Last Saturday, I posted my review of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and I mentioned near the end that I would "eventually review both Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion when the time comes." Well, the time finally came, but I feel that reviewing both films in two separate posts would be a bit better for me to do than to do them as one full review.
The concept of these films came after many fans of Evangelion were disappointed by the last two episodes of the television series. They sent angry letters to the creator, Hideaki Anno, and vandalized Gainax, the company that produced the series. This would eventually lead to the announcement of two final Evangelion films, and one of these films was Death and Rebirth.
In my post about Evangelion, I commented that this particular film was actually "a 'recap episode' that also contain a 27 minute sneak-peak for the following film," and technically, that's what the film is. The film was released almost a year after the series ended in 1996, so the producers decided that they should re-inform their fans and tell their audience of what happened in the show. However, how it's done in the film is completely different as it focused more on the characters than the actual story. The characters are separately described through certain chosen clips of those certain individuals from the show. This is all done through the first three-fourths of the film, which is called "Death," before the audience eventually gets a five minute intermission.
Then, we have "Rebirth," which is literally the first half-hour of End of Evangelion, and this is where I personally started enjoying the film. There is action with a hit of drama, but this eventually ends with a "cliffhanger" that involves one of the main character who is about to start a battle with the enemy's backup forces.
I would like to recommend this film. However, I feel that it would be better for people to watch the show instead of this film before diving head first into the alternate ending that is also known as End of Evangelion. There is indeed some new footage in the "Death" segment, but it's mostly just introductions of the main character about to play some classical music. But, if you would like to watch this film, you may have to buy a copy online since the original DVDs provided by Manga Entertainment has been long out of print.
Make sure to stay tuned for my upcoming review of End of Evangelion.
Written by Nolan Schmidt
In my post about Evangelion, I commented that this particular film was actually "a 'recap episode' that also contain a 27 minute sneak-peak for the following film," and technically, that's what the film is. The film was released almost a year after the series ended in 1996, so the producers decided that they should re-inform their fans and tell their audience of what happened in the show. However, how it's done in the film is completely different as it focused more on the characters than the actual story. The characters are separately described through certain chosen clips of those certain individuals from the show. This is all done through the first three-fourths of the film, which is called "Death," before the audience eventually gets a five minute intermission.
 |
| Really? An intermission? |
Then, we have "Rebirth," which is literally the first half-hour of End of Evangelion, and this is where I personally started enjoying the film. There is action with a hit of drama, but this eventually ends with a "cliffhanger" that involves one of the main character who is about to start a battle with the enemy's backup forces.
I would like to recommend this film. However, I feel that it would be better for people to watch the show instead of this film before diving head first into the alternate ending that is also known as End of Evangelion. There is indeed some new footage in the "Death" segment, but it's mostly just introductions of the main character about to play some classical music. But, if you would like to watch this film, you may have to buy a copy online since the original DVDs provided by Manga Entertainment has been long out of print.
Make sure to stay tuned for my upcoming review of End of Evangelion.
Written by Nolan Schmidt
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