Evangelion 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo Review

Hoo Boy, here we go, Evangelion 3.33 is a big jump from 2.22, both in terms of fan reception and actual content. For starters a lot of fans hate this film because of what is does to characters that we have followed. And at the risk of being hunted down by hardcore Eva fans I have to say I rather like this movie. yes it can't hope to hold a candle to 2.22 but for what it is I can't help but like it. So lets take a look at Evangelion 3.33 and see what it is that makes this film so controversial.

We open with Asuka and Mari attempting to recover something in space, later revealed to be Unit 01, Unit 02 has been re outfitted as the beta type and Mari is piloting another new Eva, Evangelion Unit 08.

We then jump back to a rather post apocalyptic looking Earth, were a large battleship, the USS Wunder, is preparing to engage with an unseen enemy, meanwhile Shinji Ikari is awakening on the same ship. We learn that is has been fourteen since Shinji started the near third impact and that the world we are in is whats left, it turns out that when Unit 01 transcended human control Shinji was absorbed into the core where he has spent the last fourteen years. He is taken to see Misato, on what can assume is the bridge of the ship, where she is a completely different person, she acts colder towards Shinji, not explaining a damn thing to him. This is the first problem of this film, its like any character in this film is reading from the "How Not To Deal With Shinji Ikari" handbook, they know that all they have to do is give him the slightest bit of praise and he will be eating out of their hands. But instead they act hostile towards him, threaten him, and keep him in the dark.

It is revealed, kinda, that because Shinji basically caused the end of the world last time he got in an Eva, Misato and co have strapped an explosive collar around his neck which Misato can detonate at will provided she is in range. The enemy that they are engaging is revealed to be NERV and their Eva's, Shinji, confused asks where he is, only to be told that he is currently being held prisoner of WILLE, an anti NERV resistance. Shinji is saved by an Eva which looks a hell of a lot like Unit 00, he hears Rei's voice and ultimately decides to go with her, Misato aims the detonator but can't bring herself to kill Shinji.

He is taken back to NERV with "Rei" and we see NERV is pretty destroyed, it looks a lot like it did back in End Of Evangelion, the end of the original TV series, which has prompted a lot of fans to speculate that the events of EOE took place in this timeline up to a point, the Third Impact never happened, but the JSSDF's raid on NERV HQ happened which would explain both the lack of personnel and the bullet scarred appearance of the building itself. The only remaining members of NERV are Gendo, Fuytsuki, "Rei" and Kaworu Nagisa. That leaves the question of how in the hell are NERV still considered a genuine threat? It's entirely compromised of two old guys, two children and one Eva Unit, Unit 09. But somehow they still are.

Shinji meets back up with "Rei" and tries to talk with her but she doesn't respond to him saying that she hadn't been ordered to talk to him, this again has led fans to speculate that this Rei isn't the one Shinji saved back in 2.22, this is another Rei, or Rei Q, and that the Rei Shinji knew died in the 10th angel or near third impact. This rebuild series hasn't focused on Rei being a clone like the original series did, this film does touch upon it later but not to the extent that the series did. Shinji leaves Rei and hears piano music, he looks to where the music is coming from and sees Kaworu playing. What happens next might be the strongest part of this film. Shinji and Kaworu start playing together gradually growing closer together as friends. This is, like I said, the best part of the film, both the growing friendship of Shinji and Kaworu and Shinji's growing piano skill is great to see.

Kaworu shows Shinji the ruins of Tokyo 3, explaining that Shinji's awakening of Unit 01 caused Third Impact. He also reveals that Gendo plans to force humanity's evolution by triggering a mass extinction, removing humanity's individuality and reuniting with his deceased wife Yui Ikari.

Gendo's assistant Fuyutsuki invites Shinji to play shogi and reveals that Yui is within Unit 01 as the control system. Rei is one of several clones of Shinji's mother; the Rei who rescued him is only the latest. Shinji is distraught by this revelation. Kaworu removes Shinji's choker and wears it as a sign of trust.

That's when Gendo drops a bombshell, he wants Shinji to pilot an Eva again, NERV has been working on a new Eva Unit, Unit 13, which features a new dual cockpit entry system meaning it needs two pilots to work in tandem with each other, Gendo selects Shinji and Kaworu to pilot it. He wants the two boys to collect the two spears from the center of NERV HQ.

Gendo sends Rei Q down with them in Unit 09 to provide backup for Unit 13, we then see Central Dogma for the second time, the first being in 1.11, we see the two spears, Cassius and Longinus but they are lodged into the corpse of Lilith, which has come off the cross and has appeared to double in size, Mark 06 has been merged at the neck with it and underneath it are countless skulls, the "Failures Of Infinity" again these are never explained but once again fan theories have said that the population may have been turned into Semi-Evangelion like beings which would explain the lack of people and the skulls in Central Dogma.

Unit 13 grabs the two spears before WILLE attacks, with Unit 02 Beta heading the charge and Mari in Unit 08 providing backup. Rei Q in Unit 09 springs into action defending Unit 13, and now things get weird. On Gendo's orders, Unit 09 decapitates Mark 06 to release the Twelfth Angel, which is absorbed by Unit 13.

When Units 02 Beta, 08, 09 and 13 reach the surface Unit 13 becomes another Godlike being, not only does it get another pair of arms but it also appears to shed its armor and glow white. The following events are sort of unclear, hard to follow and fairly cryptic, by using the two spears, Unit 13 manages to trigger either actual Third Impact or Fourth Impact. Kaworu had previously promised Shinji that these actions would reverse the Near Third Impact from 2.22 but actually unleashes a cataclysmic event. Kaworu reveals that as the First Angel, he is now "cast down" to the Thirteenth. Rei Q loses control of Unit 09, which boards Wunder on its own in an attempt to take control of the ship In this scene, Unit 09's head is shot clean off by Mari while its attacking 02 Beta, unfortunately for them Unit 09 turns black and regrows its head becoming what fans have dubbed Eva Unit 09 Merged. Asuka puts 02 Beta into Beast Mode and self destructs in order to destroy Unit 09M.

Kaworu stabs Unit 13 with the spears and allows the choker to kill him, to Shinji's horror. Mari ejects Shinji's cockpit from Unit 13, and WILLE recovers units 02 and 08 and retreats. After rescuing Shinji, Asuka drags him through the remains of Tokyo-3, with Rei following.

And that was Evangelion 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo, and my God, there's a lot to take in, this is a surprise given that its the shortest rebuild, clocking in at only 90 minutes but it still delivers a whole lot of new content.

The film has been panned by fans slating it calling it badly written fan fiction but despite its obvious issues I still like it for what it is, 3.33 is a lonely film, it barely has a cast, the amount of Eva's are drastically reduced and overall the film feels hollow. And that's why I like it, 3.33 makes you feel like Shinji, both he and viewer are kept in the darkness about events and can only blindly follow the orders of people who have lived through the past fourteen years.

So now we're all stuck waiting for the last in the rebuild series, Evangelion 3.0+1.0, due out in 2020, will it be what fans want? Who knows, all I know is that its going to be worth sticking around for.