The entertainment industry seems to be witnessing a Big Bang of sorts. But instead of creating multiple dimensions, it seems to be creating movies about multiple dimensions. Amidst this influx of parallel universes-themed movies, a small independent film called Everything Everywhere All At Once broke the internet three months ago.
Yes, I am at the stage where every Marvel film feels the same, and yes you may get the pitchforks. But hear me out. Just in the span of six months, MCU put out two multi-dimensional movies – Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. While both didn’t break any new ground, they did recycle the same Marvel formula of fan service, “quirky humour” (we’re looking at you Stephen) and a forgettable plot.
This is why I preferred Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse over No Way Home and also the reason why I want to recommend Everything Everywhere All At Once instead of Multiverse of Madness. With the news of the Michelle Yeoh-starrer headed to India, here’s why you should be queuing up outside the theatres to watch it.
Little Bit for Everyone
On the surface, this A24 movie is a crazy multi-dimensional experience. At its core, however, it’s a story about a mother and daughter. In between all of that though, the movie ranges from being a slap-stick comedy to an action-adventure, in a good way! Never does the movie falter in terms of handling different genres at the same time.
Michelle Yeoh At Her Best
Along with her martial skills being on full display here, Michelle Yeoh gives a career-defining performance as a Chinese immigrant, Evelyn Wang, who’s struggling to juggle between her mundane life, a dead marriage and a straining relationship with her daughter. This is without the parallel universe stuff, mind you.
Helmed By Capable Hands
Everything Everywhere All At Once is directed by the duo – Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively referred to as “the Daniels.” Their previous project (which we also recommend) Swiss Army Man, garnered both critical and commercial acclaim after its release in 2016. This time around though, they have not only managed to repeat the success but also push the envelope in terms of scale and story ambition. A testament to this is the 95 per cent Rotten Tomato score the movie currently has.
A True Multi-versal Experience
Unlike the other big-name studios, which showed only a few glimpses of other universes sprinkled across a 120-minute movie, Everything Everywhere All At Once is a non-stop ride across dimensions. But during this 2-hour 20 minutes roller-coaster ride, not once do you get nauseous or bored. If that’s not a good sign to watch it, then I don’t know what is.
Image credits: A24
