Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time
Year: 2021
Rating: R
Length: 154 minutes / 2.57 hours
One of the classic series of anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, is both exceptional spectacle and moments of “WTF?” It balances the line between post-apocalyptic survival and psychological horror. While it’s always exciting to see large “robots” fighting alien creatures, a lot of Evangelion‘s appeal comes from the struggles of its characters. Sure, there’s plenty of fan service (which is a staple of the series), but there is also an equal amount of philosophy that makes you question what it means to be human.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021) is the last movie in the Rebuild of Evangelion series. This series has attempted to bring the flashy 1990s action anime into stunning HD while also attempting to fix some of the original’s more confusing aspects. It’s difficult to pin down Evangelion’s “true” version. Still, I think the Rebuild series does a fine job of maintaining some of the original’s strengths while also pivoting into a much better conclusion. Thrice Upon a Time has its slow moments early on to provide character development while going all out in the ending.
Perhaps what makes Thrice Upon a Time work better than the original ending is how it has a clear antagonist. Sure, the “angels” of the original worked to move the plot along, but when the rest of the plot centers on Shinji’s mental collapse into madness, it’s difficult to connect to the story as a viewer. Some might claim that this film has a bit of a cop-out in its ending, but at least it came to an understandable conclusion. Unfortunately, this film is only streamable on Amazon Prime, but if you want to experience the best version of Evangelion, I recommend you give it a try.
Perhaps the best ending to an imagining of Evangelion, I give Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time 4.0 stars out of 5.
