Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time review: A lasting send-off

Evangelion has always been an iconic anime, so it seems fitting that it’s finale movie was of equal spectacle and introspection.

Despite making its debut in 1995, Neon Genesis Evangelion has continued to be one of the most popular animes of all time. The sci-fi thriller written by creator Hideaki Anno single-handedly shaped what we know as the mecha genre today. And now, the highly anticipated fourth and final film in his Rebuild of Evangelion film series is finally here.

With the movie heading to UK cinemas, fans have been chomping at the bit to see how this epic existential sci-fi story plays out. Since anime movies – meaning anime movies from anime series – can often be seen as let downs, so it was a big deal to see whether or not Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time would live up to the hype.

Thankfully, this seems to be exactly the case, as the finale movie offers just as much action, horror, and heart, and the classic series does. Let’s get into it, but first: Warning – Minor spoilers ahead!

Thrice Upon a Time allows for a lot of humanity

The movie follows this synopsis: “Misato and her anti-NERV group Wille arrive at Paris, a city now red from core-ization. Crew from the flagship Wunder land on a containment tower. They only have 720 seconds to restore the city. When a horde of NERV Evas appear, Mari’s improved Eva Unit 8 must intercept. Meanwhile, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei wander about Japan.”

As you can probably tell, there’s a lot happening, so it’s no wonder that the movie is 155 minutes long. It feels long, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The wait almost feels like you too are waiting for the end of the world, as the movie allows dread to slowly creep up inside of you. There’s a haunting introspectiveness as well as an odd mundanity to this ends of days, which is something we’ve now experienced all too well.

But there’s plenty of lightness amongst these quiet slow moments. So much of the movie follows Rei as she discovers different facets of ordinary humanity. While there is sometimes some over the top voice acting, the movie’s ensemble works, as it helps create a more vast environment for our leads to explore, making for some of the film’s best scenes.

But some of the other best scenes are tough to watch, such as Shinji’s constant self loathing, and his fights with Asuna. One aspect of the franchise that has never gone out of fashion is in how viscerally it shows the effects of war on child soldiers, so much so that in-text these soldiers are now trapped in their teenage bodies. This is only heightened by a bigger focus on Shinji’s strained relationship with his father, highlighting the cruelty of adults during wartime.

There’s a lot we can’t wrap our heads around

Like most Evangelion movies, the plot is dense, and the dialogue full of both philosophical and technical onslaught. New information is thrown at us a lot, to the point where you may struggle to keep up, but perhaps this is to put us in the shoes of our characters who are feeling increasingly out of their depth.

The dialogue also feels very meta, perhaps too much so. Anno and co-directors Tsurumaki Kazuya, Maeda Mahiro, and Nakayama Katsuichi have worked with these characters for decades now, so they no doubt are having an even harder time saying goodbye.

Because of this, it would seem to the keen eye that the movie continuously breaks the fourth wall, meta-textually addressing both the characters are creators, in such a way that is ignorable, but perhaps a bit too on the nose for some. For example, the last images that flash onscreen in the TV series are a written message: “Thank you, Father. Goodbye, Mother. And to all the children: Congratulations.”

Evangelion will always be known for its mecha battles

Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Evangelion has always been praised for its fights, and Thrice Upon a Time is no different. There is some occasional odd sound mixing, but asides from that, the battles, particularly the finale, are breath-taking.

The movie once again goes meta, but this time for the best. Similar to movies such as the Spider-Verse flicks, Thrice Upon a Time references all different kinds of mediums, from video games, to hand drawn animation, to live action, as the fight blasts through all modes of reality. It’s clearly a painstaking labor of love that doesn’t hide its labor, as well as giving an incredibly fun trip down memory lane of all the previous battles in the franchise.

The action also contrasts expertly with the movie’s ending. We won’t spoil it here, but by once again mixing mediums, it allows a atmosphere of peace and finality, reconciling past versions of Evangelion with a new, fresh context, while finally giving characters the closure that they never experienced in the past. It’s a beautiful way to close out the franchise.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time review score: 4/5

Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time, for how much it throws at you, still manages to carry you along clearly. It combines creative action and animation, along with tough emotions and head-scratching conundrums. So much so, it defines what made the mecha anime so special: It’s messy depiction of humanity, of existence, and all the horror that comes with it.

This movie is no doubt set to be a landmark moment in anime history, just as all of its past iterations have been. While this is not the first finale for the franchise – and who knows, it may not be the last – it certainly would be enough to satisfy anyone. Now get in the robot.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time is in UK cinemas as of October 6. Find out how you can watch it here.

You can check out our other anime coverage here.