No spoilers within.
I emerged from Everything Everywhere All at Once a good 3 hours ago (yeah, hot off the press blog posts here) and can’t stop thinking about it. It truly is Everything.
Going into it, I knew it was meant to be good, different and released at the same time as another multiversal film (a certain Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). But I wasn’t prepared for the tidal wave of what was to come…
To give some spoiler-free context, the film starts off with a middle-aged woman who owns a laundromat that’s running into financial issues. She has some issues with her marriage, dominating father, and her daughter trying to come out.
So far, sounds pretty un-spectacular right?
For the first 20 minutes or so as it set this up I thought it was enjoyable but I couldn’t quite see what all the hype was about. Then the multiverse element kicks in, the volume gets whacked up to 100, rollercoastering your senses into the depths of hell, and an explosive eye-gasm ensues for the ages.
The acting’s spectacular of Michelle Yeoh, our leading lady as she takes on a multitude of different multiversal characters including the emotional beats of our main protagonist. Ke Huy Quan (back from his childhood days in Indiana Jones), also absolutely kills it going from her seemingly naive husband to a bad-ass martial arts star with a fanny pack (seriously this barely even cuts the mustard).
Jamie Lee Curtis was the only other actress I really knew and she was endlessly funny as a somewhat egotistical tax auditor turned fighting master.
There’s no way of predicting where this film’s gonna go. You think you’ve worked it out and then it SLAMS you in the face with something even more absurd. I can’t even comprehend how the directors (the Daniels, who also did the quirky Swiss Army Man) began to put a film like this together, or how the cast reacted to reading the script. But I’d love to have seen it.
Not only that, there are some really deep themes that’ll have you thinking about it long after the credits have rolled. It questions existentialism, nihilism, what it means to have everything and yet nothing, being grateful for the things you have, coming out, and the deeper sides to people.
I think everyone will have their own hot take on it, and it will mean something differently to each person. I'd imagine that meaning will change with repeat viewings at different points in your life.
I can’t imagine everyone loving it however. If you’re into your typical run-of-the-mill plot, normally structured film that’s very straightforward then this won’t be your cup of tea.
It bends into all sorts of genres and can’t really be categorised as an action or sci-fi film. It touches comedy but at its heart is a film about repairing a broken family.
If you couldn’t tell, this is hands-down my favourite film of the year so far. I’ll be surprised if anything tops it (as much as I loved Top Gun: Maverick).
10/10 go and see it knowing as little as possible!
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