Rebuild of Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance 720p - (2009 Lang: English, Japanese, Russian, Sub: Eng Rus)

A Nutshell Review: You Can (Not) Advance...

It's been a long wait, but better late than never I'd say. One of the classic mecha science fiction anime now undergoing a revamp of its own, and despite not having much background knowledge of where the series has headed toward, I still found this installment engaging enough to leave me wanting more especially since it ended on a cliffhanger of sorts, even though it's yet another long wait before the third film hit the screens over here.

Evangelion continues where we last left off in its cinematic version, and the Earth is now under protection by the EVA robots around the world, still piloted by children. There are plans now underway to be more humane though, in piloting the EVAs like unmanned drones from afar, thus keeping the kids out of harm's way. But then there are other plans brewing at sinister levels, which only get hinted at here, clearly sowing the seeds in this installment for something more to come in the future films.

Elements from the earlier film have become staple, and repeated, such as the cheeky way the female characters always get portrayed in teasing the audience / fanboys with various states of dress / near wardrobe malfunction, and hey, besides lead character Shinji Ikari (voiced by Megumi Ogata), every one of his peer pilot seem to be female, and in the opening we're introduced to the pilot for EVA No 5 to start off the film literally with a bang, and EVA No 2's pilot Asuka Langley Shikinami (Yuko Miyamura) in her bright red robot and uniform, in an instant confirming the suspicion that here's one hot chili who isn't afraid to speak her mind. I like this feisty character, who brings a breath of fresh air from the quiet Rei Ayanami (Megumi Hayashibara) and Shinji's pessimism. Other elements would include the countless religious imagery, which is now more in-your-face, and I suppose it should all make sense once the final film rolls around.

The narrative found perfect balance to go a little deeper into the motivation of the various characters, though the kid pilots leave more room as intended for future growth, since Rei is a quiet enigma, Shinji still being the reluctant hero, and Asuka the live-wire who doesn't mince her words, even if criticizing her Japanese counterparts quite pointedly and in some ways, offensively too. A large chunk of the story got devoted to a suggestion of a love triangle that didn't manage to play itself out due to the constant alien threat, but got to a point enough to affect the events that follow, and to make them a sledgehammer for emotions.

Then there's the action sequences, which are still as spectacular. The Angels' designs get weirder, and their attack more powerful of course, though the EVAs have a few more tricks up their sleeves, brought about by really pushing the envelope beyond what has so far been permissible. With humans at the helm of technology, we are always in control and can add that aspect of humanity without allowing technology itself from going berserk. This gets explored and discussed somewhat, especially when a dummy module gets its field day when called upon to override some human inaction, and I assure you your jaw will drop and how enemies get pulverized, which is something which I least expected, in an action-packed, yet moving scene which will get you all riled up. Then again this shows how important it is to have a human mind in control, over something else which dictates its actions through set rules, and executed without a soul of thought.

As a follow up film, this one lived up to the potential set by its predecessor, and expanded upon that universe with more Evangelion protocols, new and improved mecha capabilities, and characters you feel for, while still keeping a lid on the intrigue posed by the organizations NERV and Seele. No prior knowledge of the earlier film is required, though you would be better off to know some basics to enjoy the film a lot more. Needless to say the fans would lap this up, especially when the trailer for the 3rd film gets played after the end credits that offered that sneak peek into what's next, and that antagonizing wait for it to actually happen.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版: 破 Evangerion Shin Gekijōban: Ha, lit. "Evangelion: The New Movie: Break") is a 2009 Japanese animated film directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and Masayuki, and written by Hideaki Anno. It is the second of four films released in the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy based on the original anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was produced and co-distributed by Hideaki Anno's Studio Khara in partnership with Gainax.

The resuscitated skeleton of the Third Angel escapes its confinement and tries to break out of NERV's arctic Bethany Base, but Mari Illustrious Makinami, a new pilot, launches Evangelion Provisional Unit-05 and destroys the Angel by self-destructing the EVA and safely ejecting at the last moment.

Meanwhile, Shinji Ikari and his father Gendo visit Yui's grave. Shortly after, the Seventh Angel attacks, but is quickly dispatched by the newly arrived Unit-02 and its headstrong pilot, Asuka Langley Shikinami. Ryoji Kaji delivers to Gendo a suitcase containing the mysterious "Key of Nebuchadnezzar" and notes that the destruction of Unit-05 went as planned. Gendo and Kozo Fuyutsuki then visit NERV's lunar compound, Tabgha Base, to view the construction of Evangelion Mark.06, which is noted as being different from the other EVAs. They are denied permission to land, but briefly see Kaworu Nagisa sitting in space without a space suit. During Gendo's absence, the Eighth Angel attacks Tokyo-3. Shinji, Asuka, and Rei kill it in an improvised plan devised by Misato Katsuragi. Both Unit-00 and Unit-01 are damaged. Gendo returns and asks to have them both repaired, but SEELE only allows the repair of Unit-01.

In an attempt to heal the relationship between Gendo and Shinji, Rei prepares a dinner party. At the same time, Mari arrives in Tokyo-3. Later, Unit-04 and NERV's U.S. branch are destroyed during an experiment, prompting the U.S. government to send Unit-03 to Tokyo-3. Due to an international agreement that allows no more than three functioning Evangelions per country at a time, NERV seals away Unit-02 and schedules a test of Unit-03 on the same day as Rei's dinner party; Asuka volunteers to take Rei's place as the test pilot. Once Asuka activates Unit-03, the Ninth Angel possesses the EVA and goes on a rampage. Shinji pilots Unit-01, but refuses to fight the Angel for fear of harming Asuka, who is still trapped inside. Gendo orders the activation of the Dummy System, which makes Unit-01 autonomous, and allows it to savagely destroy Unit-03, crushing the cockpit in its teeth. Emotionally wounded by his father's cold decision, Shinji leaves NERV.

Asuka survives, but is grievously injured and placed in quarantine for fear of mental contamination by the Angel. Shinji heads out of the city, but the Tenth Angel attacks, so he flees to an emergency shelter. Gendo fails to activate Unit-01 without Shinji, so Mari hijacks Unit-02 and heads out to fight the Angel alone. She removes Unit-02's restraints and launches an all-out attack, but the Angel severely damages Unit-02. Rei joins the fight with the damaged Unit-00 and charges at the Angel with a missile. The missile detonates, but fails to destroy the Angel. The Angel consumes Unit-00 and integrates it with its own body, allowing it to bypass NERV's defenses.

Upon seeing Rei consumed along with Unit-00, Shinji rushes to Gendo and asks to pilot Unit-01 again. Shinji fends off the Angel, but before he can defeat it, Unit-01 runs out of power and shuts down. Unit-01 reactivates in berserk mode in response to Shinji's rage at the loss of Rei. It easily takes down the Angel, and Shinji uses the EVA to reach inside the Angel's core to save Rei. Unit-01 then starts transcending its physical boundaries to grant Shinji's wish. At the moment Shinji retrieves Rei, Unit-01 pulls Unit-00's core out of the Angel. The Angel explodes and its remains, along with Unit-00's core, are absorbed into Unit-01, fusing them all into one being. Unit-01 then sprouts giant wings of light, and Misato, who has been watching the battle, sees that they are identical to the ones she saw during Second Impact. Ritsuko realizes that the EVA has become a divine being, triggering Third Impact and declares this to be the end of the world.

In a post-credits scene, a spear shoots down from the Moon and impales Unit-01 in the middle of its apotheosis, neutralizing it and stopping Third Impact. Kaworu then descends from the Moon in Mark.06, saying that this time, he will show Shinji true happiness.

The first Rebuild Of Evangelion gave audiences and fans just about the first 6 episodes of the original series with some small differences but showed promise and pointed to the fact that Anno might be heading to a different direction with the Rebuild series than his original Anime show.

You Can (Not) Advance does take the series into a completely new direction and actually changes situations that fans of the original series are familiar with for the better and actually drops the angsty over-philosophical dribble that hurt his original engaging creation. Characters develop new relationships and interact differently from the show. The three EVA pilots from the original series get some great development here and differ a lot from NGE in a very good way. New characters are introduced, stakes are raised and the film has a lot of build up which boils down to one hell of a climax.

The film has a more intense tone this time around and is very fast paced. The action is incredibly engaging and the film is the first in a while that has gotten my heart beating like crazy during the intense action on-screen. The film does give you breathing space with lighthearted interactions between characters and humor and thus makes it less heavy overall than NGE and EOE even though it certainly is more gruesome and still has it's moments of pure nightmare fuel.

The Score of Evangelion is at it's best in this film and truly delivers. It varies from beautifully orchestrated racing score to sweet and engaging J-pop and Anno sure makes the out-of-place songs fit as well as he did in the show and EOE. The entire experience watching this addition to the series is unforgettable and gives me much hope for even more improvement in the next two installments.

Overall the film is a vast improvement for the series and hints at better things to come with it's significant changes and has raised the stakes for the Evangelion universe. Anno seems to have gotten over his depression completely and bloomed into a true crafter of worlds and emotionally charged storytelling.

Anno has truly changed Evangelion for the better...