Absolute Review: Everything Everywhere All at Once: Michelle Yeoh and Huy Quan’s latest release has everything everywhere ALL at once

By: Shachi Chaturvedi

Cast: Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang, Stephanie Hsu as Joy Wang / Jobu Tupaki, Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang, James Hong as Gong Gong (Chinese 公公, “maternal grandfather”)

Director & Writer: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

Runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

A Chinese immigrant gets unwillingly embroiled in an epic adventure where she must connect different versions of herself in the parallel universe to stop someone who intends to harm the multiverse.

Review

The film begins with the character’s introduction; the first 15 minutes of the film are the only sane part. After that, everything started happening at once. Which makes the viewer overwhelmed by the chaos

To be more specific, the film is a visual treat. After a long time, we finally get to see a film that will blow your mind in a variety of ways. In terms of acting, each character in the film plays an important role and contributes to the film’s brilliance.

Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh, is a Chinese-American immigrant who runs a facility with her husband Waymond (The Goonies and Temple Of Doom star Ke Huy Quan, who is finally back on our screens). Her story has a particularity. But her feelings are universal: she is overwhelmed by the relentlessness of her life, consumed by everything, everywhere, all at once. She has a business to run, taxes to file, customers to please, a father to live up to, a husband to argue with, and a daughter to whom she is increasingly unable to relate. As a result, she’s closed off, trapped under the weight of her failed hopes and dreams, struggling to maintain a life she despises.

Stephanie Hsu, who plays Joy (Evelyn’s daughter), is a real delight. She is the antagonist, but not quite the antagonist.

Ke Huy Quan’s brilliant performance backs up all of this. The actor has two roles and does so well that you can tell the difference even when nothing about his appearance changes.

It’s so fascinating that you almost don’t want science fiction to come in. But when it does, it does so spectacularly, with Waymond’s ‘Alphaverse’ self introducing Evelyn to alternate universes where she can be anything she wants: a singer, a chef, or an action-movie star. With the multiversal evil Jobu Tupaki (“an agent of pure chaos”) threatening to end everything, Evelyn must ‘Verse-Jump’ into her other life paths and use those skills to fight back. The events that follow are heart-pounding.

Everything Everywhere All At Once’s magic is in its title — within it, you’ll find every genre and feel every emotion. Brownie points to the amazing background music which compels the viewers to fall in love with the movie all over again.

Technically, this film has everything that makes a good film. The right amount of close-ups to create tension and the right amount of pans ensures that it appeals to the eyes. It’s gloriously cinematic, relishing in the simplicity of filmmaking’s most essential tools while deploying them to their full potential.

Conclusion

This film has it all: action, drama, love, anger, and so on. It is a must-see.