Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo

One of the most poignant, emotionally-complex films of all time, from a series full of poignancy and complex emotions.

What, you want more explanation? I dunno, go like, watch the movie with an actual eye for film analysis and thematic appreciation instead of crying about how much you hate Mari and how you think Hideaki Anno should have adhered to nothing but Lore and Cool Mecha Fights and how Shinji should have fucked [insert your favorite girl here] or whatever. People calling this creatively bankrupt are rich; when Anno rehashed the first arc of Evangelion wholesale in the first Rebuild movie and only diverged from it entirely in the final act of the second, no one thought he was just trying to sell figures or whatever, but given actual comprehensive writing and building upon the series' themes for an entirely new story with the third, and he gets accused of not caring about Evangelion. It's almost like these people didn't care about anything in Evangelion except for the cool fights and girls or something...

I'll at least give you a push in the right direction to view this film through though. When presented with a complete overhaul of not just his life, but the entire world and how it operates as he knows and understands it, down to the very internal logic upon which the world acts, Shinji has to grapple with the stark reality as he knows it and find greater meaning beyond his own internal, closed-off universe. This differs from the television show, where Shinji is only able to confront a shifting of moral values after being passively thrust into an inescapable situation, or End of Evangelion, where Shinji is only able to confront his own personal failings after choosing to forego changing himself in favor of taking the easy way out. You might notice the slight but incredible differences in each of these situations; as Shinji's problems morph from entry to entry, mirroring Anno's internal struggles as a human being and a creator, so too do his responses, and so too do his consequences and ultimately how he chooses to resolve them for himself.

This is not an abstract situation that he finds himself in here. There is no sinking into surreal thought experiments and self-reflection. There is no loss of the self in favor of melding with everyone else. There is nothing but the cold, hard truth; the world has ended, everyone wants nothing to do with you, and the only one who can bear the weight of your mistakes and sins is yourself. In this light, watching this movie is honestly a drag. There's no beating around the bush; this is an hour and a half of Shinji reckoning with his own faults and figuring out how to make sense of everything and still find light where there is nothing but darkness. The film is almost entirely set-up, and so resolution rarely arrives, and when it does, it is entirely born out of the characters' drives to see something change in this world, lest tragedy happen again and again. You have to be okay with the fact that you're watching a movie about struggling, knowing that the outcome of your struggle isn't entirely clear (and for nine years, audiences did not get this closure as well).

And so it is that this is a top-tier film in every regard. Not because the lack of resolution or decisiveness makes it such, but because it accurately reflects the very real and ongoing fight for happiness, for making sense of the world around you, for living. For such a lethargic, sombre film, it really can't make its point any clearer than it tries to. The constant questioning by Shinji of his own (and everyone else's) motives, what it means to exist in a world that rejects you entirely and ultimately only wants to use you, and how to ultimately still believe in something no matter how unlikely it may be... doesn't it strike you as hopeful? There is a clear intent here on Anno's part to detail escaping the pitfalls of depression and nihilism, despite how prominent they are and how they can always strike. This makes every scene between Shinji and Kaworu hit all the stronger compared to the television show. It is not just simply love born out of deception, or love born out of holiness; it is love born out of existing, surviving what the world throws at you, knowing that even if that love may one day end, what matters is how it impacts and shapes you.

Of particular note is the difference between WILLE and NERV's goals in this film. While the Eva units were obstinately a tool by NERV to fight Angels and prevent the apocalypse in the show and End of Evangelion, but ultimately designed to bring about a melding of all consciousness (thus bringing about a particular kind of apocalypse), in the Rebuild series, the intentions of Gendo Ikari can't be made any clearer and more direct. So long as you desire something wholeheartedly, you should throw away the world for it. Led by Misato, WILLE wants to prevent the total end of humanity, at the expense of all other living and desire. For Shinji to see both sides himself singlehandedly, and ultimately reject both in favor of trying (and failing) to find another solution, is a clear sign of character development on his part. Though he may not be consciously aware of it, and though he is still dragged down by the world's overwhelming desire to force him into the role he must play, there is still room for another option, to escape beyond destiny, no matter how much it dictates a particular desire.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

And so it is by the end of the film, as Asuka lectures and puts down Shinji and drags him through the wasteland of their final battle with Rei blankly following them, that we come to see what the film states, what Shinji figured out deep inside but still has trouble fully accepting until directly and immediately faced with the consequences of his actions (as opposed to only seeing them in retrospect): there is still hope to be found. If only you realize that running away from your problems creates more issues than it does solve them, you can just break free of the cycle.

And as Shinji learns this cold, hard truth in the aftermath of total destruction, so too does Asuka and Rei, so too does Anno, so too does the audience. No matter how pitch-dark the world is, there is always light to be found and use to navigate the darkness. You just have to reach out for yourself to find it.