Thomas’s review published on Letterboxd:
The “Swiss Army Man” director duo, the Daniels, are back with a new movie and one thing is clear: They stayed true to themselves. Like their previous film, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” brims with sheer endless originality, imagination, and cinematic freedom. It´s an anarchic genre mix that blends elements of science fiction, black comedy, farce, fantasy, family drama, martial arts film, and animation, and juggles a wide variety of themes such as existentialism, nihilism, meaning, regret, self-acceptance, family, and Chinese American identity.
The multiverse shenanigans are reminiscent of “Into the Spider-Verse” and even more so “Rick and Morty” but the Daniels definitely put their own spin on the concept. If one movie from 2022 is deserving of the title “Multiverse of Madness”, it´s this one rather than the Marvel film, since “Everything Everywhere All at Once” doesn´t shy away from getting truly bonkers. It´s full of blink and you miss it insanity. Yet underneath the bright and energetic filmmaking style, exciting action, convoluted sci fi plot, and hilarious absurdism, there is a strong emotional core in form of a resonating domestic drama and heartfelt tale about the immigrant experience, generational conflict, finding your place in the world, and mother/daughter love.
I´m so glad that Michelle Yeoh got offered this kind of lead role, and she eats it up. Yet I´m even more glad to see Ke Huy Quan (aka Short Round from “Temple of Doom” and Data from “The Goonies”) again. For me, he is the secret star of the film and I strongly hope that this wasn´t a one time return to acting. I want to see him in more movies. Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis also have very entertaining moments.
I also enjoyed the many movie references. The homage to Wong Kar-wai´s visual style in one of the multiverse plotlines is on point but my favorite has to be the “Ratatouille” gag. I probably missed a lot, which is one reason why I can´t wait to watch the film again and discover new things.
Sure, like the title suggest, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is sometimes a bit too much of everything, and maybe it doesn’t hit every single beat, but if there is one movie in recent memory that demonstrates and celebrates the limitless possibilities of cinema the most, it´s this one. For that alone, I love it. It´s definitely one of the must-see films of the year.
