Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth by Hideaki Anno, Masayuki, and Kazuya Tsurumaki (1997)
Although it’s technically a recap of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series — the first 24 episodes, anyway — Death & Rebirth really only makes sense if you’ve already seen the original series. And even then, just barely. If you haven’t seen the original series, then I suspect Death & Rebirth will just leave you all the more clueless and confused as Hideaki Anno and his team deliver a blitzkrieg of new and old footage that seems intentionally jumbled, opaque, and labyrinthine. Of course, words like “opaque” and “labyrinthine” are easily employed to describe Evangelion as a whole, with its mishmash of psychoanalysis, coming-of-age melodrama, family trauma, and Judeo-Christian mysticism. Oh, and giant mechs battling bizarre alien creatures. Overall, Death & Rebirth feels less like an effort to sum up the Evangelion story and more like an attempt to simply convey the Evangelion mood. That said, the “Rebirth” portion of the movie does offer some striking new footage as a teaser for The End of Evangelion, which was released four months after Death & Rebirth. However, The End of Evangelion ultimately redid this new footage, making Death & Rebirth the least essential title in the Evangelion franchise. Even so, like all things Evangelion, it’s still fascinating and compelling in places — if you already know the story, that is.
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