Every now and again, you watch a film at the cinema that makes you think: “Wow, I've never seen anything like that before!” We reckon you might react like that after witnessing Everything Everywhere All At Once, which is showing in Cineworld cinemas from 13 May.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – aka Daniels – this extraordinary movie starts off as a tale about a Chinese-American laundromat owner (Michelle Yeoh) who's under investigation for filing her tax receipts incorrectly, but soon transforms into a dazzling sci-fi adventure after the women in question is visited by – wait for it – a version of her husband (Ke Huy Quan) from a parallel universe. Travelling between realities, our heroine observes the alternative ways her life could've turned out if she'd made different decisions – and even finds herself being selected as the ideal candidate to save the multiverse from a dictator with a god complex.
Everything Everywhere All At Once certainly sounds pretty epic, but what have critics made of it? Here, we've rounded up a selection of reviews to give you an idea of the reception the film has had...
Ross Anthony of Hollywood Report Card gave the movie a massive thumbs-up – but warned against trying to work out what's going on. He wrote: “Best to know as little as possible, don't try to understand too much, just be ready for a wild ride. Just like real life.”
This sentiment was echoed by ScreenHub's Stephen A. Russell, who said: “Just surrender yourself to this bonkers but brilliant film that's a demented fusion of Yeoh's high-kicking origins and the multiversal madness currently unfolding in the Marvel movies.”
For Awards Daily writer Mark Johnson, the provoked a range of emotions, all of them good. He commented: “Everything Everywhere All At Once is as absurd as it is profound, deeply moving and wholly original. The film's final act is contemplative and heart-bursting with substance, and will monopolize your mind long after it ends.”
Grace Randolph from Beyond the Trailer felt that the film wasn't entirely perfect, but did warrant praise – especially for its acting performances. She remarked: “Not the indie superhero movie some have been promising, but still a very moving film & serious awards contender. Yeoh gives a career-best performance, while Quan – aka Indiana Jones' Short Round – makes a triumphant return to acting. Sloppy but strong.”
The acting was also thrown into the spotlight by Maureen Ryan of Vanity Fair. She said of the film's heroine: “Yeoh imbues Evelyn with moving shades of melancholy, regret, resolve and growing curiosity. She’s the kind of woman the world (and Hollywood) routinely overlooks, but Yeoh makes her embrace of lead-character energy positively gripping.”
Linda and Al Lerner from Movies and Shakers raved about the movie, but with one small caveat. They pointed out: “This multi-layered, thrill packed action, sci-fi comedy, would be a fantastic experience if the script wasnt such a hot mess.”
But Stuff writer Graeme Tuckett was unequivocal in his praise of the movie, even hailing it as the best he's seen in 2022. “It is my favourite film of the year so far,” he gushed. “And I will still be amazed and delighted if I see a film I enjoy more this year.”
Everything Everywhere All At Once will be showing in Cineworld cinemas from 13 May. To book your tickets, click here.
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