I was fine with how the first film ended. I'm super-anxious to see 2.22 now but I'm not upset at all with 1.11.
And, again, I can't say anything about 2.22 but since 1.11 only covers the first six or so episodes, I'd say the psychological stuff was pretty even with the show. It's been awhile since I saw the show but my recollection is similar to king_ghidorah's: the deeper (arguably*) stuff came in the second half of the series while the first half was more focused on being an Ultraman tribute with a more grim edge (that was also the part I liked more).
* I say 'arguably' because while I won't deny that there WAS some legitimately good psychological insight, other parts feel arbitrarily grim and depressing for the sake of being arbitrarily grim and depressing and I'm pretty sure Anno's been quoted as saying he DID just throw some "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" in their randomly in his own fits of depression that drove his creativity during the show's run. Don't get me wrong, I know that the angst inherent in the mood of the show is part of the appeal but sometimes it felt far, far too overbearing and actually lead to people like Shinji barely ever growing as characters. One of the things I did really like about Rebuild 1.11 is there are some subtle moments that show some significant character growth in Shinji, even while he stays generally depressed. Little moments like these are all I really ask for, honestly.
Also, it's VERY possible that the crazy dark psychological elements will come into play in 3.0 and 4.0. The rumor I've heard is that some people close to the production feel that they're almost going too far and that they're "too dark."
Mouth, just give the films a watch sometime and decide for yourself. If they don't do it for you, the original series will always be there to welcome you back into its spiny, unwelcoming hedgehog arms.
Man, I was going to wait until I got ahold of and watched 2.22 to do it but I really think we need a Rebuild of Evangelion thread in the anime section NOW.