It Has Begun!

Evangelion 1.0 : You Are (Not) Alone was released in Japan today! I can't tell you how excited I am about this. This first of four new movies covers the first 6 episodes of the TV series, and crams it into 90 minutes, with all new animation, sound, and CG. Of course, today's release is in Japanese only (which the GreatMoose has not mastered. Yet.), but soon there should be a fansubbed version available. The good news is, there's already a few English language reviews out there, and while short, they shed a little light on the enigma that has been these new movies. From Heisei Democracy:

With Hideaki Anno’s proclamation back in February that the new Rebuild of Evangelion movies would be all things to all people, present a panacea to the ills of a languishing anime industry, and sate old fans while bringing new ones into the fold, curiosity was high as I entered the theater this morning. Would the new Evangelion surpass the original, managing to heave its ponderous bulk above the weight of twelve years of mainstream merchandising - or would the temptation to stick an IV into the goose laying golden eggs prove to be too strong? Signs point to morbidly obese poultry…

Rei from the new movie

I'll post my own review as soon as I can get a hold of subtitled version.

UPDATE: And now AICN has a great review up.