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Everything Everywhere All At Once Blu-ray Review

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” is the film of the year and it’s unlikely it will be topped.

What do you get when you mix “The Matrix,” “Being John Malkovich,” and “Spider-Man: Into The Multiverse”? You get something like the weird and wonderful “Everything Everywhere All At Once. Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (best known for the deeply underrated and equally weird “Swiss Army Man”), the story revolves around a middle-aged Chinese-American woman (Evelyn) whose life is falling apart. She runs a struggling laundromat business with her husband (Waymond) that is being audited by the IRS, her daughter (Joy) wants her to connect with her girlfriend, her judgmental father (Gong Gong) is visiting, and Waymond is seeking a divorce. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next. Evelyn discovers a parallel universe exists and that her daughter has become the all-powerful Jobu (who experiences all universes at once). Jobu has created a black hole that can threaten the entire multiverse. Only Evelyn can tap her into her multiverse powers to stop Jobu. Along the way, she just might be able to repair her life problems too.

Describing “Everything Everywhere All At Once” does not do it justice. It’s the type of film that has to be experienced for yourself. While it may be too out there for some, it’s a refreshingly inventive and original film that takes bold swings. More than that though, it winds up being a profoundly moving story in the end in ways you wouldn’t expect. It’s a story about kindness, hope in an increasingly chaotic universe, and family generations. It’s also a kung-fu movie, an end of the world movie, a love story, a mother-daughter story, and a multiverse sci-fi story with other universes involving rocks and hot dog finger people. 

From a visual standpoint, ‘Everything’ is nothing short of dazzling. The movie looks a lot bigger than its reported 25 million dollar budget. There’s striking cinematography, lavish costumes, epic martial arts action sequences (including the greatest fight involving a fanny pack that you’ll ever see), elaborate sequences, and plenty of visual effects. You’ll see things you’ve never seen before and that’s a real treat for any cinema lover.

The cast is first rate. Michelle Yeoh is having quite the career resurgence over the past few years with her roles in “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” and “Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings” and deservedly so. She has such range and isn’t afraid to take on challenging roles. Her part as the multi-layered Evelyn just might be her best work yet. Perhaps the most surprising performance here is by Jamie Lee Curtis who definitely plays against type. In an effort to avoid spoilers, let’s just say you’ve never seen Curtis like this before. Stephanie Hsu is bound to become a rising star after her role as Joy/Jobu. She is able to do so much in this part and she nails it every second of the way. James Hong is a long time veteran of Hollywood and the actor is still crushing it at 93 years old. Last, but certainly not least there’s Ke Huy Quan who plays Waymond. Best known as a child actor in films like “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom,” the actor came out of retirement for this part and arguably steals the entire movie. Between his amazing action scenes and his heart tugging character moments, let’s hope we see Ke Huy Quan in a lot more movies from here on out.

There’s a reason “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is A24’s biggest movie to date. It’s just that good. An absolute must see.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? A pristine print that does justice to the visuals. Note: This title is also available on 4K.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? If you want loud music and action, this track has you covered.

Extras:
* Digital copy
* Theatrical trailer and other A24 trailers.
* Commentary by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
* The insightful 40 minute “Almost Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Everything Everywhere All At Once” contains set footage, cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes production tidbits, etc. A fun extra that really sheds light on the making of the wild movie.
* “Putting Everything On The Bagel: Cooking Up The Multiverse” covers the characters and the multiverses.
* “Alpha-Bits”- An odd collection of behind-the-scenes footage and stunts.
* Nearly 14 minutes of deleted scenes with commentary.
* 8 ½ minutes of funny outtakes.
* “Music Visual”- A music video.

July 3, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | A24, Everything Everywhere All At Once Blu-ray Review, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, Martial arts, Michelle Yeoh