Everything Everywhere All At Once is a cinematic anomaly. It shouldn’t work at all, let alone as brilliantly as it does here; a cosmic, mind-bending exploration of Hollywood’s latest trend: the Multiverse. But where films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and the upcoming The Flash seek to use the concept to open up their properties to even more characters, the Daniels (writer-directors Kwan and Scheinert) have crafted an epic tale of love and forgiveness, anchored by a career defining performance from Michelle Yeoh, set against one of the most inventive, batshit crazy worlds ever put to screen.
In dire financial strife – and unbeknownst to her, on the verge of a divorce – Evelyn (Yeoh) struggles to balance an impending audit appointment, her well-meaning but irritating husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), and the upcoming introduction of her daughter Joy’s (Stephanie Hsu) girlfriend to Evelyn’s ageing father Gong Gong (James Hong). When a mysterious note appears amongst her tax documents at the IRS offices, Evelyn is accosted by an alternate version of her husband, who informs her that she is the key to stopping the evil Jobu Tupaki from wreaking havoc across all the universes in existence. Forced to learn how to draw upon the power of alternate versions of herself with unique skills, Evelyn must look inward to discover the true key to saving the Multiverse.
Part The Matrix, part Martial Arts movie, part raunchy comedy and a heaping help of completely batshit strangeness, Everything Everywhere All At Once lives up to its name in defying explanation and being all these things at once; a celebration of cinema whilst being its own completely original thing. As you’d expect it takes a minute before you fully understand what is going on, with the Daniels throwing new world mechanics and terminology into the mix constantly. At a certain point however, everything just clicks together and this cinematic ride whisks you along with it; the visuals of Michelle Yeoh snorting a fly or Jamie Lee Curtis walking around with hot dogs for fingers being completely plausible as you explore this constantly inventive world the Daniels have created. From the people who gave us Swiss Army Man, a film about Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse, would you expect anything less?
Not only do they throw completely wild ideas on the screen, most of which shouldn’t work, but the Daniels manage to infuse it all with so much emotion that you will be a weeping wreck by the time the credits roll. At the core of all the zaniness is family and Evelyn’s relationship with hers is relatably complex, having let the everyday complications of life become her priority instead of the people around her. As she is allowed glimpses of herself in these different universes, she comes to understand the importance of the relationship with her husband and daughter in all of them, and it is this emotional core that drives the action, leading to a hilariously wholesome final act.
Michelle Yeoh, a veteran of the screen, is given a rare role for an actor here; a chance to break away from the pre-conceived notions of what she can do by doing… just about everything. The range on display is truly astonishing, to the point where individual frames present wholly new versions of Evelyn, often featuring elaborate make-up or prosthetics and a distinct facial expression from Yeoh. These glimpses into alternate Evelyns may only be on-screen for a fraction of a second, but they all work together to hammer home just how epic in scope this adventure is, whilst remaining intimate. It also helps to further prove that Michelle Yeoh can do anything.
That greatness extends to the entire cast, with Stephanie Tsu’s frustrated and emotional portrayal of Joy, Evelyn’s daughter caught between loyalty to her family and striking out on her own. Jamie Lee Curtis pops up as a disgruntled IRS officer who follows Evelyn through the Multiverse, clearly relishing the weirdness and freedom of her role. But it is the return of Ke Huy Quan – Data in The Goonies and Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – that is most exciting, a familiar face who hasn’t lost any of the pure positive energy that he brought to those iconic roles back in the eighties. It’s heart-warming to see Quan return in a role this important and he knocks it out of the park, nailing his portrayal of the many versions of Waymond across the Multiverse.
Those endless possibilities in the Multiverse extends to the film’s technical aspects as well, with the Daniels constantly playing with everything from the shifting aspect ratio to the colour grading and use of filters to denote different genres, universes and thematic elements. It’s a visceral, immediately noticeable element that gives each universe its own distinct flair, as well as demonstrating a clear love for the history of cinema and the different types of films within it.
In an infinite multiverse, Everything Everywhere All At Once is an infinite list of things we love about the movies – reasons to laugh, cry and cheer. Michelle Yeoh gives the performance of her career in this endlessly creative sci-fi epic; one of the most original films in recent memory that deserves to find a huge audience. With countless layers to unpack underneath the fantastic action and raunchy jokes, this is a film that will only improve upon repeat viewings as it works its way into your list of favourites. In a world where you could do anything anywhere, choose to see Everything Everywhere All At Once now.
Everything Everywhere All At Once stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Tallie Medel, Harry Scum Jr., Jenny Slate & Jamie Lee Curtis – In cinemas now.