Everything Everywhere All at Once is a film that accomplishes something very difficult - it's a movie that looks like an action blockbuster on the outside, and succeeds not only at that but also as a film in general. It actually has a plot very reminiscent of many superhero films - an average person, in this case middle aged Chinese immigrant worker Evelyn Wang, is swept up into a fantastical world (or worlds) where her true potential is realized. It's bolstered by solid performances from Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan (who was the kid in Temple of Doom back in the day), Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis. It is a very creative and original movie, both very welcome attributes in today's movie industry.
This is an off the wall film, but a perfectly made one. It has lightning-fast editing, and it feels much shorter than 2 hours, 19 minutes long. One of Everything Everywhere's best successes is that it takes the concept of a multiverse - the exact same thing Marvel has been doing for the last few years - and manages to make a cohesive structure for a complex metaphysics in just one film. There are still holes in its worldbuilding (like how there can only be one everything bagel if there are infinite universes), but as far as something this complex in a 2 hour movie goes, it's as good as it can be. The martial arts combat is the best there has ever been in an American action movie. It's got nothing on actual Chinese wuxia, but for Hollywood it's a massive upgrade from anything before. The costume design also aids the world building, and gives each unique universe its own distinctive flair.
Despite all the laud it gets, this movie is not at all perfect. The weirdness doesn't always feel organic, much of the content of the movie seems weird for the sake of being weird. There is a point at which to distinguish weirdness and uniqueness, this movie is on both sides. Some seem to think that there's a philosophical depth to this movie, which there isn't. This is the biggest problem with the movie. The movie's message is that nothing matters, but yet Evelyn and company most certainly act like things do, whether or not they'd admit it. The idea of nothing mattering is a de facto rejection of objective good, but yet the movie insists on a vague notion of "kindness" being the ultimate objective good. You can't have it both ways. The idea that in all these universes Evelyn and Joy come to the same point also implies the existence of fate and thus an ultimate purpose. It's the type of pseudo-philosophy that's tailored for the "I am very smart" superiority complex driven Rick and Morty crowd.
It is also worth noting that as of writing this, Everything Everywhere is the current frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars. It does not deserve it compared to the others. Tar, The Banshees of Inisherin, and even Top Gun: Maverick are all better movies than this. That doesn't mean it's not a good movie, it is, but it's far from the top. It is a surprising film to get attention from the awards crowds, there hasn't been an action movie win Best Picture since 1971. Back when this came out I said it was going to be one of the big snubs of the year.
This is an off the wall film, but a perfectly made one. It has lightning-fast editing, and it feels much shorter than 2 hours, 19 minutes long. One of Everything Everywhere's best successes is that it takes the concept of a multiverse - the exact same thing Marvel has been doing for the last few years - and manages to make a cohesive structure for a complex metaphysics in just one film. There are still holes in its worldbuilding (like how there can only be one everything bagel if there are infinite universes), but as far as something this complex in a 2 hour movie goes, it's as good as it can be. The martial arts combat is the best there has ever been in an American action movie. It's got nothing on actual Chinese wuxia, but for Hollywood it's a massive upgrade from anything before. The costume design also aids the world building, and gives each unique universe its own distinctive flair.
Despite all the laud it gets, this movie is not at all perfect. The weirdness doesn't always feel organic, much of the content of the movie seems weird for the sake of being weird. There is a point at which to distinguish weirdness and uniqueness, this movie is on both sides. Some seem to think that there's a philosophical depth to this movie, which there isn't. This is the biggest problem with the movie. The movie's message is that nothing matters, but yet Evelyn and company most certainly act like things do, whether or not they'd admit it. The idea of nothing mattering is a de facto rejection of objective good, but yet the movie insists on a vague notion of "kindness" being the ultimate objective good. You can't have it both ways. The idea that in all these universes Evelyn and Joy come to the same point also implies the existence of fate and thus an ultimate purpose. It's the type of pseudo-philosophy that's tailored for the "I am very smart" superiority complex driven Rick and Morty crowd.
It is also worth noting that as of writing this, Everything Everywhere is the current frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars. It does not deserve it compared to the others. Tar, The Banshees of Inisherin, and even Top Gun: Maverick are all better movies than this. That doesn't mean it's not a good movie, it is, but it's far from the top. It is a surprising film to get attention from the awards crowds, there hasn't been an action movie win Best Picture since 1971. Back when this came out I said it was going to be one of the big snubs of the year.