Sean O'Carrey, Pilot of EVA Unit One
I have been reading with some interest the speculations regarding the announced Evangelion movie. I have seen more than one poster express scepticism as to whether a 90 minute to two and a half hour movie could properly encompass all of the story and subtext of this infuential series. To be honest I don't think it would be entirely ncessary to do it all in one movie.
My thought is that it would be wise to do it all in three movies, which in all honesty would probably still be pushing things, considering having to consolidate 13 hours of anime, but it would have a better chance of succeeding. I don't see ADV getting the upwards of 300million it would take to make all three concurrently, but if smartly done, one could make a first feature that covers the events of the first six episodes, using the city powered sniper shoot-out as the climactic set piece and hanging the dramatic hook on the burgeoning relationship of Shinji and Rei. This would still be an expensive enterprise, but since the sniper battle, and its two proceeding fights occur on a smaller scale than later angel conficts, money could be saved.
If done well this film would still wow a general audience, who would still at large never have seen anything like EVA, and provide funding for a more ambitious second film, in which Asuka and the dynamics surrounding her would be introduced. I suggest saving Asuka for the second film not to slight her, but rather because of the fact that in many film series, the second is the best one. This film would also introduce Kaji and delve into the skullduggery around Nerv. I imagine that the A story of Shinji, and Rei getting used to their own personal Han Solo, in the guise of Asuka would parallel the B story of Kaji's investigation/sabotage, making this films climax be around the forced blackout episode were the three have to work together to deal with the suspected sabotage. Or they could go the Wrath of Kahn, Empire Strikes Back, X-Men United route of having a noble sacrifice, and squeeze in the fall out of Toji's maiming.
One could then go on to a third film were all the apocaplytic stuff would happen. The mainstreamers would still complain, but by then the film makers could have three films under their belts, and several hundred million bucks in their wallets.
These films would be retellings of course, made under the very sound impression that the movie going public at large can barely pronounce Evangelion, much less has any familiarity with the source material. That in mind, one can expect te story to be transplanted to the United States.
They may age up the characters, but then again, no one protested Anna Panquin in black leather, so maybe high school girls in rubber can be gotten away with. But I wouldn't hold my breath on the ethnicity of the characters remaining intact. Remember that League of Extraordinary Gents just HAD to have Tom Sawyer, just to have an American around. I would expect in the EVA movie to be introduced to Sean O'Carrey and his estranged father Glenn, who is secretly carrying on a love affair with sexy computer genius Rita Akison, all the while pining for the lovely, mysterious Ray Irritum.
You know as I wrote that last paragraph, I lost a bit of my optimism, but I will still say that EVA could be made int a good series of films if the powers that be choose to be conservative and try not to put the kitchen sink into their first effort. I would warn the purist however that compromises will be made in any case. That would guarantee that the film will be bad.
