When the first Evangelion feature, Death and Rebirth, proved no more satisfying than the last episodes of the original series, Hideaki Anno brought his watershed epic to its conclusion in this final installment. End of Evangelion begins where the series ended: with the Angels defeated, the sinister cabal SEELE attacks NERV headquarters to seize the Evas and realize their plan for humanity. Misato and Ritsuko fight from inside while Asuka decimates a new Eva series. But when Rei merges with Lilith, and Shinji seems to fuse with Unit 01, the final traces of a coherent storyline dissolve into a protracted collage of fantastic images, played against discussions involving Rei, Shinji, Asuka, and Kaoru. Anno's dazzling apocalyptic vision forms a weird but oddly logical finale that ultimately means whatever the viewer chooses to read into it. This unrated feature, suitable for ages 17 and older, contains considerable violence, profanity, grotesque imagery, and sexual situations. --Charles Solomon

Customer Rating:
Summary: Beautiful... but overly complicated
Comment: I'm probably going to get flack from both sides for my relatively neutral rating of this attempt to rewrite the ending of the series "Neon Genesis Evangelion". How do I know it's an attempted re-write? Because there are episode numbers in here and they're clearly marked as the last two episodes from the full series boxed set (at least that's how I'm interpreting these numbers). Now for the most part I liked the series and the world the author tried to create, but like the final two episodes before, these episodes are also fairly confusing. Let me try to explain as best I can.
How do you explain an extremely confusing life experience such as depression, when you're having a difficult time with concepts like self worth, your usefulness in the world, or even who you are and how you relate to others? The answer is surprisingly simple, you simply don't. I can't think of a coherent way to include all of these elements given the two episode time frame the author appears to be giving himself to work with. I think this, single handedly, is the downfall of this series. Instead I think these themes should have been slowly introduced to the audience over the entire series, not all at once. Granted I'm sure it accurately simulates the confusion the author went through in his personal life, but it's just not a good idea if you want to try and convey this message to a very broad audience.
Strangely I think the last two episodes on the main series were a little easier to understand. I understand what he was trying to do with "The End of Evangelion" and visually it feels like it integrates into the series more. In this re-make there is another Mecha battle and it seems to flow from the series in a smoother fashion. However, the content is a lot stranger, where Shinji doesn't want to help fight with his Eva unit. Not to mention there is an allusion to a past intimate relationship between Shinji and Asako... I don't remember this ever happening in the series... other than the time they kissed, but it didn't seem like that manifested into anything beyond that one act. Anyway, the imagery and art is beautiful and I really thought it was cool when one of images of ascension was the Ten Sephirot found in Kabbalah. Seemed like a rather interesting choice. I get the feeling like the main purpose of the message was something of primordial unity between all beings; at least that's what I gather from the last scene concerning Shinji and Rei. However, I just thought its execution was overtly confusing. The message didn't really need to be told in such an obtuse fashion and I just felt like it lacked the clarity that even the original version of the ending had. I liked the fact that the imagery integrated with the main series more, but the explanation of the human instrumentality project seemed stranger. Honestly, if I hadn't seen the ending episodes of the series to really reinforce my understanding of this re-write I don't think I would've been able to figure out what the writer was talking about.
Overall this was a nice try and I certainly enjoyed the animation, but once again I felt the final message was weakly conveyed. Trying to grasp something this complex into the time frame they've given themselves makes it nigh impossible to succeed! This is a shame to me, because I think the message they are trying to send to the world is incredibly profound on many levels; psychological, philosophical or even theological. I'm honestly not sure if I would recommend this to Evangelion fans, because I think most people will walk away feeling this isn't a suitable substitute. Instead, what I think Anno should have done was actually build on what he already started. Like continue Evangelion from where he left his audience in that confusing state then take this 90 minutes to sort of explain it in finer and more coherent detail. Instead it feels like he tries to be too artistic or too poetic and presents it in a more convoluted manner. Don't get me wrong, I certainly appreciate the art, but I think a great series is when you have balance between absolute clarity and some ambiguity. This is all ambiguity and it's up to the viewer to try and discern what's going on. One thing that I felt was wholly strange was in the beginning and in the end there is live video footage of real people. The first is primarily of a girl doing everyday things... like going to the bathroom, and the final shot is of an audience. I personally have no idea why... maybe someone can let me know in a comment, I'd like to know the purpose behind that. Anyway, take it for what it is. It has some merit, but I wouldn't expect it to have any ground breaking content like fans were hoping for.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Comment: My 19 years-old daugther is a fan of Evangelion and she understand the two-final episodes. For her, its the best ending. She also think that the movie is simply horrible. It show EXACTLY the same message at the original ending + gore, blood and dead peoples. It also VERY confusing. So If you loved the serie and its ending don't watch/buy this movie.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: brillaint, easily my favorite movie
Comment: This is easily my favorite movie of all time. Beautiful animation, and a brilliant ending to the greatest series of all time.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing, But A Rip-Off At the Same Time
Comment: One word: BUMMER.

New Century Evangelion is one of my top 3 favorite anime of all time,
but this is a cruel way to end it. YOu have to watch it three times in conjuction with the director's cut episodes of 21-24 for it to even slightly make any sense whatsoever, and even then it's anger-inducing.

However, some interesting concepts are explored, and my favorite character
(Asuka) doesn't die, unlike almost every other character except for Shinji.

While all EVA fans must watch this movie, just prepare to feel very ripped-off after finishing it.

I'm hoping the new Evangelion Rebirth movies don't end like this, or I'm gonna go berserk.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: "It all returns to nothing..."
Comment: Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1O1S82IHOUOP6 "So what more is there to say about 'End of Evangelion'" I've thought to myself over and over. How can I explain why I love this movie as much as I do without hurting my precious little brain? Then it hit me: why don't I just turn on the camera and gush for a little while? So here it is, in all it's flawed glory including sentences beginning with and punctuated by the phrase "you know". I even threw some in the middle for you, there. Hey, I'm workin' without a script, here! Note to those EVA trolls I hear so much about: rather than sticking around day in and day out to attack EVA fans anonymously, why not articulate your issues here and we can discuss it like adults? It'll make you feel better and maybe you'll even get over that psychological hurdle of yours that causes you to repel the opposite sex by focusing so much time and energy on a cartoon that you dislike. Positive attitude, positive aura, yes?

Anyhow, "End of Evangelion" is a crowning accomplishment of a series that was already overflowing with symbolism, psychological exploration, and sci-fi awesomeness. The series' original ending was a bit.....mmmm, I'm gonna go with "inconclusive". After a few death threats from folks who take their anime WAY too seriously and a green light from the production company, EVA creator Anno Hideaki opted to grant everyone's wishes. What we got was a conclusion that did NOT mess around. Insanely brutal violence, disturbing sexuality, and the end of the goddamn world barely scratch the surface of the contents of this film. I can't give you much more without massive spoilers, but rest assured that if you loved the series, this finale will overload your brain and leave you gasping for more answers to the numerous mysteries left in it's wake. It's left up to you, the viewer to interpret what you saw. There is no hand-holding here, casual film fans, so be warned. This one requires multiple viewings and an open mind.

My only complaint about this DVD is the splitting of the film into two 45-minute parts. I know that's how it was originally released, but if you think the middle credit sequence is that important, you can get it on the unnecessary cash-in disc Neon Genesis Evangelion - Death & Rebirth. On this DVD it screws up the flow of a film I'd prefer to watch as a whole. Some bonus material would have been nice as well, but anime discs aren't exactly known for overflowing with special features so I'll let it slide. In conclusion, there is no reason not to buy this DVD if you are a serious fan of animation unless you haven't yet seen the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. And if you haven't, what are you waiting for?

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