Saturday 14 August 2021

Film Review: "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time" ("シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版:𝄂") (2021).


"Bye-bye, all of Evangelion." This is Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版:𝄂). This Japanese animated science fiction film co-directed by Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Katsuichi Nakayama and Mahiro Maeda, written by Anno and produced by Studio Khara. It is the fourth and final film in the Rebuild of Evangelion film series of the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. Misato and her anti-NERV group WILLE arrive at Paris, a city now red from core-ization. Crew from the flagship Wunder land on a containment tower. They only have seven hundred and twenty seconds to restore the city. When a horde of NERV Evas appear, Mari’s improved Eva 8 must intercept. Meanwhile, Shinji, Asuka and Rei wander about Japan.

In 2008, the film was announced as the fourth and final part of the Rebuild series under the working title Evangelion: Final. After delays of the first three films, the film was expected for a 2015 release date. However, Anno was very reluctant to return to work on the film. In 2014, Anno announced that due to other commitments, the film would be further delayed to an unknown date. In 2015, following the troubled production of the third film, Anno became depressed and stated publicly that he could not work on another film. As part of his recovery, Anno had also worked on Studio Ghibli's The Wind Rises (2013) and Toho's Godzilla reboot, Shin Godzilla (2016), which also contributed to the delay on the film. Financial reasons also played a part. In 2014, Anno's Studio Khara loaned his former company Studio Gainax one hundred million yen ($916,400). In 2016, Anno filed a claim for debt collection, fearing not only for the return of the money but also because of Gainax selling production materials to third parties, after a precedent of other sales of intellectual property without informing him. This was part of several legal issues surrounding Gainax and Evangelion. In late 2016, production on Evangelion resumed after the production of Shin Godzilla ended. After a formal apology, Takeshi Honda stated that the last film had resumed development. In early April 2017, Studio Khara tweeted that development was going smoothly. In May 2018, the studio put out a job listing for animation staff to work on 3DCG, VFX, and 2D animation starting in late June. By March 2019, Megumi Ogata, Yūko Miyamura, Kotono Mitsuishi, Fumihiko Tachiki, Megumi Hayashibara, Maaya Sakamoto, Yuriko Yamaguchi, Akira Ishida, Tomokazu Seki, Tetsuya Iwanaga, Junko Iwao, Miki Nagasawa, Kōki Uchiyama, Motomu Kiyokawa, Kōichi Yamadera, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mariya Ise, Miyuki Sawashiro, Takehito Koyasu, Akio Otsuka, Anri Katsu, Hiro Yuuki and Sayaka Ohara were cast. In addition, dialogue for Parts A and B, set after AVANT, started recording. As there were several changes to the plot, many voice actors had to come back and record lines again. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, production slowed down further and recording was mostly done by the voice actors separately as many dozens of takes were necessary, and they organized themselves through a Line group. This created a bond between the cast that was unprecedented in previous productions. At the end of recording, Anno thanked the cast for their contributions. By early October 2020, animation was going through the final check. In late November, dialogue recording wrapped. In mid December, Studio Khara announced that compositing and editing work had finished. In late 2019, the film was scheduled for a June 27, 2020 release date but received two delays due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, first scheduled for a January 23, 2021 release date, before being released on March 8, 2021. Later, Amazon Prime Video acquired exclusive streaming rights to the film; it is scheduled for an August 13, 2021 international release date, excluding Japan. However, in late July 2021, Amazon Prime Video announced that it will also stream the film in Japan on the same day as its international release.

The film stars the voices talents of Ogata, Miyamura, Mitsuishi, Tachiki, Hayashibara, Sakamoto, Yamaguchi, Ishida, Seki, Iwanaga, Iwao, Nagasawa, Uchiyama, Kiyokawa, Yamadera, Kamiki, Ise, Sawashiro, Koyasu, Otsuka, Katsu, Yuuki and Ohara. Thanks to the performances given by the talented voice cast, this newest Evangelion installment just succeeds in engaging us with characters that we can root for.

If the previous films documents the process by which these characters are worn down to nothing, then this is what happens when they're reduced to exposed nerves. It's a Lynchian picture of the tormented mind, depression's figurative end of the world made literal. Nine years after the release of its predecessor, Evangelion remains one of the few franchises that covered depression well and, perhaps, is the strongest example in cinema. Perhaps one of the most nihilistic, avant-garde and devastating endings to an anime series ever conceived. It is the best and worst of everything that is Evangelion combined to create a finale that is unlike anything that had come before it. Best when it becomes a representation of anger, depression, embarrassment, and fear that rips apart animation from the guts and reassembles it according to a brand new set of rules. The film adapts the original story with new, cutting edge, CG-assisted animation that proves to be the pinnacle of the format thus far. Thankfully, all of these new bells and whistles haven't tarnished the story. This is mighty perplexing nerd kibble, its highfalutin' philosophical and psychological banter way too outlandish to seriously engage. Yet as a visceral experience, it's entrancing. However, the convoluted plot will make any neophyte more confused than a dog in space. Desiccated by its pretensions, it's freeze-dried melodrama. Nonetheless, it is an exhilarating adventure that offers compelling characters, a wonderfully imaginative story and dazzling special effects. Newbies might feel slightly perplexed, though. You don't have to be a giant Evangelion fan to enjoy the film, it asks whether it's possible to take on grown-up responsibilities and stay human at the same time. And the answer is as complicated as the mystery of the angels.

Simon says Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版:𝄂) receives:



Also, see my review for Shin Godzilla (シン・ゴジラ).

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