THE MOVIE

Welcome To The Apocalypse.

At the dawn of the new millennium, mankind has awakened a threat unlike any faced before - the Angels. Conventional weapons are useless against them. They can only be stopped by means of the Evangelions - bio-engineered vessels born from the Angels' own technology. But this forbidden knowledge is also the key to bringing about a startling new genesis for the human race. Placed in the hands of three young pilots, the final fate of humanity resting upon their shoulders, the Evas are the world's last hope.

The first time I saw this series I was genuinely surprised. I had watched many anime series before and found them to be pompous and preachy. Too focused on establishing some kind of religious undertone in a series that often ran on too long with convoluted stories that relied on a heavy back history. The thing about Evangelion was that it started at the start and took the audience along with it, they grew and learnt with the characters. Sharing in their adventures and developing a fuller understanding of the show’s world.

So it was with great interest that I checked out this film which slots in at the end of the series. While this is an enjoyable show and defiantly a must watch for fans of the series I would have liked a little more independence from the series. Sure I know it is wrapping things up but they make it out to be a film in itself, which it isn’t really. Still it’s worth watching.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

The TV series animation was never great and this has transferred to DVD, they even use bits of the original series, which are cropped for the new widescreen ration (1.70:1). Still I am assuming that this DVD is only going to be bought by fans and hence they are used to this animation style and shouldn’t have a problem with it.

Detail is nice and clear and the lines are strong. Colors are good, in fact they’re probably better than they are in the series. The only problem with this transfer is some aliasing and the already mentioned cropping of footage. But overall it is decent enough.

Audio:

This DVD features an English 5.1 and a Japanese 2.0 audio track. Of course the Japanese is the track of choice despite not being 5.1 and only because it’s the original language. Everything is clear and easy to hear and the syncing is pretty good.

Music is very important in Japanese animation and here it is given a classy treatment. It sounds amazing and draws upon many classical influences to create its wonderful tone and atmosphere.

While the 5.1 track is more dynamic due to the bigger soundfield, effects and alike I still preferred the Japanese. Still, if you must watch it in English you’ll be treated to a wonderful presentation.

THE EXTRAS

The DVD authors have really gone to town on the extras and first up we have an audio commentary. This commentary isn’t very good to tell you the truth as it involves people who were involved in the change over of the film from Japanese to English. It is self-indulgent and because I think it should have been left in Japanese I don’t really care about what these people have to say. Still it is here for those who are interested.

Next we have an information track which comes up at certain stages during the film allowing you to select information about the upcoming scenes. This is a great extra and provides some good information.

We also get some trailers, notes and a photo gallery.

SUMMARY

This is a must have for fans and it is presented very well. However, if you’ve never seen anything from this series before I suggest you go back and check out some of the series DVDs they are excellent.