8.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The second film in the four-part silver-screen remake of sci-fi anime classic Neon Genesis Evangelion, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance continues the familiar story established in the first film, while also reimagining the series with new characters and arcs. Picking up where You Are (Not) Alone left off, the second feature introduces two more EVA pilots - Asuka who moves in with Shinji and Misato and throws their world into further confusion, and new character Mari, a mysterious pilot from Europe. As the war against the Angels rages on, more light is shed on the true motives and powers behind NERV and Gendo Ikari and SEELE's secret project.
Starring: Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Hayashibara, Megumi Ogata, Yuko Miyamura, Akira IshidaForeign | 100% |
Anime | 94% |
Sci-Fi | 47% |
Action | 46% |
Adventure | 25% |
Teen | 17% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 6.1
English: Dolby TrueHD 6.1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 6.1 (48kHz, 16-bit); English: Dolby TrueHD 6.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
If you’ve ever wondered what all the hype about anime is all about, there’s probably no better place to start than with the phenomenon known as Evangelion. This multimedia avalanche of a project began with a much beloved television series called Neon Genesis Evangelion which soon erupted into all sorts of tie-in products, and eventually a revisionist film series, of which Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance is the second installment in a proposed four film set. Filmmakers have often returned to their original versions to recast them in “Director’s Cuts” or some similarly verbiaged editions. But there has probably been nothing close to the “extreme makeover” the Evangelion cycle has undergone with these films. If Evangelion 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone gave longtime fans a major twist or two along the way as it revisited the first half dozen or so of the original television series’ episodes, it at least hewed a fairly straight and narrow course through the basic story elements the television series had set up; Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance on the other hand so drastically alters the Evangelion universe that the original source material seems like a distant religious text which has been reinterpreted for a modern vocabulary. And that’s only fitting, as Evangelion is one of the most religiously obsessed anime in the entire history of the genre. Sometimes the allusions to the Judeo-Christian tradition are flat out obvious, as when attacks result in huge crosses of light which penetrate the post-Apocalyptic Tokyo sky. At other times, they’re decidedly more subtle, and probably will be caught by only those with special “insider” knowledge, as when an overhead shot resembles the Jewish Kabbalistic Tree of Life. But as I mentioned in my review of Evangelion 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone, even those without any particular religious proclivities will probably catch the bolder statements this series offers in both the visual realm as well as actual plotlines. This is a series absolutely caught up with salvation and revelation, two age old tropes of virtually every religion out there. While longtime fans will probably be able to eke out more of the ins and outs of Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance, as with the first revisionist film, newcomers won’t be entirely left in the dark, as the film not only continues the Evangelion saga with a great deal of momentum, it actually works as a standalone film in and of itself, though some of its more subtle character moments will probably be lost on those not familiar with the labyrinthine Evangelion universe.
Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance blasts onto Blu-ray with a brilliantly sharp and colorful AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is one of the nicest looking anime Blu-rays we've yet been offered, with a really nice combination of CGI and traditional cel animation. The disparity between the two kinds of techniques is artfully handled, but some may find the hand drawn elements to be lacking in the "wow" factor that the CGI elements display. As with the previous Evangelion film, this offering fairly erupts with bright color and some really gorgeously rendered lighting effects. Effulgent streams of light are almost volcanic at times throughout the film, and there is a really sumptuous array of gorgeously saturated colors utilized throughout.
I'm a little bit torn about which audio track to recommend to first time viewers of Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance, but the good news is, whichever you do choose to listen to, you're going to get a bombastically fun audio ride courtesy of two lossless Dolby TrueHD 6.1 tracks, one in English and the other in the original Japanese. The issue with the Japanese is that there is a wealth of background "noise", as in supplementary levels of dialogue (almost like in a Howard Hawks film) which is simply not dealt with in the English subtitles. Also, some of the characters attempt halting quasi- English on the Japanese track (don't ask me why), and it can be quite difficult to understand them. For that reason, I'm leaning toward recommending that you stick with the English dub, which is really rather artful, for your first excursion through Evangelion. That way you get all of the multilayers of information, especially within the bowels of NERV. Later, you can go back and experience the original Japanese track and not feel like you're missing anything. One way or the other, both of these tracks are absolutely a whirlwind of surround activity, with boisterous LFE erupting from the subwoofer and a virtually nonstop array of effects populating the surrounds. While the mix is intentionally quite busy most of the time, clarity is never sacrificed in either mix, and dialogue is always presented cleanly and crisply. One niggling complaint for some may be the at times obtrusive and really rather anachronistic score, which at times at least doesn't really seem to support the onscreen action.
For the record I have seen some sites promoting this as a two-BD set, with most of the extras on a second Blu-ray. The review copy I was provided with featured everything on one Blu-ray, and from what I've been able to ferret out online, there's nothing missing on this one disc version.
Evangelion is one of those rare enterprises that not only lives up to its hype, it actually exceeds it a lot of the time. While this series, both in its original television incarnation as well as these filmic revisions, may not be as innovative as the franchise's most ardent fans insist, there's no denying that in the long run that really doesn't matter as much as the intriguing characters, knockout action sequences and incredibly complex plotlines. This second Blu-ray release in the proposed four film set once again offers stunning image quality and exuberant sound design courtesy of two great lossless tracks, and this release is most definitely Very highly recommended.
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