Most of us who are mindful of the film can agree on one thing, Everything Everywhere All at Once feels like you're walking on an acid trip experience. It's an imaginary film that makes you feel like you had just swallowed a bottle of limitless pills, dopes, drugs or other substances that may similarly affect your consciousness and memories.
And this movie deliversssssssssss that! Wow wow wow! Imagine if Dr Strange, Limitless, The Matrix, Click, Rick & Morty, Star Wars, Ratatouille and Manchester By the Sea combined to become a film, Everything Everywhere All at Once is the one! Now you must be wondering, how could Ratatouille and The Matrix complement each other to be in the same movie? 🤣🤣🤣 This question should be THE reason you should go support this film now in cinemas!
Produced by A24, an independent film company, I was surprised at how they have pulled this off. Half of the film is located at an office, which is understandable considering A24 produces low or semi-budget films. But it's such a wonder how this movie could be so good with only so few places the movie took place for the first hour. What's even better is EEAAO occurred within closed and overcrowded spaces that may slightly trigger people experiencing ADHD, hypersensitivity and claustrophobia, pushing the film into maximum impact.
This film is filled with action-packed sequences that will blow you brains out! It's fun, exhilarating, creative, hilarious and never-been-done-before! Adding up with the out-of-the-world concept and unique storyline, every fighting scene seems appropriately done and even if there's just so many styles and tones of scenes coming out from the screen, fitting is the right word to describe them.
EEAAO seems like any other movie at the beginning but when all hell breaks loose, the story becomes increasingly complex as it explains the world revolving around the central character, propelling the plot into motion. Meticulously explained, the narrative manages to be exciting and outrageously wild but reasonable within its own multiverse contexts.
Michelle Yeoh, our Malaysian actress 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻, is excellent in this, proving that she's fluid in bringing out the best of her multiple character(s). Complicated as it is, she knew what kind of project she's doing and it just shows how dedicated she is at acting. It's not easy to play her role and it's definitely not easy to create multiple personas interconnected by different universes and dimensions, with separate storylines, all destined to have the same fate. This is an Oscar-worthy performance, and whether or not if Yeoh got nominated lies on the decision if the Oscar recognizes speculative fiction as a genre acceptable to compete with other highly-appraisal films.
There were many genuinely laugh-out-loud moments throughout, NOT the one where you're forced to laugh just because everyone is laughing to avoid the awkwardness surrounding the audience in the hall, but the one that it's just funny you're having a truly good time. The script and performance help to amplify the comedic moment but the most special thing is that it's aware of its VFX effects and the team knows how to level up/down the intensity and realness of the CGI. How so? The CGI is very good, but there are times that the CGI is made to be purposely bad, like you're watching a short film by a bunch of ambitious varsity students, and it works! It works because everyone in the theater was laughing, it clicks just right with the moments and scenes you're watching. You'll laugh at how bad it is in a good way!
If there's one dislike from this film is that it's gonna be a tough watch for some people. Like mentioned earlier, those with ADHD and hypersensitivity may be triggered with the intensity of this film. Also, the storyline is difficult for some to digest due to its complexity of its universe-building. The film is promoted as being light and fun but...EEAAO is weighty, dark, bizarre and surreal, only those who have what it takes can appropriately understand the building block storytelling.
Verdict: Mind-bending and mind-blowing, Everything Everywhere All at Once masters its building block storytelling that feels like an acid trip worth experiencing and that experience... can only be felt once in a lifetime. We're only in March but without a doubt, this is already the best film of the year! Sorry, summer blockbuster movies!
