Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is the fourth and final film in the Rebuild of Evangelion series. In Japan it is called Shin Evangelion Gekijoban. The Rebuild films are a new version of the famous 1990s anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, created by Hideaki Anno. Anno wrote the script and was the chief director, with Kazuya Tsurumaki, Katsuichi Nakayama, and Mahiro Maeda as co-directors. It was made by Studio Khara, the company Anno started for these films. The movie is long, about 155 minutes.

The film had a hard road to release. It was delayed several times because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it finally opened in Japan on March 8, 2021. It came out worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on August 13, 2021. Later, small updated versions were released, with improved scenes, for a second theater run in June 2021 and for home video in March 2023. The story stays the same in each version.

The film continues right after the third movie, Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. The world has been badly damaged by huge disasters called "Impacts," and only a few safe places for people are left. Two groups are fighting. One is NERV, the group that once built the giant robots called Evangelions. The other is WILLE, a group of former NERV members who now fight against it. The movie opens with a big action scene in Paris. There, WILLE's crew tries to bring the ruined city back to life while NERV's forces attack.

After that loud start, the film slows down in a surprising way. Shinji Ikari, the young pilot at the center of the series, is in a very dark place after the events of the last film. Together with Asuka and a copy of Rei, he ends up in a small village where survivors try to live a normal life. They farm, work, and look after each other. Shinji, Asuka, and Rei must face life without their robots and decide what kind of people they want to be. Meanwhile, Shinji's father, Gendo, is moving ahead with his own plan, which could change the whole world. WILLE prepares for one last fight to stop it.

At its heart, the film is about growing up, healing, and letting go of the past. Evangelion has always mixed giant robot battles with deep, painful questions about loneliness and family. This movie keeps the huge action and strange images that fans expect, but it also gives the characters room to rest and talk. Many viewers see it as Anno's way of saying goodbye to a story he worked on for over 25 years.

The film was a big success. It made about 10.28 billion yen in Japan, the most of any Evangelion film. Western critics praised its direction, design, and voice acting, and it holds a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans in Japan were more split, especially about the ending. To enjoy it fully, viewers should first watch the three earlier Rebuild films.