The landmark anime Evangelion evolves, reaching new heights of intensity in the feature film: Evangelion 2.22. In this explosive new story, brutal action and primal emotion clash as a group of young pilots maneuver their towering cyborg Eva Units into combat against a deadly and disturbing enemy.

In the battle to prevent the apocalyptic Third Impact, Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity's hopes on their shoulders. Now, as the onslaught of the bizarre, monstrous Angels escalates, they find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots, the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. In this thrilling experience for fans of giant robot destruction, the young pilots fight desperately to save mankind - and struggle to save themselves.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1260 in DVD
• Brand: Funimation
• Released on: 2011-03-29
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Widescreen, Color
• Original language: Japanese, English
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Dimensions: .26 pounds
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.com
In You Can (Not) Advance, the second installment in his four-feature retelling of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hideaki Anno diverges further from the original story line--and pushes the visual boundaries of his epic. Shinji and Rei share a more amicable relationship, but Shinji's fragile calm is shattered by the arrival of pilot Asuka Langley Shikinami. She single-handedly destroys the Seventh Angel, a fantastic creature that suggests a tarantula designed by Gustave Eiffel. This version of Asuka is even more abrasive than the original, and complains more bitterly about being ordered to share quarters with Shinji. When the experimental Eva that Asuka is testing mutates, Commander Ikari forces Shinji to attack it, even though it may cause her death. Horrified at his brutality, Shinji quits--until a new, more powerful Angel strikes at NERV headquarters. Seeing Rei absorbed by the Angel, Shinji charges back to rescue her. The power supply to his Eva fails, but Shinji forces it to continue fighting through sheer will power. It mutates into what Ritsuko calls "a divine being" that may cause the Third Impact. While the story line of the films is tighter than the TV program, it's no less convoluted: Kaji brings Commander Ikari "the Key of Nebuchadnezzar"; the SEELE cabal continues their plotting to bring about the Human Instrumentality Project, which is somehow linked to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Anno adds some new characters, notably pilot Mari Makinami Illustrious. The larger budget of the feature films is clearly evident: the backgrounds are more carefully rendered, the cinematography more imaginative, the animation more polished and special effects more special. The scenes of the three Evas running in a coordinated attack have unprecedented weight and power. The prismatic colors, thunderous explosions, and eerie lighting in the final battle show that like the original TV series, Anno's new vision will be influencing artists on both sides of the Pacific for years to come. The Neon Genesis Evangelion movies are must-haves for any otaku or student of animation, and fans can only wait impatiently until the third film appears. (Rated PG-13: violence, nudity, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

Most helpful customer reviews

190 of 203 people found the following review helpful.
Sheer brilliance
By Daniel J. Eckert
For those who don't know, the Rebuild of Evangelion series is a four-part theatrical remake of the infamous anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Evangelion was a deconstruction of the Giant Robot genre. The original series was very much love it or hate it. The polarizing issues ranged from the characters' notorious pyscholgical problems, to the confusing final two episodes, to the show's use of rather horrific imagery, peppered with pieces of Christian and Kabbalistic symbolism, resulting in one of the most brutal, influential, and controversial examples of Anime. I liked the original series, but I was fully aware of its flaws, and I considered it to be a flawed masterpiece.

Now onto Rebuild of Evangelion. Evangelion 1.0 sums up the first 6 episodes, with the continuity changed slightly, and the Angel fights given a massive makeover. I enjoyed it very much, and while it is very similar to the original, it sets the stage for Evangelion 2.0.

Now as for Eva 2.0...
IT. IS. AMAZING! This film seriously ranks among my all time favorite movies. It fully brings the Rebuild series into its own. It composes of roughly episodes 7-19. This results in many of the Angel fights being cut, but a couple new Angels are added as well, but the timing feels well-paced. It also addresses the show's polarizing aspects. The infamously broken characters are given some well placed adjustments. For example, Asuka in the original was known for being a rather narcissitic bitch with a very traumatic childhood. But in Eva 2.0, some of her more redeeming qualities are shown. The second half the the movie drastically alters the continuity with the original show, revealing that Rebuild will truly shine as its own work, instead of just remaking the original. I don't want to spoil anything, but after seeing this you will have a newfound respect for our hero, everyone's favorite whiner, Shinji Ikari. The ending is one of those rare combinations of heartwarming and terrifying, with a helping of badass. Compare that to the original ending, which was notoriously confusing, or the concluding movie End of Evangelion, which was just plain terrifying.

I recommend this to all Anime fans, but especially to those who've seen the original, whether they liked it or not. An absoloutly mind-blowing experience.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Review of the Film itself
By michael moreno
To understand truly how great this film is you should watch the original TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion which this Tetralogy is based on. The differences and improvements to the characters may seem subtle, but in a 2 hour film those differences are magnified compared to a 26 episode series which had a lot of time to develop characters.

That being said the animation, CG, lighting, etc are incredible and I can't remember seeing anime action look so incredible in a long time. I watched the English subtitled version of this film and voice acting and subtitles where fine, don't know about the English dub but the voice actors are supposed to be the same from the TV series so they probably did a fine job.

Also in case you don't know this is the 2nd out of 4 films, so if you haven't seen the 1st film you will be lost and be prepared to want more once the film is over. This film I will recommend to anyone regardless of a preference to anime or not, this is a great sci-fi, action, and drama mixed together. I will make my friend who was angry by the ending that the TV series left us with watch this because it improves and clarifies the story the second time around.

The TV series in the end failed to tie everything together, still the TV series ranks in my Top 5 TV series ever. I can only hope the films complete the story. But judging by the first 2 films I would have to say they are right on track.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
Profound and Moving Anime
By Godfrey Carmichael
If you loved the first incarnation of Evangelion, you will love this one even more. Hideaki Anno is re-envisioning the story. It reminds me more of The End of Evangelion. What does it mean? Hell, who cares. One gets the feeling that Anno is continuing to explore his own psycho-sexual depths. Beautiful. Can't wait for the next one.