GKIDS Bringing 'The End Of Evangelion' To US Cinemas
If someone was to ask what was the most influential anime of the 1990's you'd be hard pushed to beat Neon Genesis Evangelion. Hideaki Anno and Gainax's 1995 sci-fi epic was "the giant robot show to end all giant robot shows" (although in reality it spawned dozens of imitators). It's hard to overstate just how big a deal Evangelion was- and in many ways still is.
After having been out of print for a long time, the series made a comeback, first on Netflix and then on Blu-Ray and digital download from GKIDS Films. Now GKIDS have announced that they are bringing the second Evangelion movie The End Of Evangelion to US cinemas for special Event screenings on March 17 and 20 2024. This will mark the first time that the movie has been screened theatrically in the US. The film will screen in Japanese language with English subtitles.
Neon Genesis Evangelion follows teenager Shinji Akari who is "strongly persuaded" by his father to pilot an Evangelion giant robot to defend mankind from attacking enemies known as Angels. With the help of other teenage pilots, Shinji fights the invaders while being unaware of the plans his father has for all of humanity.
Originally released in 1997 The End Of Evangelion was intended to serve as a remake of the final two episodes of the Evangelion TV series. On release the original ending had proved controversial so the movie was supposed to give fans more like the ending they had hoped for. But the end result proved much darker and more disturbing than anyone could have expected.
This final movie version was created as an alternative ending to the NEON GENESIS EVANGELION TV series, remaking the final two episodes from the series. SEELE plans an attack on NERV after failing to create a man-made Third Impact. After reaffirming both her own and her mother’s existence in a state of despair, Asuka returns and begins the counterattack. However, new enemies descend from the heavens. Meanwhile, Shinji witnesses the horrifying wreckage of Asuka’s EVA-02 while piloting EVA-01. Mass production models surround EVA-01 and perform a solemn ceremony. What does it mean to complete a human heart?
GKIDS Films has released the original Evangelion box-set which includes both the original 26 episode TV series and the movies Evangelion :Death (True)2 and The End Of Evangelion. They also released the fourth instalment of The Rebuild Of Evangelion project Evangelion 3.0+ 1.1 Thrice Upon A Time both theatrically and on Blu-Ray and Digital Download. They also distribute Hideaki Anno's earlier series Nadia: Secret Of Blue Water.
Tickets are available now.
