Yes, finally a movie that subtly glorifies the quiet and kind guys in our society. The not so loud men that make headstrong women seem so great. Ah yes, the gentle men who lives among us have their own strengths.
Let me tell you why you should watch this film if you haven't yet. No I will not use my usual movie review template. I just wanna talk about it without being too restricted by anything.
First look at this movie poster. Isn't it intriguing and colorful? Looks very unique right? I kinda like it. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the one at the cinema.
Maybe I was too into the movie that I went straight home after watching it. But I actually walked for a kilometer or so instead of riding a jeepney before riding a tricycle. Okay yeah yeah I should start talking about this wonderful cinematic experience.
How I was able to watch this movie
I watched Everything Everywhere All At Once in a theater even if I know it's also available online. Why not when I read and have watched some good reviews/feedback about it. I think as early as last month I've read good things about it. Actually the trailer is intriguing too so my mind definitely decided it's a must-watch film.
Oh but I almost didn't get to see it because I was too busy for the past 2 weeks. Well nothing's new. 😆 I've been working too much since February of this year. Lol. So anyway good thing the cozy cinema near my place have extended runs of several movies. Of course I was happy to finally see it last Friday. Hehe. 😃
Had to squeeze it in my schedule because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to view it. I felt like it'd be really sad if I didn't. Can you believe, while waiting at the lobby I was even chatting with a client who inquired about the properties I'm selling?
Even while I was inside the theater and the first scene was already running I had to answer business texts, chats and everything else until I decided to just forget everything and enjoy the show. 😅 I ignored work related calls and whatever. After all I was there to destress and have some me time so I kept my phone silent and got immersed in this wonderful work of art.
The Review
Yes I say it's an art because the graphics, colors and every element is a treat for the eyes. Visually, Everything Everywhere All At Once is compelling. The story is familiar but has fantastic twists! The music is apt and appealing too.
It has action, comedy, drama and some elements of horror as well. Of course having fantasy and sci-fi things in it is the best part of it all. 😁🥰 What more can viewers ask for? I was so entertained. Hahaha.
Now of course I'm also impressed with the cast. Who would have thought it's not just Jackie Chan who could entertain us with those kung fu moves? Well say hello to Ke Huy Quan or Jonathan Ke Quan. His role as Waymond Wang is really not that simple at all but he managed to do justice to the character and it's versions.
And of course Michelle Yeoh; it's clearly the best way to show her depth in acting. The role of a hardworking Chinese immigrant (Evelyn Wang) is quite perfect for her. Especially we see her become all the other versions of the character. Wow. That's cool. Must have been fun to dress up and act differently for each scene. Hehe.
I also like Jamie Lee Curtis' portrayal of different Deirdre characters. She's definitely a great choice as one of the "evil" people in the story.
It'd take me forever if I mention everyone here. 😅 All I can say is, everybody did a great job in the way they played their parts. Yes there were some acting flaws but it's minimal.
Why don't you watch a short clip of the movie in case you still haven't seen this entertainment gem.
Speaking of the story, it's about a typical modern Asian immigrant family but there's a twist as I said. Well there are many actually. 😆 Yes it has LGBTQ issues mixed in but it's purely about one family experiencing life. Now add the multiverse in the mix and voila! What a cool thing to watch! (I mean it probably could have worked if the daughter was straight too and has a different life problem but hey I'm not the one writing the narrative. 😛)
Simply put, we can probably say all the multiverse things that we see is all in the mind of the lesbian teenager. But of course that wouldn't be much fun would it? This isn't Sucker Punch at all. It's good to know everything is happening more in Evelyn's perspective instead. 😉
At first we see the unhappy and overworked businesswoman, busy mom and daughter, tired wife, and all that in just one character. But then all of a sudden, boom! Multiverse! 😮 Sci-fi shizz! Kung fu skills! Oh wow and more! Haha. Wait, hotdog fingers too? Eeeew. All the fun just popped up (however of course it doesn't seem enjoyable to the people we're watching 😆). Ah it's just fascinating.
This is even way better than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Disney, er I mean, Marvel has clearly lost its touch in entertaining us in the last few years. Sorry to say this but it's the truth. Everything Everywhere fills in that gap and yes it's a big one too.
One thing I didn't like while watching it is how my feelings are partly clouded by my irritation at China's bullying of neighboring countries (like our beloved Philippines). Yes I know Chinese immigrants are not to blame but somebody should stop China (and even Vietnam) from stealing fish from our waters. China is also building and have already built things on our islands without permission! What the heck?! Still claiming parts of our country as their own?! The audacity of the Chinese government! Ugh. Yeah whatever, lemme get back to my review. 🙄
Aside from that international issue, I enjoyed every moment of the film. The costume and everything about production design is just wow.
Kudos to the writers/directors, the Daniels. It's good there's two of them because it's not easy to conceptualize and visualize such a thing. With all the alternate realities and scenes they needed to shoot and all that, I know they spent a loooot of time finalizing it.
Omg just thinking about all those different sets and costumes, shooting sequences and even the acting/directing makes me slightly dizzy. The script would literally be full of details, I'm sure! My brain starts to hurt just thinking about organizing everything into that movie. Haha. Good editing too, I say.
But wait, what about the nice guy I mentioned in the title? Well at the end of the day, this film is all about the power of love. Not just the romantic kind but the universal kind. Love can remove all the pain and darkness in our hearts and minds if we only let go of those things. It's not easy to do I tell you. Lol.
This also shows that being a nice guy doesn't mean being a loser at all. There are plenty of nice men out there who are always taken for granted for being the gentle people that they are. Awww. Most of them are looked down upon by strong women and aggressive guys. Other people see them as too sensitive and such.
I'm happy to say that this is a film that shows how being a kind and loving man is an absolute strength too. Imagine this: If we only have guys with excessive egos, for sure the world would always be at war and never know peace at all.
Our planet does not always need the rowdy, tough guys. There should always be a balance and this film showed me exactly that. There's a distinct difference with being a gentle/kind man and being a coward/weakling. Sure the quiet type guys are considered the beta males by judgmental people but they have their own strengths that we should not overlook.
Anyway the nice guy/beta males topic is a complicated one and good for a whole other article so I'll just leave it at that. Better to go and see the movie instead to find out what I'm talking about. Hehe. Maybe you'll also realize what I mentioned, maybe not. Whatever the case I had a great time watching it that the next day I watched it online to appreciate it more.
If I was to rate the movie, I'd give it a 10/10.
How about you? What did you think when you finally saw Everything Everywhere? What are you looking forward to see if you haven't seen it yet? Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did.
XOXO,
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Lead image from A24.
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