The Daniels’ wacky vision of a ‘multiverse’ action-comedy somewhat revels in its outlandish excess, and is blessed with a cast (headlined by a superb Michelle Yeoh) pretty much game to realise it to its fullest potential. 

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It was inevitable that I had to jump onto the ‘EEAAO’ bandwagon at some point, albeit very belatedly, and while it will take about a decade for anyone to be able to ascertain whether the Daniels’ new film could be considered a (mainstream) ‘cult’ film, its instant impact on audiences globally has been nothing short of sensational. 

It builds upon the progressive narrative of Asian-American representation on the big screen, while locating it in a genre (or a wild hybrid of genres) that might, in another era, be considered ridiculous low art. 

But as identities become more fragmented, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have, in some way, captured the zeitgeist of existing in a fractured world of fluid cultural flows. 

With the requisite filmmaking chops and a pretty game cast (headlined by a superb Michelle Yeoh and a solid supporting entourage) to realise the wacky vision to its fullest potential, Everything Everywhere All at Once becomes a conduit for expressing the desire (particularly by minority groups) to transcend their deterministic present into a potential future of ‘futures’. 

“I cannot be the worst. What about that hotdog one?”

This is, of course, marked by the film’s undergirding concept of the ‘multiverse’ and its infinite possibilities for transformation.  Yeoh’s Evelyn, utterly nondescript in real life, finds herself becoming a sought-after figure with the potential to save the world. 

But the film is not really about saving the world (that reductionistic thinking is relegated to the realm of, say, recursive Marvel ‘multiverse’ movies); instead, it is about the transformation of the self and the implications it has for identity, love and family. 

So, thought-provoking high art it might be, packaged as an entertaining if occasionally transgressive action-comedy that also has room for both camp and melodrama. 

Its outlandish excess may sometimes mean the film does sometimes overstay its welcome or feel too ungrounded, though describing it as ‘exhausting’ or ‘unrealistic’ may be too harsh when it is rather fun to watch.    

Grade: B+

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