Rebuild of Evangelion at the BFI Anime Weekend

Written by A. H. on 22 May 2010

When the Rebuild of Evangelion series of films was first announced back in mid-2006, I think it's fair to say that the first response of many was something along the lines of "what, again?!" - A forgivable reaction when you consider the number of alternate endings, remasters and Directors Cuts the franchise seems to have gone through since the original TV anime was released in Japan back in late 1995.

That said, any such negativity soon dissipated as the release of the first movie, subtitled You Are (Not) Alone, drew closer - At the end of the day, Evangelion is still a hugely popular property when all is said and done despite its controversies and sometimes critical fan reactions, and indeed both the first and second films released so far in Japan have enjoyed huge popularity amongst both new fans and old in its homeland.

While the latest, tweaked version of the first new movie, Evangelion 1.11, is now thankfully available in the UK in both DVD and a sumptuous Blu-Ray edition, we're still a little way off seeing Evangelion 2.0 (or its 2.22 Blu-Ray and DVD release) outside of Japan - Thank goodness then for what is surely the highlight of last weekend's BFI Anime Weekend, which provided fans (courtesy of Manga Entertainment) with a double-bill of Evangelion 1.11 and 2.0 in all its big-screen glory.  Needless to say we were there, both to make the most of the first film as the cinematic experience it deserves, and more importantly to take our seat in a full house of 500 viewers to see only the second glimpse the UK has had thus far of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.

You Are (Not) Alone (In a Packed Cinema)

It might already be available to watch in the comfort of your own home in this country, but that didn't stop Evangelion lovers from packing in to view Evangelion 1.11 on a big screen - A fantastic viewing experience at the best of times, helped along by a pristine digital transfer and a fantastically powerful Japanese soundtrack (with subtitles, naturally).

Of course, we've already reviewed Evangelion 1.11 in full on these hallowed pages, so there would be little point in doing so again here, but with a franchise like Evangelion which commands so much debate and discussion it would be remiss of us not to take an opportunity to spend some time discussing the film, and particularly how it stacks up against the early episodes of the classic TV anime which it apes relatively closely.

From a purely aesthetic point of view, the world of Tokyo-3 has never looked so good, with CG and more traditional animation techniques frequently combined seamlessly to offer what you can't help but feel is far closer to the original artistic image of the series, freed from the time and budgetary constraints of the mid-1990s effort.

In terms of the actual story itself, as we've just mentioned almost every aspect of Evangelion 1.0 will be hugely familiar to anyone who has seen the original series - Of course, there are differences that will have the hardcore fans piping up their opinions, not least Misato's early knowledge of Terminal Dogma, but the core facets of the story are all present and correct as per the opening half dozen episodes of the TV series, complete with some of those iconic scenes from Shinji's encounter in Rei's apartment onwards.  Even the three Angels which Nerv need to battle are instantly recognisable in both appearance and context in Evangelion 1.0, although intriguingly the first angel which attacks Tokyo-3 is labelled the fourth Angel by Nerv, leaving the fate of the third Angel for a later film...

Even in terms of characterisation, we appear to be on familiar ground throughout, although Evangelion 1.11 does at least bring us a slightly more feisty Shinji Ikari which mixes his usual hefty dollop of whining immaturity with a little more backbone, perhaps alleviating some of the complaints about his particular personality which often dogged the TV anime.

All in all, Evangelion 1.11 very much represents a fresh coat of paint for the franchise we know and love... and what a coat of paint it is too, with the Angels themselves given particularly large makeovers, culminating in the ridiculously bloody destruction of each and every one.  You certainly wouldn't want to be in charge of Tokyo-3 mopping-up duties judging by this movie.

So, now we're feeling all warm and familiar with the Evangelion story, it was time to sit down to the main course of Evangelion 2.0, and find all of that familiarity blown away in two hours of visual and theatrical excess...