3.0 Film Reaction Thread

[JiJi]

Just finished watching 3.33. I managed to avoid most spoilers except the random gifset on tumblr, especially yesterday evening, but for the most part, I went in knowing nothing except that Eva-13 looked like Eva-01 but with extra arms and eyes, Mari's and Asuka's evas merged (was expecting that all movie, guess I'm glad to see it will be in 4.0, though), and obviously Kaworu.

Q was obviously very Shinji-centric and I thought the story-telling for this movie worked because of it. Shinji wakes up and everything is different. The viewer is just as confused about everything going on as Shinji (unless they read spoilers :p) and it was easy for me to empathize with Shinji's shock and awe and despair.

This all lasted until the somewhat drawn out Kaworu/Shinji sexual tension, where I couldn't help but be irked by Shinji's sudden piano virtuosity. Nevermind all that, though, because Fuyutsuki and Kaworu drop a metric fuckton of information on Shinji's poor brain and the movie turns in a wonderful cluster of mindfuck on a level that felt like EoE on way too many psychedelics and the trip has taken a nosedive in the worst direction possible.

A lot of the complaints of 3.0 seem to be about the standstill feeling of the plot and the simultaneous lack and oversaturation of information. Normally, I'd agree that that would make for a terrible movie, but when viewed as a reflection of Shinji, I thought the utter despair, confusion, absolute helplessness to do anything about a unknowingly terrible mistake made with good intentions was brilliant.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Shinji as well as just as overwhelmed with all the new changes. I was angry that he was still shit-eating little brat about going for the two spears, but when he had just been offered a solution to the abyssmal clusterfuck of a hole he'd gotten himself into, of course he'd give his all for even just a slight chance that solution would still work, despite Kaworu's warnings.

But then, of course, everything goes wrong and everything is Evangelion again. I just really wonder how Anno will tie it all up in 4.0.

[Gendo'sPapa]

Always interesting to see other people's opinions. A lot of talk of this being the worst or least in the Rebuild franchise to date. Meanwhile I can't help but disagree. I've enjoyed the Rebuild films up to now but in my eyes the third film is by a very VERY large margin the best entry yet.

[The Killer of Heroes]

but in my eyes the third film is by a very VERY large margin the best entry yet.

I find myself agreeing after viewing 3.33 properly. Some of these visuals are just breathtaking to look at.

Though I do appreciate the first two films quite a bit more now.

[Jomei]

It felt like EoE. Not in the sense of "omg so dark and depressing, nothing makes sense, I'm so deep for liking this" sort of way but in the sense that, as the credits rolled, it seemed appropriate for a second half to begin.

So when I say it's the weakest of the series, I don't mean that the content presented was bad (though of course the experience is emotionally unpleasant--purposefully so, it seems, and a contrast to the previous film), but it doesn't feel like a whole film. It may very well work as part of the series--once its second half is out--but it does not fare nearly as well on its own. It's a tricky balance to maintain, making the films stand on their own and also as part of a series, but my opinion of this one is going to have to depend a lot on how its tensions resolve in the finale.

[Giji Shinka]

Always interesting to see other people's opinions. A lot of talk of this being the worst or least in the Rebuild franchise to date. Meanwhile I can't help but disagree. I've enjoyed the Rebuild films up to now but in my eyes the third film is by a very VERY large margin the best entry yet.

Agreed 210%.

[Warren Peace]

It felt like EoE. Not in the sense of "omg so dark and depressing, nothing makes sense, I'm so deep for liking this" sort of way but in the sense that, as the credits rolled, it seemed appropriate for a second half to begin.

So when I say it's the weakest of the series, I don't mean that the content presented was bad (though of course the experience is emotionally unpleasant--purposefully so, it seems, and a contrast to the previous film), but it doesn't feel like a whole film. It may very well work as part of the series--once its second half is out--but it does not fare nearly as well on its own. It's a tricky balance to maintain, making the films stand on their own and also as part of a series, but my opinion of this one is going to have to depend a lot on how its tensions resolve in the finale.

I'd disagree that the films have ever tried to work in isolation. They're part of a larger whole, and have been constructed as such. I don't see how Q has less of an ending than 2.0. That movie's final moments scream, "It ain't over yet, folks! Come back and see what the deal is with this guy throwing the spear!"

[qu4d]

Jesus... I'm watching 1.11 at the moment to make some notes. It feels so awkward

[ElMariachi]

Jesus... I'm watching 1.11 at the moment to make some notes. It feels so awkward

Yeah, specially the scene after Sachiel's defeat when Misato shows Shinji the Tokyo-3 buildings emerging from the ground and telling him "This is mankind's fortress, this is the city you protected." with the sunset in the background and the music...
The only thing I could think of is "guys, you don't have any idea of what will become of this place!(and the role the "protector" will take in it)

[Veefy]

Just watched it.

I feel a bit conflicted and mentally exhausted.

[Nuclear Lunchbox]

Just watched it.

I feel a bit conflicted and mentally exhausted.

Totally a normal reaction. Recover, then come back and make a ridiculous number of posts about it. ;)

[symbv]

Hello guys. It's been a long time since I last posted anything in this forum, so I just have to say "I hope everybody is doing fine and I am glad to be here to share my thoughts with you." ;-) Anyway, I just think that if I want to talk about Evangelion, there is no other place to go except here :-)

Thing is, I found Q is showing in theaters in my city and the temptation of seeing it in big screen with state of the art sound system and digital projection was too much to forgo, and so instead of watching the BD rip online, I just took the metro and went straight to a theater to watch it. It was really a superb experience, sitting in a comfy seat that shakes with all the explosions and engine roars.

From animation point of view, Q is definitely the best of the three films released so far. However, I did notice quite a portion of awkward looking CG that does not sit well with me, even though I consider myself quite tolerant of the use of CG in anime. The scene where the cores of an Angel were pulled out, rotated and twisted, and eliminated, and the scene where the two Eva's reached and went through the dome of the terminal dogma are just two that particularly stand out.

Music-wise I do not have much complaint. It does not give me particularly much to hype about but nothing bad from it either. The funny thing is to see that indeed quite a bit of the piano music used in the PV trailer has found its way back in the film.

And what do I think of the film? Interestingly, I find it quite disappointing, but yet I do not hate it, at all. If I am offered another chance to see it, I will clearly say I will see it again. Why? I'd say that despite the disappointment, there are enough in it that appeals to me too.

Back in the discussion of HA (aka 2.22), I remember saying that the cliffhanger at its end can be viewed as the most positive ending coming out of a very tough and unfortunate situation. I still think the same way even after watching Q. The cliffhanger essentially provides a kind of turning point, and how the story turns, whether it goes grim or happy, is purely up to the creator's whim or thought. The situation where 2.22 ends can lead to a happy tale but it can also lead to a sorrowful or regrettable tale. I also remember saying that I predicted the third movie will show the darkest moment of the whole New Eva Movie series (assuming there are four altogether and that indeed Anno plans to give us something positive at the end if his earlier words about the series still hold true) so a turn for worse is something I also expected. Although this is indeed what happens, there are also the lingering feeling that over the long period of gestation for Q, Anno (and his staff) tried a bit too hard to compensate, and mainly for two things: 1) the view that the story revealed so far up to 2.22 is too "un-Eva", meaning the mood is too happy or positive for something called Evangelion, and 2) the need to pull away from the original Evangelion as much as possible so that this movie series is really "new". The end result is we see the time suddenly shifted to 14 years later, and many of the characters do things very differently from the original, and despite the positive energy and determination to help a friend, the story has to twist it to squeeze Shinji back to a beat-down and slumped state, this time with the additional burden of being treated as the culprit/sinner (and of course, as per Anno, we don't get to hear the full story of what actually happened until quite a bit into the movie).

There are quite a few things that I do not like in Q, and quite a lot of it has to do with the 14 year jump. The jump and the near 3rd impact wiped out a lot of connection to the previous 2 movies. Everything that were established, like Shinji's classmates and his relationship with them, or the kind connection that Kaji showed with Misato or Shinji, just vanished. Faced with the enormity of the near 3rd impact and all the blanks of the 14 years, the symbolism of a party or cooking dinner for someone in 2.22 just looks so puny and almost pointless in comparison. In a way I think much of the care and attention of building up the intricate relationship of all the characters in the first 2 films kind of go to waste. Even for the character who survived, their viewpoint and attitude has changed, sometimes really drastically. Can't blame them but I also wonder if the creator is a bit lazy in showing us how the transition takes place.

A lot of questions can be raised for the 14 years in between. So how did the near 3rd impact happen? What did Kaworu do after descending onto Earth as the impact was starting? How did the key staff of Nerv survive? How come Misato and Ritsuko fell out with Gendou and Fuyutsuki? How did they manage to get Mari and Asuka to follow them and how did they manage to build the fleet? In fact how did Asuka wake up from her "contamination" state? And what was Kaworu doing for all the 14 years after the impact? Playing piano? Watch the starry sky? At least I am sure he is thinking of Shinji all the time lol. And did the people get killed? Or they were killed with their souls pulled out (merged) as per the original Evangelion? I can accept Mari and Asuka never grows old (yeah, we know we all want Asuka to stay young, don't we?) but do I also see little change in character for them? They all still sound like the same teenagers as earlier (well I guess I should not complain about it too much, as deep in my heart I may actually wish for the same thing) and particularly for Mari who is still as mysterious as ever (so where is the scene where she seems to be interrogated or something? Come to think of it, even the scenes that hint on more Children are gone. oh well)

Some other things are just a bit awkward in my eyes: How come Kaworu could conveniently unlock the bomb neck collar from Shinji? And even more bizarrely, put it on his own neck?!? Well, the moment he did that, I thought "hey you are going to die the same death as in the TV with your head fall off from your body!" and sure enough my premonition hit bullseye a few moments later. I do appreciate the vastly more friendly and kinder portrayal of Kaworu compared to the TV, but I just could not hold back smiling broadly when I saw his death, and I am sure this is not what the film expected me to do at that scene. At the end I sense a contrived effort to create some parallels with the original series, and the way Kaworu dies is one of them.

Earlier I said that Anno played hard-to-get for revealing information to us but when he decides to do it, it looks rushed and abrupt -- and I am talking about the shogi game between Fuyutsuki and Shinji. I have always wondered whether Yui will serve the same role as the original Evangelion. And so at the end we see that in many ways it actually stays the same: that she is in the core of Unit 01, that she volunteered to do it herself; that Rei was created in her image; that Fuyutsuki seems to have some kind of feeling towards her; that Gendou indeed bases his plan upon seeing Yui again (which means he has to betray Seele). But all these things had to be bundled together and thrown at us (and Shinji) in a shogi game and a few cuts before and after the game. A lot of big revelations (particularly for someone who has not seen the original) to sink in but little to build the emotional impact. And if this part is rushed, we see almost 20 minutes spent on cool-looking animation and jargon-filled command exchanges in Wille's battle against an Angel (one might also add the operation by Asuka and Mari to retrieve the black cross-shaped box in space at the beginning too). It all looks cool, but it does not really tell much of a story.

Another point of contention would be the portrayal of Shinji and judgement of his behavior. The fact that his single-minded focus to help someone or just to help seems to always get a cruel turn of event at the end. I do not know if Anno is trying to write some kind of anti-thesis of the shounen manga's theme of passion about friendship, but he seems to want to say that the strong belief in not abandoning your friend, a theme so common in shounen manga from One Piece to Naruto to JoJo etc etc, is not something to be viewed positively, or at least one needs to think about the broader consequences. And in this film, Shinji seems to do even worse: he did not even seem to have learned any lesson. I could not help thinking "Come on, not again?" when I saw him rush to pull the two lances out even though everyone from Kaworu to Asuka asked him not to. Kaworu may have told him to save the world is by pulling the two lances, but didn't he say hold on something's wrong once he saw the lances? If Shinji's behavior in 2.22 can be perfectly excusable by his commitment to his friend and ignorance about the possibility of a 3rd impact, his action in Q is much harder to explain away and thus harder to forgive. Kaworu has admitted he got things wrong and even asked Shinji not to pull the lances, what made Shinji think that what Kaworu said earlier has to take precedence over what he said once he saw how things really stood? And this all goes back to what I said earlier about the story has to twist and torture Shinji so that he will reach the nadir state (the usual heads in arms sitting on floor gesture, you know) by the end of the film.

OK, so why am I still ok about seeing it again? Well, I believe I have let go of the notion of taking Eva too seriously. And looking at the various bits and pieces I do find things I enjoy. First of all, I love seeing so much of Asuka, and a very active kick-ass one too. And for a LAS shipper, the fact that she would shout Baka-Shinji even before he was retrieved and she pulled him out of the capsule and dragged him for a trek to seek help (nice twist of the EoE's "so you did not come to help me" line of Asuka!) gives me quite a lot of warm feelings. And then there is the super-cool kick-ass Misato, who now even commands Ritsuko (btw, I guess there is no more hidden relationship between Ritsuko and Gendou in this movie series?). The older Maya is even better - so much tougher and so cool, yet still retains the same yuri vibe (at least this is how it sounds to a yuri fan like me ha ha). And there is even the surprise of Touji's sister, grown up and all that. On the other hand, the motley crew of Wille looks really uneven - the girl clearly speaks like a kogal and sometimes behaves like one. Are we supposed to believe that even a ne'er-do-well teenager girl can work fine in the main bridge of Wille's flagship??

Besides those characters, as I said the animation can be pretty or great to look at. The music lovely to listen to. The action animated well (some too obvious CG notwithstanding). And I just let the more difficult dialogues pass - perhaps I will dwell on it more later, but for now I just let them be as anyway past experience has proved that speculation does not help much especially when we have not seen everything yet. So all in all I decided I have had a good time, and if opportunities should arise I won't hesitate to go over it again.

Now come to think of it, I still wonder how much of the ideas for this new movie are inspired by what happens in Anima. I can't help thinking that the ideas of time jump and Misato vs Seele could have come from there....

So I ended up writing a wall of text. My apologies if I get you bored. Anyway, I don't think I would post very often but I also think I would see you guys later sometime. Till then, cheers.

[Charsi]

Always interesting to see other people's opinions. A lot of talk of this being the worst or least in the Rebuild franchise to date. Meanwhile I can't help but disagree. I've enjoyed the Rebuild films up to now but in my eyes the third film is by a very VERY large margin the best entry yet.

I can't agree with this. Everything in 2.22 from when Shinji quits NERV till the end is utterly perfect. People rave about the music of 3.33. Nothing I saw in 3.33 topped the buildup of the last quarter of 2.22. The music, the fights, everything was built up perfectly and music played along with it. 2EM31 -> 2EM33 -> Tsubasa wo Kudasai still ranks as the best audio/visual sequence out all of rebuild for me.

When Ode to Joy started in 3.33, all I could think was how OUT of place it was. I have a strong association, thanks to the TV series, between that and two EVA's struggling in terminal dogma. Instead, I get the same music, but set to a bunch of destroyed buildings being destroyed again: fourth impact. I expected it to play when Asuka showed up. It didn't.

Is it a bad movie? Nah. I'll probably get over my problems with a few plot devices in time. But to say it's the best "by a very large margin", well, frankly I can't see how. I just don't see where it topped the crescendo of 2.22.

Lastly, the preview of Final. Given that literally NOTHING we saw in 2.22's preview of 3.0 made it to the final cut, I expect absolutely nothing of 3.33's preview of 4.0 to make it either. As far as i'm concerned it's all placeholder and may bear absolutely no resemblance to the movie at all. I wouldn't be too surprised, because quite honestly the franken-eva looked like a poorly done placeholder, as did the purported "mass production" series.

[shinji_ryoji_89]

I can't agree with this. Everything in 2.22 from when Shinji quits NERV till the end is utterly perfect. People rave about the music of 3.33. Nothing I saw in 3.33 topped the buildup of the last quarter of 2.22. The music, the fights, everything was built up perfectly and music played along with it. 2EM31 -> 2EM33 -> Tsubasa wo Kudasai still ranks as the best audio/visual sequence out all of rebuild for me.

When Ode to Joy started in 3.33, all I could think was how OUT of place it was. I have a strong association, thanks to the TV series, between that and two EVA's struggling in terminal dogma. Instead, I get the same music, but set to a bunch of destroyed buildings being destroyed again: fourth impact. I expected it to play when Asuka showed up. It didn't.

Is it a bad movie? Nah. I'll probably get over my problems with a few plot devices in time. But to say it's the best "by a very large margin", well, frankly I can't see how. I just don't see where it topped the crescendo of 2.22.

Again, it's a very low key movie compared to the other two installments. It's more of a horror/drama rather than the action/adventure/comedy of the other two films.

[Giji Shinka]

Lastly, the preview of Final. Given that literally NOTHING we saw in 2.22's preview of 3.0 made it to the final cut, I expect absolutely nothing of 3.33's preview of 4.0 to make it either. As far as i'm concerned it's all placeholder and may bear absolutely no resemblance to the movie at all. I wouldn't be too surprised, because quite honestly the franken-eva looked like a poorly done placeholder, as did the purported "mass production" series.

Well, we saw in 3.33 that NERV was building MP Eva's that resembled the Eva's we saw in 4.0 preview. So we most likely will get those. Though, franken Eva won't probably appear in the movie.

[alexsan1991x]

Okay. So anyone who saw my rants earlier...

I've just watched the film a second time, taking in every single act step by step, trying to understand what I'm seeing, and I've come to a few conclusions.

This is gunna be long and in-depth, so I'm going to spoiler each ACT as I saw them.

Now, from the get go realise this: We have NO IDEA what happens in the 14 year time-gap and speculation on the subject will be debated for many months to come. My analysis acknowledges the time-gap but makes little real difference.

ACT I: Wunder, the Ark of Humanity and the real Rei.

SPOILER: Show

In Act I, we see Shinji being recovered by Asuka and Mari.
Shinji and Eva 01, with Rei still inside, are sealed within a coffin like device with AT-field capabilities generated via Mark 0.4s. I hereby speculate that the Nemesis Series are fully autonomous and AT-field capable with simple tasking programmed into them, much like Hunter Killer Drones.
We can ASSUME these autonomous AT-field capable (and anti-AT-Field capable) drones were requisitioned by SEELE, created by NERV and deployed as counter-measures to keep Near 3rd Impact in check. I also speculate that it was SEELE's orders to confine Shinji, Rei and Eva 01 in stasis so they are unable to interfere.
Looking back at the end of 2.22, we can safely assume that Karowu was acting under SEELE's direct orders to stop 3rd Impact, as Lilith's contract had obviously not been met.
Gendo most-likely had come to realise this by this time, after seeing Mark 06's creation at the Lunar Base. Speculation on Mark 06's purpose post Near 3rd Impact will be discussed later.
Having succeeded, thanks to 01's intervention, Asuka returns Shinji to Wille HQ: Wunder.


Wunder, the Ark of Humanity. Quite literally the last beacon of human hope.
Using Anti-AT-Field weaponry and even AT-field technology as a means of transport, this massive ship uses Eva 01 as its primary power-source.
This points to what I can see only as one simple fact.
Wille did not need Shinji, but needed Eva 01 in order to complete their own operations.
Using 08 or 02 would be reckless, as Asuka and Mari must be used in other anti-NERV and anti-SEELE operations, and it should be noted that throughout the entire film the pair operate as a team.
Now at full-strength, Wunder is ready to take the fight to NERV and SEELE directly, and deny them any hope of initiating 4th Impact or completing 3rd Impact. However, what about the real Rei?


As Act I progresses, we see Shinji confronted by Asuka, Ritsuko and Misato.
He has no idea what's going on and just wants his Rei back. Then, as Mark 09 attacks Wunder out of seemingly no-where, we hear Rei's voice.


Now, this is important.
The first two lines we hear from Rei: “Where are you, Ikari-Kun?”
this is the REAL Rei that is still within Eva 01's core. It's other-worldly, unlike the voice of ReiQ piloting 09 that is loud and clear. ReiQ is sent to retrieve Shinji, on orders from Gendo and most likely against SEELE's intentions. By this point, Gendo has been given full reign over the situation.
Shinji is returned to NERV HQ, whilst Wille plan their next move.

ACT II: Karowu, ReiQ and the Truth.

SPOILER: Show

This entire Act, and indeed part of the film itself, focuses on Shinji coming to terms with what's happened. He's still confused about Rei, as she obviouslly doesn't seem herself.
Try and imagine Shinji's mind-frame as I have. One minute he's reunited with everyone, dazed and confused and wanting to know where Rei is.
Next minute, he's being told Rei is gone, that 14 years have passed and he's been sentenced to wear a collar that will blow his fuckin' head off if he even sets foot inside an Eva. He's also told his sync ratio is 0.0%. However, is that true?


Wille need 01 as their primary power source. They can't even risk Shinji getting to 01 and reactivating it. At the very least, they'll lose Wunder and at the very worst, 3rd Impact will conclude. Why else would he need a boom-collar and why else wouldn't Misato not blow his fuckin' head off when she has the chance? Simply because there's no need. Ritsuko even points out that Shinji was prioritized over 01.
At any rate, Shinji then meets Karowu who befriends him.
At this point, Shinji has nothing else. His friends want him dead, Rei doesn't seem herself and is never there when he checks and he's still unclear as to where everyone is and what has happened.
Karowu then shows Shinji the effects of Near 3rd Impact and explains to him that Shinji saving Rei was the catalyst. However, Karowu also tells Shinji that there's always a chance of redemption.


Then we come to the truth about his mother and Rei.
Fuyutski shows he is unhappy with Gendo's choice to keep his son in the dark about what is happening, and so takes it into his own hands (likely expected on Gendo's part).
The two play a game and Fuyutski proceeds to explain that his mother is Eva 01 and that Rei is nothing more than a clone of what little remained.
Shinji's mind = blown!
We're also told that the real Rei is still within Eva 01's core. Whether or not this is in an intentional part of Wille's plan, SEELE's plan or NERV's plan is left open to debate. A fair assumption, and the one I'm pulled towards, is that if Wille know Rei is still within 01's core, they believe it best that Shinji not know. After all, Wille want Shinji under their heel.


Throughout, we see several seens involving ReiQ and two other Rei clones.
However, this is ALL open to debate as honestly, it's just a bit of a mind-fuck.
ReiQ is seen in her plug-suit, however we do see a set of school uniform next to her quarters.
Then we see two more Rei's. One is held within a vat, whilst the other stares from at her from outside, wearing the school uniform. The one inside the vat is showing facial expressions of confusion before the liquid (LCL) bubbles and begins to become unstable.
At this point, the uniform wearing Rei is gone. I honestly have no idea how to interpret this scene, and class it as a mini-mind-fuck-for-Rei-fans. (MMFFRF for short).

ACT III: Showdown and Revelations.

SPOILER: Show

Karowu and Shinji enter unit 13.
by this time, Karowu has taken Shinji's burden and now wears the the collar that makes peoples heads FUCKIN' EXPLODE!
Regarding the “lid”, Lilith and Eva 13.
The “lid” is the shell of the Egg of Lilith and requires the combined strengths of two harmonised AT-fields to breech. (Speculative).


Once inside, Karowu expects to find a Lance of Cassius and a Lance of Longinus piercing Lilith's corpse. On closer inspection, he discovers the two Lances are in fact Longinus types.
I speculate that a combination of two Longinus Lances can stop and contain an Impact, but not hold it permanently unless both spears remain. I also speculate that a Lance of Cassius can also forcibly stop an Impact but not hold it in place (end of 2.22, hence why 3rd Impact never actually concludes and Lilith is pierced by two Longinus Lances).
Asuka and Mari then attack Eva 13 and Eva 09, inevitably failing.
In this scene Mari gives us an insight in to how much she actually knows about everything, asking ReiQ why she is remaining here, considering she could become an Adams Vessel and initiate 4th Impact. It's fair to assume that Mari and Asuka believe Shinji has the same feelings towards ReiQ as to the real Rei, and that this connection could once again initiate an Impact, under the right circumstances (such as removing the Lances).


At any rate, baka-Shinji, against Karowu's wishes, takes both Lances from Lilih's corpse bringing the conclusion of 3rd Impact. This is short lived however, as ReiQ has orders of her own.
As Lilith's corpse explodes (at the same time Yui's head also explodes? I didn't get this part tbh), unit 06 is revealed inside holding the 12th Angel. Karowu realises he's been fucked over by SEELE and NERV and cast down to be the 13th Angel. I speculate that post-Near 3rd Impact, Unit 06 was part of a battle within Terminal Dogma against one of the remaining Angels that managed to actually reach Lilith and initiate 4th Impact. I speculate that it was Karowu that used his Lance of Cassius, along with a Lance of Longinus to contain the 12th Angel within 06 to stop 4th Impact.
ReiQ follows her orders, beheading Eva 06 and freeing the 12th Angel that then merges with Eva 13, re-initiating 4th Impact. ReiQ is then also fucked over by SEELE, losing control of her Eva and ultimately becoming nothing more than a backup plan to deal with Wunder and Wille.
However, Karowu sacrifices himself denying the 12th Angel an Adams Vessel to use, thus 4th Impact is avoided. Meanwhile, 09 is revealed to completely under the control of SEELE as it attacks Wunder. ReiQ is left wondering why she has no control over anything that's happening, even asking Asuka what she should do. Asuka tells ReiQ to make her own choice and so ReiQ, of her own free will, activate the emergency escape.


Finally we reach a conclusion.
The two Longinus lances are now holding Eva 06 in-check once more.
The corpse of Lilith has been destroyed, but her essence is now within 06's core.
The 12th Angel has been destroyed. (or at least once again contained).
4th Impact is halted thanks to Karowu's sacrifice and thus the 13th Angel is destroyed.
3rd Impact could still happen, but think about that for a moment.
What if Shinji reunites with Rei within Eva 01 holding the Lances of Cassius and Longinus...

Anyway, that's my summary of the 3 acts as I saw them.
There's obviously a few main points that stick out more than the rest but that's for my own reasons. I understood the majority of what I was seeing second time round.
These parts just struck me more than the rest.

So yeah, take it for what it's worth.

EDIT: I speculate that Gendo Ikari is actually the good guy in all this.
He's manipulated every part to go in his favour and has no eliminated SEELE from the equation. I believe his goals for Final Impact are for everything to end like it did in 25'-26'.
After all this, I speculate that he actually has absolute and unyielding faith that Shinji will bring the Final Impact just how Gendo wants it.

[Seele00TextOnly]

...

[alexsan1991x]

^ But this thread is supposed to be reaction, not summary. Focus more on how you feel and what you take from it? Parsing through your summary for occasional glimpses of opinion isn't exactly interesting; we know what happens in the movie already, tell us what your reactions are.

This subforum is full of summations and analysis of events already; I realize many of the newcomers/secondcomers don't feel like reading stuff yet, but when they do I think they'll be better off for having done so.

My reaction is my interpretation of what I believe I've seen.
As the film is actually quite complex, I believe a summary of how I experienced the 3 acts constitutes a "reaction", no?

[Reichu]

I believe a summary of how I experienced the 3 acts constitutes a "reaction", no?

No, Seele00 is right. This thread is more for your emotional reaction, or for analysing how 3.0 works as a film. There are plenty of other threads for discussing the intricacies and ambiguities of the plot.

[Sachi]

I just finished watching it, and I think I received it quite well. I enjoyed how it used imagery evocative of NGE/EOE to tease us with possibilities for the run-down of events during the fourteen year gap (ie, the destroyed geofront, Lilith's giant naked corpse, etc); I can only imagine what thoughts those images provoke for those unfamiliar with the original canon. And Gendo's scene declaring victory over Seele was quite badass as well.

I'd say my only issues with the film are as follows: 1) I feel as though more time could have been devoted to flesh out the circumstances of Earth circa 2029 and characters operating about their lives in this new world. Namely, I feel this complaint tends itself mostly to Wille and their motives. The crew seemed like a lively bunch, and I would have liked to get to know them better. 2) The animation, especially during the actions scenes, was difficult to interpret at times, and I think could have been improved if the "camera" took a step back to get a bigger-picture view of what it was showing us.

Other than that, I loved it. I'm excited for Final, and can only hope it doesn't take quite so long to make it to us. I can't wait to see the the new interpretation of Human Instrumentality!

[ICTimer]

I'm a long time lurker, but I think this is my second post (my first was to avoid having the username purged from the system two or three years ago). It seems appropriate to start posting here though after watching a modern epic like Q. I mean epic in the sense of a long poem/story with a heroic protagonist - which is not literally what Rebuild is but it has that sort of feeling to me - not necessarily epic as in good. It's an expansive enough project that it deserves great attention. I will probably write a longer review (and maybe include a link in signature at some point). For now, random thoughts:

-does anyone have a translation of the studio ghibli short at the beginning of the film? I feel like there's probably some interesting stuff there, but I don't know Japanese. I mean, those must be Evas or Adam's Vessels or something.

-it wasn't surprising to me that Q was very different from what I thought it would be, though it made the preview at the end of 2.0 confusing to say the least. Even though I read a lot of criticism of 1.0 being a rehash, I thought there were significant differences introduced in 1.0, and the story has progressed (mostly) logically. There are many important decisions made throughout the series; any one of those could radically change the outcome of the future. I like that message.
-there is a part of me that agrees with the sentiment I read in the Kotaku review: it feels like the Wille could avoid all of the destruction and fighting of 3.0 by simply explaining to Shinji what happened during (Near) Third Impact. It's strange that they wouldn't simply explain everything, and it does seem like daft decision.

-the animation is beautiful. No matter how horribly Shinji may have destroyed the world, it looks cool. As far as the animation alone, I think it's the best animation in the series no doubt and the imagery is quite powerful.

-I like the way the plot progressed, though I think Anno gets a bit heavy-handed at times. There really is a lot of depth in the main characters (aside from Rei and maybe Ritsuko). Despite Misato's lack of communication, she shows her resolve through her actions. I'd say the difference between good and evil is a grey area in the cold, unflinching post apocalypse (at least for now).

-deicide is a theme that really sticks with me from this movie. It's an interesting moral question - is it right to kill a god to save humanity?

-in the end, if you had asked me if Anno could create a series that seemed more hopeless and discouraging than the original series before I saw the Rebirth movies, I would have thought it to be difficult. I was very wrong. The movie feels uncomfortable in a way due to the complete lack of hope that exists by the end. That said, I really like it, and I would say it's a strong entry into the Evangelion canon.