Thats just it. Awesome.
The first rebuild movie just sort of retold the first six or so episodes of the original series. It looked great, but you could never shake the feeling of been there seen it (except for the improved Angels obviously) This one goes far, far beyond that. It sums up the plot of episode seven up to something around twenty. Thus it seems a little bit rushed, but on the flip side you're never able to catch your breath. The visuals are breathtaking at moments. The Angels are pretty much unrecognizable from their predecessors (which is a good thing in my opinion) and simply gorgeous to behold. The score also knows how to please.
Where the movie really shines though is the story department. Instead of a retelling we get a re-imagining. Starting with a completely new character, piloting EVA05 and ending with a quite different... well ending. Its like they mixed the original episodes with End of Evangelion. While many scenes are still recognizable, they are often arranged differently or put into a completely different context. More than that, the movie strays from the source in quite a view key elements and reveals a lot of things far, far earlier than the original series. Also it explains far, far more. At the end of the ride you will have a pretty decent idea what the "Human Instrumentality Plan" is, for example. Something the original series didn't really bother to explain at all. There are completely new parts to the story as well.
It's true that Asukas character falls a little short on screen time, but all in all I like her much better here than in the series. Her story ark and thus her development feels rushed but is still solid, and the ending is one of the biggest twists in this movie. And in the end... there are two movies left I think, and the way Asukas story goes in this one, she's fated to take on a much bigger role in future installments. In general the three children show new sides to them that were only hinted at before. Especially Rei gets a whole subplot that will definitely please fans of the character.
All of this combined keeps you on the edge the whole time. You simply don't quite know where its headed. At the end of this second (of four) movies we have almost reached the end of the series which really makes me hope for an original very different outcome than before. Besides... the series was almost over at this point, but with the movies, we're only halfway there.
In conclusion. If you liked EVA (and you're not a nitpicker), you're gonna love this. It's a hell of a ride. Don't miss it.
The first rebuild movie just sort of retold the first six or so episodes of the original series. It looked great, but you could never shake the feeling of been there seen it (except for the improved Angels obviously) This one goes far, far beyond that. It sums up the plot of episode seven up to something around twenty. Thus it seems a little bit rushed, but on the flip side you're never able to catch your breath. The visuals are breathtaking at moments. The Angels are pretty much unrecognizable from their predecessors (which is a good thing in my opinion) and simply gorgeous to behold. The score also knows how to please.
Where the movie really shines though is the story department. Instead of a retelling we get a re-imagining. Starting with a completely new character, piloting EVA05 and ending with a quite different... well ending. Its like they mixed the original episodes with End of Evangelion. While many scenes are still recognizable, they are often arranged differently or put into a completely different context. More than that, the movie strays from the source in quite a view key elements and reveals a lot of things far, far earlier than the original series. Also it explains far, far more. At the end of the ride you will have a pretty decent idea what the "Human Instrumentality Plan" is, for example. Something the original series didn't really bother to explain at all. There are completely new parts to the story as well.
It's true that Asukas character falls a little short on screen time, but all in all I like her much better here than in the series. Her story ark and thus her development feels rushed but is still solid, and the ending is one of the biggest twists in this movie. And in the end... there are two movies left I think, and the way Asukas story goes in this one, she's fated to take on a much bigger role in future installments. In general the three children show new sides to them that were only hinted at before. Especially Rei gets a whole subplot that will definitely please fans of the character.
All of this combined keeps you on the edge the whole time. You simply don't quite know where its headed. At the end of this second (of four) movies we have almost reached the end of the series which really makes me hope for an original very different outcome than before. Besides... the series was almost over at this point, but with the movies, we're only halfway there.
In conclusion. If you liked EVA (and you're not a nitpicker), you're gonna love this. It's a hell of a ride. Don't miss it.