Between multiple Spider-Men, an Illuminati of Marvel deep cuts, and imminent Flashpoint Batmen, we are living through the age of the cinematic Multiverse. Independently of the blockbusters, the Daniels (Kwan and Scheinert) deliver a true multiverse of madness in this action sci-fi comedy, starring Michelle Yeoh as multiverse-hopping mom Evelyn.
When an interdimensional menace threatens all of reality, dowdy laundromat owner Evelyn is dragged into the fight of her life (lives) – part The Matrix, part 2001 Jet Li ‘em up The One. Drawing from a multiverse of skills, Evelyn must juggle her failing marriage, an Even More Failing business, daughter drama, and a potentially multiverse-shattering threat. With so much on her hands, what’s a mom to do?
It’s the role of a lifetime for star Michelle Yeoh, who gets to showcase both her impressive acting chops and just-as-impressive martial arts skills. But the action is only a small part of what makes Everything Everywhere All at Once work. Yeoh and the Daniels put every other cinematic universe to shame as Evelyn trips through a series of absurd, demented, and dazzlingly original worlds, both familiar and not. This is Yeoh’s show, but she is well backed up by a stacked cast which includes a loveable Ke Huy Quan, cinematic legend James Hong, and scene-stealing Jamie Lee Curtis.
For all the madcap, almost non-stop action (perhaps too much for some) there’s an emotional throughline which cannot be broken, wringing pathos (and tears) even from a world in which everyone has hotdog fingers. Carrying an essential message for today’s cynical, busted up world, it’s uplifting, occasionally heartbreaking, everything, everywhere, all at once.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is out now in UK cinemas
