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MOVIE REVIEW
'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Is The Next Level Of Modern Cinema
By Sal LoCicero | April 10, 2022
From Daniels, the filmmakers behind ‘Swiss Army Man’, comes a brand new hyper energetic - and unique - movie about the multiverse. Produced by The Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), and with a record breaking budget of $25 Million from A24, ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ changes the standards for independent cinema. A movie that comes off as a mockery to big blockbusters, is actually a breath of fresh air that wants to reach as many audiences, and show them the infinite possibilities of what cinema can be.
A Chinese immigrant who runs a laundromat gets pulled into the craziness of the multiverse, and is given a mission to save all universes from being destroyed. Yes, sounds typical, and the creators behind are fully aware of that. Daniels has shown moviegoers before how bizarre beyond belief they can be with telling their story, 2016’s ‘Swiss Army Man’ is a prime example, because it is still evolving into a cult classic as time goes by. You can compare this movie to 2020’s Tenet, given that Nolan’s movie is an arthouse blockbuster, the difference is, ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once' is an indie feature that isn’t anywhere near as complex as ‘Tenet’. In this movie, there is a great life lesson that - even if told before - is still important.
There is an abundant amount of material that serves a purpose in this picture. You do not get any chance to take in what previously took place during a sequence because everything keeps moving at such a rapid pace, to the point where you literally feel sucked into the screen. For any studio, it takes a great deal of work to pull this off, but for a studio like A24 to achieve the impossible task that this movie requires in order to make it come to like, is extraordinary.
Some may compare ‘Everything Everywhere’ to ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’, since the films’ original aspect ratio 1.85:1 switches to 2.39:1 during action sequences, and both movies share a similar frenetic stylized energy. The comedy, for the most part, is laugh out loud funny. The chemistry between Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu is hilarious. Sometimes the comedy aspect can get over the top where it just feels gratuitous. Daniel Scheinert plays a minor role as a character who adds absolutely no value to the story except sharing his unnatural sexual pleasure.
Ke Huy Quan is a great supporting role, who’s not only just a brilliant comedic relief but his character also plays a tremendous role. He may be one of the most likable characters that you can feel for. Michelle Yeoh gives her best performance yet. Her character’s relationship with her daughter, played by Stephanie Hsu, is where the emotional element comes into play. It tickles your heart so much that by the end, at the very least, you will tear up (or sob) while the credits roll.
Never in one's wildest dreams, would anyone of us have thought that a multiverse storyline in this day in age would be original. If there is one filmmaker that can prove you wrong about a movie, it is Phil Lord and Christopher Miller; the guys who brought us ‘The LEGO Movie’, 21 Jump Street, and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Usually those filmmakers are the ones to take a typical story, and turn it into a masterpiece. Daniels created ‘Swiss Army Man’, and ‘The Death Of Dick Long’, in 2019 (‘Dick Long’ being the film that barely anybody remembers). But somehow, the two writers/directors improved tremendously on their third feature, it’s like that old saying “Third time’s the charm.”
It’s only the beginning of April, and we’ve received ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’; a feature that is to please everyone who sees it.
Grade: A-
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