Well ... I've only seen the first one - the story is pretty much the same, and goes up to the point just before Asuka joins the plot. But there's a massive improvement in the animation.
Some of the elements of the story are being changed - I'm not sure how much it will affect the entire storyline. Basically the first three will be an alternate retelling of the series, with a fourth movie presenting a new conclusion.
Apparently these movies will be the way Anno wants them to be ... dunno, but after seeing the first one I have high hopes.
Maybe they also wanted to make the series a bit more palatable to the masses? :P
Anno made a statment - here's the link to it: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...ngelion-movies






