Everything Everywhere All At Once Review

Multiversus

For those of you who keep saying that you want more original films, that Hollywood is dying, and everything is just reboots and sequels, I do agree with you. With that being said, The Daniel’s Everything Everywhere All At Once is a fantastic answer to all of those long awaited prayers. This film is highly original, taking a concept such as the multiverse and being absolutely creative and bold with this idea. The film draws you with this premise, but also doesn’t stop with spectacle and explores a heartfelt story about a family falling apart at the seams. The result is a fantastic spectacle of visuals, an engaging narrative of reconciling with family, a deep exploration on the themes of nihilism, and one of the best films ever made.

When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

What makes this film work masterfully is its creativity and boldness. The film explores the concept of the multiverse, the idea that there are multiple different realities parallel to our existing one. The way this concept is weaved into the story is highly imaginative. The audience explores a multiple of different realities through Michelle Yeoh’s character and they range from hilarious to heartbreaking. The movie also uses this as an excellent device to explore its theme of nihilism.

While the concept of saying that “everything is meaningless” may seem too depressing and dreary, the film handles it with a surprising balance. The multiverse is collapsing and at the center of all of it could mean that nothing matters anymore. Seeing the characters wrestle with this concept was fascinating especially given the breadth of information and knowledge they have gained. But it doesn’t just end there, but transforms into how the central family must reconcile within themselves.

Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), and their daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) are a dysfunctional family unit caught up in this grand mutliversal story. While the film could have easily focused on the mutliversal fun in its concept, the true central showpiece are its characters and the relationships that exist between them. The journey through the multiverse is all in service of understanding, grieving, empathizing, and ultimately reconciling the relationships between husband and wife, and mother and daughter. The film undoubtedly has its fun but keeps these relationships front and center for a well rounded story.

This film, as its title aptly implies, literally has everything, everywhere, and it some parts, all at once making it geniusly appeal to multiple audiences. It has kung-fu, romance, comedy, intellectual thinking, and family dynamics all contained within a fast paced 2 hours and 15 minutes. The fact that the film walks through all of this and never feels overstuff or self-indulgent is remarkable film making on the part of the Daniels. It’s a film that has multiple cakes and earns the right to eat all of them and then some. Truly a masterpiece.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is the film that we should be demanding more of. While it is incredibly difficult to make such a masterpiece of a film, it balances the proper amount of intrigue, emotion, and comedy to make this a memorable experience. I never thought I would have that much fun just watching two rocks on top of a mountain. This is one of the best films of 2022 if not the best! I cannot wait to watch this over and over again in the years to come.

(A+) Masterpiece