Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) by Faizanrubina — 31 Jan 2023
When I first watched Everything Everywhere All at Once, I thought it was one of the best movies I've ever seen. But after rewatching it after some time, I am convinced that it is the best form of any storytelling I have ever come across. Granted, I haven't watched, read or played every movie/show/play, book or game ever created in the many languages that exist. But of the significant portion of my life I have spent experiencing stories and my subjective & biased parameters for what an exceptional form of storytelling should ideally be based on, I am certain that this movie is the best I've come across yet.
Why do I think that?
Because it combines the most investigated philosophical question of the purpose of life, the most complex metaphysical theory of multiverses and the most consistently prevalent emotions of hope & despair, all together, in 150 minutes that span almost every storytelling genre there is.
And it does this with a series of truly extraordinary & powerful acting performances, elegantly simple yet extremely compelling dialogues, absurdist yet coherent editing & transitions and one of the most narratively complementary cinematography ever.
Furthermore, the exceptionally intelligent use of various styles of humour, balanced with a metaphorical yet deeply compassionate use of relationships, to construct a narrative that - though may appear comically-absurd & entertaining on a casual first-watch - is actually so much more; being consistently deliberate, methodical & profound on a second viewing.
All this coalesces into a unique emotional journey - with an abundance of excellent humour - that inevitably transitions to a rollercoaster ride of hope crescendos & despair diminuendos, while offering convincing justifications for these ebbs and flows, concluding in an extremely cathartic & appropriate ending.
Everything Everywhere All at Once - as the title suggests - is truly a story about everything, everywhere, told all at once. It's the most conclusive story of existence. And as cliched and inaccurate its ultimate moral may seem, it ingeniously conveys it in the single most hopeful & captivating manner possible.
And that's why it is the best form of any storytelling I have ever come across.
This review of Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) was written by Faizanrubina on 31 January 2023.
Everything Everywhere All at Once has generally received very positive reviews.
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