Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
After the Second Impact, Tokyo-3 is being attacked by giant monsters called Angels that seek to eradicate humankind. The child Shinji’s objective is to fight the Angels by piloting one of the mysterious Evangelion mecha units. A remake of the first six episodes of GAINAX’s famous 1996 anime series. The film was retitled “Evangelion: 1.01” for its DVD release and “Evangelion: 1.11” for a release with additional scenes.
Evangelion 1.0 is a slick theatrical condensation of the iconic TV series' opening arc, featuring Anno's unmistakable visual language elevated to film-quality animation. Cinematography is a genuine standout — the battle sequences, EVA awakening moments, and Angel designs are rendered with exceptional composition and fluidity that surpasses the original. Plot is functional but necessarily compressed, losing some of the slow-burn psychological texture of the series for pacing. Acting (Japanese dub) is solid with the returning cast performing comfortably, though nothing revelatory. Novelty is tricky — it's a remake of one of animation's most celebrated properties, and while the visual execution is exceptional, it largely retraces familiar territory without yet revealing the Rebuild's divergent ambitions (that comes later in 2.0). The ending is competent, setting up the series continuation without a truly distinctive payoff of its own.