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SUMMARY

In the year 2000, a meteor crashes into the Antarctic. Called the Second Impact, this causes massive flooding and an environmental disasters all across the globe. In the resulting chaos, a new United Nations was formed, under the auspices of a group called Seele. Using information from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Seele knows that strange creatures called Angels are coming. According to the scrolls, if the angels succeed in their mission, the Earth will be destroyed.

Fifteen years later, the organization known as NERV has been created. It's purpose is to defeat the Angels by any means necessary.

It has been two days since the battle between Shinji and the finial angel Kaoru. Afraid of Rei and Misato, he attempts to find solace with Asuka. Unfortunately, she is unconscious from her battle with the 15th angel called Ariel.

Now that all of the angels are gone, NERV is on the verge of being shut down. At the same time, Misato finally discovers the truth, but has little time to examine it.

Under orders from Seele, the UN launches a bloody attack, killing everyone they can. During this confusion, Gendo enacts his own plan, leaving Fuyutsuki and Misato to deal with the attack. Fully aware of Seele's plan, Misato knows that the soldier's targets are the Eva pilots. Now she must rescue them from a danger far worse than any angel, mankind.

Will the world survive?

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: This is the best looking version of Death and Rebirth I have seen to date. There are no defects, artifacts, color bleeds or pixels. The motion is fluid, and the image is sharp and clear. Compared to Hong Kong DVD and the Japanese Laser Disc disc, neither can beat this transfer.

AUDIO: There are 3 audio tracks on the Alpha side of the disc; English 5.1 and 2.0 mix and a Japanese 2.0.

The 5.1 will knock your socks off. The sound comes at you from all sides, with a perfect mix of music, dialogue, and sound effects. Quite loud in volume, you may find yourself scrambling to turn it down.

The English 2.0 is much more subdued. While there are some good surround sound elements, it does not pack the punch the 5.1 does. The Japanese 2.0 is clear and has a little more volume than that of the English 2.0

On the Omega side, there is the same English 2.0 mix for the movie, and a commentary track. With the commentary, the speakers are in the foreground, with the movie coming from the sides and the back.

EDITS: Absolutely no edits. Taking a different approach than ADV, Manga Entertainment has not replaced the Kanji with English titles.

EXTRAS: Plenty. The Omega side of the disc contains a full version of the movie with an information section that can either be accessed while watching the movie, or through the menu. There is also an audio commentary with Amanda Winn Lee (Director and voice of Rei), Jason Lee (producer and voice of Aoiba) and Talesen Jaffe (voice actor and director).

A picture gallery, and movie trailers are also included.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Quite an amazing movie. Wrapping up all the loose threads, Hideaki Anno has given us the first half of the ending we expected for Evangelion. This is a pretty straightforward film, compared to the twists and turn of the TV series. Anno has done a great job of blending the action, drama, and suspense into a clear and concise script.

ACTING: Having enjoyed the ADV English dub, I was very disappointed with Manga's version. While the original actors do a good job, the new "replacement" just don't past muster. The voice actors for Fuyutsuki and Maya are especially bad. Also during the first half of the film, it seems like everyone was bummed out for having to redo the dialogue The delivery was pretty flat and monotone through most of it.

The Japanese cast, on the other hand, do a fantastic job. Putting the right amount of emotion into the scene, you can enjoy their exhilaration as they win, and feel their pain when they loose. Yukio Miamura really shines in these episodes as she transforms from comatose patient, to royally pissed off hero.

FAN SERVICE: Mostly tight clothes and boob shots. There is some nudity, but nothing sexual.

CONCLUSION

It is the year 2015............

With that simple statement started one of the most interesting experiences in Anime, Neon Genesis Evangelon.

A joint venture of Gainax (Nadia and Gunbuster) and Tatsunoko (Macross and Mach Go Go Go), Evangelion appeared to be (at least on the surface) the traditional story about a boy and his robot. Peal away that veneer, and you find a story that covers such a wide range of topics like, family relationships, psychology, religion, and the enpowerment of women in Japan.

When Evangelion ended, the fans were up in arms. So many questions had been left unanswered. Questions like; what caused the third impact? What happened to everyone? Is Shinji insane? What exactly was the third impact?

Death and Rebirth is Gainax's attempt to answer some of those questions.

As the movie begins, we see the Second Impact from the vantage point of a security monitor. We hear several on going discussions about what they are trying to do, and if it is the right thing.

For the remaining 65 minutes, we jump back and forth to many different points in the series. Several key events are expanded or redone, which help to solidify some of the dangling plot points. More than a recap, it is a way to refresh the viewer on a very complex and fascinating story line.

The second half of the movie (called Rebirth), starts a couple of days after episode 25. With all of the angels now defeated, the NERV staff contemplate their future. Will they be shut down, or absorbed into the Japanese military. At the same time, Gendo and Seele argue about how to initiate the Human Instrumentality Program. Misato is also conducting her own investigation about what Seele is up to. Using the data given to her by her ex-boyfriend Kaiji, she discovers that humankind has reached the end of its development. She now understands that the main purpose of the Human Instrumentality Program; to jump start mankind's evolution by using the EVA's.

Eager to implement their version of the project, Seele decides to take over NERV. After revoking NERV's protective status with the UN, Seele launches a computer attack. Using the MAGI computers from Germany, China, and America their attack almost succeeds until Dr. Ritsuko Akagi stops them with her 666 firewall program. With the hope for a peaceful take over of NERV gone, Seele orders the Japanese Government to commence with a physical attack.

The Japanese forces arrive, with two objectives. The first is to capture NERV Headquarters. The second is to kill all personnel they can find, including the pilots of the Evangelions.

Now Misato must find a way stop Seele and save the Earth. Problem is, Asuka is still comatose, Rei is missing, and Shinji is so depressed, he wants to die.

Pretty intense, "Rebirth" sets the stage for the next movie. Many secrets are revealed, but to do so here will spoil the experience.

If you are reading this review, and are totally lost with the events going on, I would strongly recommend that you obtain AD Vision's 8 volume release of the television series. Do not count on the "Birth" segment to fill in all the plot points.

Evangelion: Death and Rebirth is an excellent DVD, both technicality, and story wise. With plenty of action, drama, and beautiful animation, this movie became an instant classic. Manga has done a great job in presenting this wonderful film.

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