You have to watch the show before seeing this and you have to watch this after watching the show. This is arguably the best anime movie ever. I will not pretend to be an expert but it has everything. The action sequences are a million times better than anything in the show (Asuka's fight is incredible), the music is amazing, the religious symbolism and complex background metaphors are stronger than ever, and it stays true to what the show set forth. To be honest, I thought the final episodes to the show were some of the best and in my opinion it didn't need another ending but I am glad they made this. They made an already amazing ending, perfect. Fair warning, the movie is hard to watch at points and after the end it will piss you off but as you think about it more and more it just gets better and better. Watch this, it's a strong 9/10