Thursday, April 7, 2022

Everything Everywhere All at Once - Review

 

Once in a blue moon, a film arrives that simultaneously reminds you how magical and magnificent movies can be, and provide such spectacular weirdness and deep emotional connection that’s nearly impossible to put into words. In order to capture the awe and spectacle that Everything Everywhere All at Once contains and condense it down into one review feels like an impossible task, but it’s worth a shot. 

Evelyn is struggling. In her personal life, her business, her finances, everything. It isn’t until an inter dimensional rupture unravels reality around her that things begin to actually make sense. Bizarre and bewildering dangers come from all corners of this magnificent multiverse to challenge and confuse, threatening the very fabric of reality along the way. 


Writing this review has been something of a nightmare to conceptualize. Not because of any lack of affection or admiration (it’s very simply a nearly perfect film). No, the idea of writing about Everything Everywhere All at Once is so daunting because its ideas and level of detailed execution is so excellent, that its hard to put into words just how wonderful it is. 


The one thing, above all else, that needs to be praised up and down is the direction of Daniels, the tandem of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The duo is no stranger to the weird, but the delicate balancing act of keeping the universe they’ve built in tact and somewhat logical is impressive. And there is no shortage of heart and drama at its center despite the other worldly premise it’s sold itself on, ultimately becoming a family drama wrapped in some of the most insane visuals on the big screen in quite some time. 


On the other side of the camera is Michelle Yeoh, an actress that is more than overdue the attention she’ll garner for her role as Evelyn. Her skills have always been applauded, but to see her get the center stage is an absolutely joy. The unsung hero though has to be Ke Huy Quan as the delicate, kind husband to Evelyn. The quick and subtle changes between his multiverses personas are some the most comedic moments of the film, and the relationship between he and Evelyn and their daughter Joy, played wonderfully by Stephan Hsu, becomes the lynchpin to save the world. 


From the technical standpoint, Everything Everywhere All at Once can match just about any big budget blockbuster for its creative and ingenious use of visual effects. Where the film stands above the rest is in the expertly executed cuts and editing that it utilizes to bounce between the visually distinctive universes in a flash. In many ways, the eye popping splendor of Everything Everywhere All at Once is what will pull people in, and they won’t be disappointed, but its characters and emotional story will keep them around. 


Again, it can’t be repeated nearly enough, Everything Everywhere All at Once is a remarkable display of filmmaking. From the heartfelt, weird script to the enjoyable, interesting characters and all the bonkers visuals in between, this film is one that’s destined to create new film fans, and probably sit at the top of lists of many long time film lovers as well. The reactions are justified, as shocking as they are to read sometimes, that this just might be one of my new favorites of all time after just one viewing. 

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