The Marvel Cinematic Universe may not be the first film franchise to use the idea of multiple universes or timelines, but it has seemingly cornered the market. Before the MCU, we had a spattering of films that loosely dealt with alternate timelines, such as the 2009 Star Trek reboot and 1997’s Event Horizon, but Marvel and Disney have made entire franchises that deal with the subject almost exclusively. So, whenever the multiverse topic comes up, everyone I know immediately goes to the MCU.
However, this year, another film has emerged that takes the concept of multiple timelines mingling together and the ramifications of such an event. And with such a ridiculously long name like Everything Everywhere All at Once, it better be good.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the many offerings from A24. Taking place in China, the story focuses on Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a very disgruntled and jaded woman living with her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan). Life is not going well for Evelyn, as her business is under IRS investigation, Waymond wants a divorce and her father, Gong Gong (James Hong), comes for a visit.
Coming close to her breaking point, Evelyn is contacted by another Waymond (called Alpha Waymond), who claims to come from the Alphaverse. He begs Evelyn to help him in stopping another version of her daughter, named Jobu (Stephanie Hsu), who is causing a rift that threatens to destroy all universes.
While the story sounds like it would be a mess, Everything Everywhere All at Once is a very well-made and edited film. Co-directors (and co-writers, as well) Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert crafted a film that really hits the ground running. Within minutes, the audience knows everything that will be built upon over the coming 140 minutes. We learn about Evelyn’s plight, the Alphaverse and how her daughter in another timeline is threatening the very existence of life. There are no confusing plot points introduced during the film’s progression, which is a huge positive, as any divergence from the main plot would have been speed bumps for all but the most-attentive watcher.
Michelle Yeoh does a magnificent job in her portrayal of Evelyn. The character goes through a multitude of emotions, ranging from depression and sadness, to courageous and confident. Ultimately, Everything Everywhere All at Once is the story of how love can conquer even the end of existence, itself. And Yeoh is able to progress through each of these emotions with skill that only the top Hollywood actors can display.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a strong contender for this awards season. I give it four out of five stars. The runtime is a little long, coming very close to two and a half hours. Other than that, the Daniels have done a spectacular job crafting a film that is fun, memorable and exciting. While it may not be at the top of many movie watcher’s lists, I feel that it is a definite must-see film.