of the series and how the many fan discussions and theories may actually be true.

Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo is a film that may leave a sour taste in the mouths of long-time fans. The story is filled with plot-holes that are never fully answered, leaving you impatient for the finale and hoping that there will be clarification for everything that is happening. This film is a completely different entity from that of its predecessors and, in this case, is the weakest of the films that are currently out. However, I still strongly encourage you to watch this entry so that you can be fully prepared for the grand finale, 4.0, and to watch it for the action, which is top-notch and amazing. What you will get from 3.0 is a range of mixed feelings for how this legendary series will end, and an enormous amount of questions for what is to come.