Everything Everywhere All at Once - Movie Review

I have reviewed a lot of media since starting my reviews a few years ago and this year has been somewhat dry due to outside events and me wanting to work on more personal projects. But this hasn't stopped me from watching new shows and TV. April was absolutely packed with new content such as Ambulance, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and The Northman. A lot has happened to the point I had to start watching two movies in a theater a week. But then came a film that blew me away so much I not only saw it again, I saw it again at fully price. Normally I watch films on a discount day (Tuesday), but this film was so mind-blowing, so incredible, so fascinating that I was happy to spend extra money to see it. This film is Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (abbreviated to EEAaO) is the story of Chinese-American woman named Evelyn Quan Wang, (Michelle Yeoh), who owns a laundromat with her husband, Waymond Wang (Ke Huy Quan). She is ever busy with a lot on her mind: the business and financial troubles with the IRS; her daughter (Stephanie Hsu) and her girlfriend, Becky (Tallie Medel); her father (James Hong) and his exhausting nature. One day though, before an audit meeting with their inspector, Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis), her husband suddenly starts acting weird, saying that he is not "her Waymond" and telling her that something big is coming and she must be ready. Soon after she is pulled into a plot that could mean the end of all existence in the multiverse and that she might be the only one capable of saving everyone everywhere.

Now for those unaware, Marvel does not own the multiverse. In fact, the concept of the multiverse has been around since ancient Greece in the form of the philosophical theory known as Atomism. It was first used in fiction during the 1960s when Michael Moorcock started his book series, The Eternal Champion, which revolves around the forces of order and chaos fighting each other and a champion from each both lead the fight over control of all existence. So yeah, this idea of other universes being connected to one another has been around for a very long time and only until recent media like the MCU, Rick and Morty, and Into the Spiderverse has this topic become really popularized. The idea of infinite possibilities is seeping more and more into popular media. Yet EEAaO did more than just use the concept, it took it to a whole new level.

I feel like I've been missing out on something when I saw Michelle Yeoh act in this film. She was in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but her role in that film was very small. Before that was Crazy Rich Asian where she played the "antagonist mother" character. Back then I was very pleased with her performance then, but I never looked into her more. After seeing EEAaO however I'm going to change that because she put in everything she got into this performance. She was dramatic, funny, emotional, serious, and capable of doing her own stunts. Normally, for a film with a lot of action, people would be scratching their heads over a late-fifty year old woman being the central character, but she absolutely nailed everything needed for the movie.

Her role in the movie was a very down-to-earth one with her being busy, but also feeling unfulfilled in her goals. The stress of her life could immediately be seen as she multitasks by reviewing receipts, cooking dinner, trying to plan for a Chinese New Years party, and ordering her family about. Completely overwhelmed with her situation, I felt an understanding about her character. Her reactions to what begins to happen to her in the film was also spot on, with her thinking everything being told to her about other universes is pure non-sense, which brings forth really funny comedy as well as a realistic portrayal of how anybody would react to her situation. But then when is basically forced to get involved in these larger-than-life problems she was able to perform expert martial arts in a way that Jackie Chan would nod in approval. There are so many positive notes that can be made on her performance and it all feels natural, yet powerful!

The biggest surprise though in terms of cast was Ke Huy Quan. For those who don't know, this was the actor who played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, as well as Gadget from The Goonies. After a while though in the late 1990s he retired acting and dived into production and fight training. After the success of Crazy Rich Asians though he decided to return to acting and his first role for his return would be this movie. And holy crap was he incredible, as if he never stopped acting. From interviews it seems he was meticulous in his studies for the movie and would practice relentlessly for his role and it shows.

Just like Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan puts on a stellar performance of emotion, action, and comedy. What makes his role extra great though is that he has to play two different people: The Waymond from this Evelyn's universe, a goofy, good-natured, naive man who is a softie, and the serious, non-nonsense, smart, and experienced Waymond from another universe that becomes Evelyn's instructor. How he was able to play both characters extremely well is fantastic! While he still has a very high-pitched voice like in his youth, Key Huy Quan was able to command attention when he was on screen, whether through comedy or his action sequences (which were just as well expertly done as Michelle Yeoh's).

The rest of the cast also put on fantastic performances. Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis were so enchanting in their performances and how much range they all had! All of them have their moments of laughter, anguish, anger, sadness, and happiness that work well with a fantastic script. Even some of the smaller characters have great moments where they can have their time in the spotlight in unique ways.

Now a problem that people could have with this type of story is how to explain the concepts of the multiverse in a way that doesn't overwhelm the audience or make them feel stupid. It's a very huge scientific theory that can lead to a lot of questions. EEAaO though handles this is a manner that allows Evelyn and the audience to take small bites of how this movie's version of the multiverse works. We see how people can transfer consciousnesses, how they can utilize the skills of other variants of themselves, the dangers of this technology, and how crazy the multiverse can be in ingenious and well-constructed ways. This isn't like Rick and Morty where the former continually mocks other characters (and the audience) for not understanding difficulty science, nor is it like Marvel with it's vague concepts. When I first saw the movie I was the youngest in the theater and I could tell those around me, these people at least in their late 40s, were following along with the plot and characters very well. And with how wild this film can get, that's impressive.

When I watched the credits I saw who directed the film and everything began to fall into place; It was the Daniels, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the directors of one of my favorite film ever, Swiss Army Man. There were people out that booed that movie because of its odd sense of humor and some of the themes going over their heads. But what I saw was an astounding story of friendship, mental health, and acceptance of ourselves. Yes, it had Daniel Radcliffe using his farts to become a jetski and a boner compass, but it hit me on such deep, emotional levels that I can always recommend it to anybody I meet. It's weird, beautiful tells an emotional story, and is funny as hell.

Now with a bigger budget of $25 million, the Daniels have shown themselves to be savants of directing! So much was accomplished on such a budget, using a wide variety of mediums to portray the multiverse. It isn't just "Oh look, these people look slightly different," the Daniels wanted to really go weird some of the possible realities out there. The special and physical effects were very impressive for what was available to them. It's like they took both hallucinogenics and weed at the same time and wrote down what they thought they saw. So often as I watched the movie I thought to myself, "Wait... is this happened? Oh my god, it is! I never thought I needed this in my life, but I'm so glad they did this!" They analyzed what the possibilities could be and utilized them.

But the Daniels, with their script of Swiss Army Man, are people who want to be daring in how they tell a story. They're weird and out-of-the-box with their storytelling. Movie has a fantastic display of family, existentialism, and nihilism. When you're dealing with the newfound idea that there are endless versions of yourself that are doing way better than you at life, you might feel like your own existence means little in the grand scheme of things and that's a very reasonable reaction. Evelyn really just goes through an insane journey that is so eye opening and the Daniels just nail it so well while having some great twists and turns mixed in! The villain of the movie especially is a lot more than they seem there's a lot to them. You think they're this one thing, then you learn they're something more, but then you learn they're a lot deeper than that and you want to understand them and how they feel and it's fantastic! And how they connect with Evelyn is genius!

After seeing the Daniels moment in the credits I had another incredibly pleasant surprise as I saw who helped produce the film: Anthony and Joe Russo. That's right, the Russo Brothers, the people behind some of the best action and films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, helped create this film and it made complete sense. The cinematography was excellent, using wide shots, slow pans, and few quick cuts (in and out of the action). And the action scenes of the movies are breathtaking, always getting me to the edge of my seat with powerful blows, full shots capturing the whole thing, and eye-popping martial arts from most of the cast! The Russo Brother know what it means to create good action and cinematography and with experienced directors I found that they could really go out with their talents in this movie.

Lastly, I want to talk about the soundtrack. It's amazing! All of it greatly enhanced the film, from the scares to the drama to the action that I cannot stop praising! I fucking loved the music for the film! Son Lux, the band that composed most of the music, did a fantastic job at creating such wondrous tones! They made uneasy moments scary, action scenes full of (more) energy, and the drama just right in the feels. I cannot wait to own this movie for myself because there is just so much right about the film!

Everything Everywhere All at Once is everything I want from a movie. It was a lot of gut-busting humors that landed, jaw-dropping action that I could fully see, an enchanting score, several powerful scenes that made me cry a lot, a deep message that most people can understand while also being uniquely portrayed, and all of it was delivered in mind-bending, entertaining way using a well-written script and strong performances. In the same veins of films such as Star Wars and The Matrix, this movie is an example of what can be done when you try something different, something new that people have never seen before, and get absolutely everything correct.

Everything Everywhere All at Once is not a cinematic masterpiece... It's a cinematic legend!

Tentative Score: 10/10

I cannot recommend this movie enough. One thing though, there are a number of scenes that could cause seizures in those affected by flashing lights. I'm disappointed that there were no signs at the counters that warned people about this.