The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I did not watch the original 26 episodes series but I watched in these days all Evangelion films, because of the high ratings: Death and Rebirth (a recompilation of the original series), The End (a rewriting of the End of the series, still considered one of the best Anime ever), and then the last three, 1 and 2 which reboot the series apparently without mayor changes, and 3 which goes in new territories. At first I will write about Evangelion in general, and then about this specific movie here. In all Evangelion the writer touched any possible demagogic stereotype and cliché on earth: father/son relationship, Oedipus complex, a bit of the typical Manga Style sexuality, cheap psychology, and a huge amount of very cheap esoterism with symbolisms of all kind. My opinion? A big omelet of everything, which finally means absolutely nothing. Wiki says that after the failure of his previous works (which he judged as childish) he wanted to make something "deeper". My impression is that he did not even try to BE deeper, rather just to SEEM deeper in order to impress the audience. And I am afraid that only the Naive could be impressed by such a confused mess.I can still see why this show had success: Evas are cool, fights too, and there is enough mix of drama, action, teenage nerd sexuality in the typical Japanese style, and some sort of epic. I suppose that if you are younger than me and without any knowledge of psychology or esoterism, and a bit nerd, you may enjoy this works pretty much more than I did.About this film: although it is almost a copy and past of the original series under many aspects, the graphics are of course better. This beginning catch the attention and creates enough wish to keep going on and to understand what is really happening in that fictional words and in the inner world of the characters. If I had not seen how it is going to evolve with the number 3, I would suggest this film nevertheless the esoteric omelet and the cheap psychology. Having seen the number 3, I must warn you that you may be disappointed. But I would still suggest the vision of this film. People have to make their own experiences, and chances there are, that as so many people enjoyed this series, many more will, no matter what I think of it.

Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone permeates limitless possibilities and pathways in a story so connective and universal yet shakes the foundations of the genres on which it stands on so much a new and profound experience emerges from its daring. Young Shinji Ikari arrives in Tokyo-3, a city rebuilt after a cataclysmic event called Second Impact that shed the world of half the human population, to meet and work for his estranged father. It turns out he only wants his son now to pilot a giant humanoid machine named Evangelion Unit 01 made to stop unknown beings referred to as Angels from eradicating the rest of humanity. Shinji is shocked and broken hearted but nonetheless agrees to pilot it. The question he now asks is why?Evangelion 1.0 wants to know the answer. Besides saving humanity from eminent destruction, what does Shinji want, desire, need or even get from piloting such a contraption? Praise from the world? Respect? Purpose? His father's love? As Shinji begs for the answer to these questions the city befalls attacks by Angels that serve more than just an excuse for action scenes. When the Angels attack Shinji sees the sides of people around him he never saw before. It forces him and the others around him to understand their relationship to one another.One of these is Shinji's follow pilot Rei Ayanami, a cool and collected girl who spends better part of the movie giving a ponderous stare into space more or less oblivious to those around her. When she does react she hardly seems to understand her own feelings. Shinji asks her why she pilots an Evangelion and her answer is as simple and contemplative as the movie.The film is the first in a planned production of four films that re-imagine the 90s series Neon Genesis Evangelion. One of the most remarkable things about this movie is how easily the episodes translate into the arch of a feature length film. Despite that the movie is as much if not more so for viewers who have never seen the series. The movie itself refines certain points left unclear in the original show, making this version more clear and understandable for old and new viewers alike.Though the final film in the set of four promises a completely new end to the story, old fans will find the first movie very familiar. However old fans who pay close attention to certain scenes in this movie will learn that the film does more than retell the story and in the process may redefine two of the most overused formats ever in the history of cinema.

I knew it was supposed to be a summarized version of first quarter of the original Evangelion TV series, but I expected more new scenes or at least major difference in every scene like the Doraemon remake "Nobita no kyôryû 2006" (Nobita's Dinosaur 2006). The animation retains the original 1995 style and definitely more detailed compared to anything made in the '90s, but nothing remarkable compared to most other 2007 anime films. Practically all scenes are produced using the original storyboard and layouts devoid of any new camera angles or cuts. In fact, it's better to prepare yourself for a "digitally remastered recap" release than anything new. TV-anime/OVA and theatrical features work on completely different level of budgets and deadlines. Animation quality in this film is so-so at best in movie standards. The new 3D Angels, especially Ramiel, were protrusive against the 2D cel animation in the background.I have only watched the TV series twice, when it was aired in 1995 (missed 3 or 4 episodes), and once more in 2003. For me, it was a carbon copy of the TV series, except a few new scenes of mechanical aspects of "New Tokyo 3" and the teaser in last 30 seconds of the film. Other than slight improvement in graphics, which I can barely notice because my eyes are used to much better animation in recent years, I have detected no difference in 98% of the screen time. What I'm trying to say, is that I wasted 100 minutes of my life watching a long rerun.To be honest, I didn't like the TV series at all. I enjoyed the first few episodes as I did for many Japanese mecha series, but they focused too much on Ikari Shinji's hesitation and despair in piloting Eva after that point. I watched this film in hope that maybe I was too young to fully appreciate this series back then, and enjoy more this time, but even after 26 episodes and a rerun movie, Ikari Shinji only seems nothing more than a really dumb and weak kid who likes to exaggerate his emotions all the time. It was frustrating to watch, and in the end, the only thing I gained from watching this 'movie' was a 30 second teaser for the upcoming sequel.Maybe anime otakus who watched the TV series over and over can spot subtle differences and get a kick out of it, but for a casual anime viewer like me, it was a 100 minute long rerun. It wasn't even a movie. I don't understand why the producers felt the need to make this so-called cinematic release other than reviving a dead franchise for the sole purpose of making more money.Frankly, I am very shocked and disappointed to see this so-called movie's comments on IMDb were all rave reviews. I hope I Am (Not) Alone in this sentiment.

When I learn that there was a remake of the classic series, i asked myself, what kind of mess are they getting themselves into? After the opening few moments of the movie, i only said to myself, how wrong was i to underestimate the decision ... because easily this could be one of the best animes ever made in history.First off, years ago, i was decently hooked on the TV series version. When i finished it, i was honestly quiet upset that the plot was going to heck at many points, not providing a decent link to things. I always liked the earlier episodes where Shinji and gang battle all the angels that attacked, but i didn't quite enjoy how things were towards the end ...Death & Rebirth was a good attempt to try to provide a better ending to the series. But frankly i always felt it wasn't enough ... years later, thank god we may have the best version of the Evangelion saga in the making ... starting with "You Are (Not) Alone".Not just additional artwork and more CG enhancements are added into the movie, the story summarizes the opening few episodes of the original series and (this is my own opinion) tweaked the script alittle. It's a lot easier to understand the plot and intention of the characters, and with all the plot making more sense than the original series, all you need next is the action.The fights between the angels and the Eva 01 (and 00') are much more interesting to watch, as the fights seem much longer and more details are added into how the battles are fought. Remember the first time Shinji pilots the EVA01 into battle and it went berserk? I'm much more excited this time when i watched the fight scene! As for the cinematic experience, i don't think watching it on DVD does this movie any justice. If you can, do attempt to catch this in a CINEMA because the experience is very much rewarding! I'm thankful i didn't miss this movie version, it's worth every cent i paid! I don't need to go into the plot of the movie, you can easily pick it up from internet sites, just know that this isn't the end yet and business is going to pick up once the next one comes along. Shinji is still how everyone remembers him to be ... the hedgehog dilemma comes into mind when you talk about him and he's still like that in this movie! I hope this comment will send more people rushing into the cinema to catch this movie, after i was done, i felt sorry that so many seats in the cinema are empty ... everyone has missed out on this masterpiece edition of the Evangelion series!