Friday, August 13, 2021

Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)


Streaming Services: Amazon Prime Video
Movie Name/Year: Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
Genre: Animation, Action, Drama
Length:  154 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Production/Distribution: Khara Corporation, Toho Company, Toei Company, Amazon Prime Video
Directors: Mahiro Maeda, Katsuichi Nakayama, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno
Writer:  Hideaki Anno
Actors: Megumi Hayashibara, Megumi Ogata, Yûko Miyamura, Akira Ishida, Fumihiko Tachiki, Kotono Mitsuishi, Maaya Sakamoto, Motomu Kiyokawa, Yuriko Yamaguchi, Anri Katsu, Hiro Yûki, Mugihito, Kôichi Yamadera, Koki Uchiyama, Mariya Ise, Miki Nagasawa, Miyuki Sawashiro, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Takehito Koyasu, Sayaka Ôhara, Tetsuya Iwanaga, Junko Iwao, Tomokazu Seki, Akio Ôtsuka, Felecia Angelle, Sean Burgos, Mary Faber, Joe Fria, Tiffany Grant, Allison Keith, Deneen Melody, Daman Mills, Spike Spencer, John Swasey, Bijou Vann, Amanda Winn
 
Blurb from Metacritic:  Shinji Ikari is still adrift after losing his will to live, but the place he arrives at teaches him what it means to hope. Finally, the Instrumentality Project is set in motion and [will he] make one last grueling stand to prevent the Final Impact.

 
Cat’s Point of View:
I’m afraid I’m a bit at a loss for words. It’s a rare thing. I am usually capable of rambling on forever about things. It’s not helpful, however, when they elude me as I attempt to offer a review of the alleged final movie for a well-loved anime franchise.
 
I suppose I should begin with a disclaimer. I have only watched a little bit of the Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996) series and it was quite a while ago. The narrative is far from fresh in my mind. For that reason, please take my impression of Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time with a grain of salt.


Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time does, however, begin with a story recap montage at the beginning of the film. It inundates the audience with a rapid-fire set of scenes to set up the beginning of this final installment of the story. Even with that, I feel I was woefully ill-prepared to keep up with what was going on.
 
As things slowed down here and there, I did appreciate the scenes of character growth. For the most part, however, Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time is stacked with lots of fight scene action. Explosions, laser light shows, and colliding Eva units abound. The pacing was actually rather dizzying at times.
 

The animation for Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time was breathtaking throughout the majority of the production. I also appreciated how the styles switched depending on the scene. The tone was also set by a gorgeous musical score. Though, I was a slight bit confused as the tune to a Christmas song appeared in one of the scenes in the last half of the movie.
 
Fans of the Evangelion franchise that have kept up with it over the years will get a lot more out of this movie than I did, I’m afraid. I got the gist of what was going on most of the time but a lot of the technical jargon that was tied to the universe this story unfolds in just went right over my head. The emotional journey of the characters was clear, however, and brings the tale to a fitting conclusion.

 
I just have one final note for parents. This film might not be appropriate for the very young. Most of the violence is shoot-em-up in the way anime does best – with giant robot things. However, there are some moments featuring human characters that are graphic and disturbing.
 
I completely understand why Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time has received rave reviews across the board from critics and viewers aside. It was definitely worth the 8 years of waiting.
 
For those that haven’t experienced any of the Evangelion franchise, my suggestion is to watch some of the earlier productions before viewing Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time. The recap at the beginning might not be enough to bring someone entirely unfamiliar up to speed. For those that are familiar with all things Evangelion – you’re in for a treat.

 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 100%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 92%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – 8.8/10
IMDB Score – 8.3/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5
 
Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating – PG-13
 
Movie Trailer:

No comments:

Post a Comment