Holy shit did this film rule.
I don't even think 'rule' can suffice to describe how amazingly good it is. If you're not a fan of Eva, it's not gonna do anything to make you instantly a fan but holy shit are the battles, which were already fantastic in the original, legendary. Remember how Lucas remastered The Trilogy and added new shitty details here and there that while nice, didn't really do anything to elevate the overall experience?
Yeah, this kicks the ever-loving out of that concept.
The first confrontation is amazing. There are several brutal Eva-rampage scenes I'm sure all fans love, and most of the top 1 or 2 tend to be Asuka's rampage against the Eva series or the original berserker rampage.
They have managed to elevate the berserker rampage to a level of chaos I never thought imagineable.
If we say 01 raped Sachiel in the series, here he defiled him in ways best left undescribed. The sound is remarkable. Eva's roar is redone and sounds even more psychotic and hell-bent on ravaging the angel. The new look with the neon is sick and Eva's recovery from the wrist damage is FANTASTIC! Which brings up one of the many great consistency changes they brought up, it shows the real form VERY clearly every time the Eva is severely damaged. Instead of magically 'beam healing' the arm pustulates and reforms just like when seen during the fight with Toilet Paper Angel (forget its name). Sachiel's explosion is also wicked into a giant bubbling mound of awful. the entire scene is nothing short of breathtaking.
The second Angel battle is equally updated. This time when Eva grabs the burning whips, we clearly see the human-like hands as the armor is burned off. Not to mention the angel has been beautifully rendered in 3D, Shinji's counter-attack is killer here.
Oh, the Nerv computers and shit, holy crap, they're beautiful. Almost everything has been done in 3D and not some slip-shod job like Japanese films tend to do, they look grand. Remember the huge red flashing emergency signs that light up when the umbilical cord is cut? They're all just slightly computer rendered and it gives them a great look. All the buzzing and beeping sensors all look FANTASTIC.
Shinji's training has also been updated to seem 'computer gamish'. I thought this was silly and the only negative update as since we're accepting they have the technology to make a moving city and giant human/diety human-controlled death cyborgs, they should be able to have realistic computer graphics as was done in the series. But to counter that the training chamber itself is incredibly cool, I don't believe there was anything like in in the series.
Tokyo 3 is fantastic. It's rising scene is like watching the lush backgrounds of Akira move around in 3D. The impossible system of locks and mechanisms involved, (things which are completely unrealistic but I love to see), look incredible and it's cool to see them working with the ideas of moving train cars, etc.
If you weren't a fan of Eva's cerebral side, there's nothing here to bring you on board. The famous scenes where Shinji questions his own/others' actions are all in tact. Some are slightly updated but nothing amazing. From what I can recall there's him recovering from the berserker attack, his running away section, the confrontation in Rei's apartment and his contemplating whether or not to pilot after getting the shit beat out of him by Diamond (forget the name). There are other little bits but those are the main ones with prolonged silence. I can't say they don't stand out....because they do. However....in the pace of the film...they feel almost just right. The film covers a fantastic amount of material in a grand way which took the series much longer and the little contemplative breaks don't feel as unnecessary when the story is moving along at a great pace and the battles are such an AMAZING pay-off.
Before getting the the last battle, as for "Fuck me, I can't believe they did that" moments there was Shinji being brought down to Central Dogma to see Lilith (WOOOOOOOOOOAH) BEFORE Operation Yashima. And then of course the end of the film, fucking Kaoru living and talking with Seele on the Moon. GAH
But yes, Diamond....Diamond was one of my favorite angels because it was just kind of this thing that was there and....while that's true for this version, in addition to that it's also a shape-shifting death machine!!!!! Fuck me! The thing pulls instant geometric transformations into anything from shields to beam cannons, it's KUUUUUH-RAZY! And it's blasts are animated with extreme care. Which brings me to Operation Yashima.
I was wondering how they could make this into the finale. I dunno, it was neat as the turning point in Rei and Shinji's relationship, but I never thought it was all that climatic a battle compared to some of the other more time-oriented battles. They were essentially fighting a giant surgeon's drill. I'll be damned if this battle wasn't Japanese animation perfection. Tension, drama, action and cool factor all play heavily and well in the final showdown. Rei's guarding of Shinji just.....you have to see it. And the blasts that Diamond sends out.....Don't you ever get pissed when you watch anime that smokes blocks the damage from all blasts? Well I think this is the first time I ever saw a realistically drawn beam actually shown burning through/down a fucking mountain. It's sick. The rifle and shield both look incredibly good (updated for the film) and 01 looks fucking badass holding the thing like a beam cannon. Just an amazing tense battle that I never believed they could pull off as something as big as a film finale. But they did and it's so worth it.
Every angel battle in the film is on the same level as Asuka VS the Eva series. They're that ferocious. It also helps that the music is updated as well. The 'Angel's Theme' (dunno real name) actually has Latin-ish lyrics now during the fight with Squidy (again with the name) and it just comes out beautiful.
The only bad thing I have to say about it is the update making the simulation game-like, that's about it. Other than that I can't think of anything made worse, they somehow managed to take Eva's BEST moments and make them even better. In the past 5 or so years I've been continually let down by mecha/battle Japanese animation for either doing things half-assed, or doing something cool, only to have it last for mere moments. The battles in this film are long and brutal and satisfying. You can't ask more than that.
I can't wait for the next film, it looks like there's an entirely new Eva unit (no not the one from America) and as the other reviewer mentioned, a new female character with brown hair and glasses.
Oh, and uh, they show Rei's nipples like twice.
edit:
Yeah, I just watched some Youtube of the original battle with Ramiel (Diamond) and it does not even come fucking close. No way. The film is amazing. If you didn't care for Eva's angst but thought the battles had promise, you NEED to see this movie.