Critics’ reviews

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

22 reviews from 22 publications. Critics’ score 81: 20 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative.

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81
Positive
20
Mixed
0
Negative
2

Most critics are won over, and the reviews agree on why. Twenty of the twenty-two are positive, and nearly all of them put Michelle Yeoh’s lead performance first: her range across the film’s many variants is what holds the multiverse together. The second cluster of praise is the family story underneath the chaos, with the mother-daughter relationship and Ke Huy Quan’s supporting turn singled out as the emotional anchor. The action and effects draw comparisons to The Matrix from several reviews.

The reservations are about volume. Several positive reviews think it runs long; Vulture puts the excess at 15 to 20 per cent, and The Times finds a saggy midsection with too much fighting. Radio Times notes some puerile humour. The spread is narrow apart from two outright dissents: The Hollywood Reporter thinks the nonstop overload costs it control and feeling, and The New Yorker finds only bland life lessons and sophomoric jokes.

Slant Magazine
23 March 2022 · ★★★★/4 · Derek Smith
100

The film works magic by embracing excess and finding harmony within it, with inventive action and a coherent emotional core about family and connection in an overstimulated world.

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Empire
9 May 2022 · Ben Travis
95*

The film is a thunderously cinematic, radical work of wild invention and emotional depth that balances multiversal mayhem with a heartfelt family story. The critic singles out the brilliant performances, especially Michelle Yeoh's range across variants and the way the film tugs on familial threads amid the chaos.

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IndieWire
11 March 2022 · A · David Ehrlich
95

Michelle Yeoh gives the performance of her career in this orgiastic, instant-classic martial-arts multiverse adventure from the Daniels that mixes The Matrix with wild inventiveness.

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Financial Times
12 May 2022 · ★★★★☆ · Danny Leigh
90*

The critic describes the film as wildly ambitious and furiously original, an instant cult darling mixing martial arts, existential panic and human connection. Droll homages and the experience of watching it in a cinema are singled out for praise.

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Sight and Sound
12 May 2022
90*

The Daniels’ hyper-inventive film presents life as a fathomless multiverse through dazzlingly bizarre imagination and tonal shifts. Yeoh and Hsu’s dynamic anchors the core family story amid the multiverse chaos.

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The Times
10 May 2022 · ★★★★☆ · Kevin Maher
90*

The critic calls the film magnificent and the most innovative sci-fi since The Matrix, praising its propulsive high-kicking innovation and pop-cultural stew. A saggy midsection with too much fighting is noted as a flaw.

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Total Film
11 May 2022
85*

The Daniels' follow-up is a head trip and riot that thrives in the push-pull between off-the-charts excess and grounding humanity. The critic singles out the exquisite performances by the leads, particularly Michelle Yeoh's charismatic range and emotional sucker-punch reflections on family.

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Vulture
25 March 2022 · Alison Willmore
85*

The film approaches a maximalist masterpiece as a moving family drama first, with a euphoric showcase for Yeoh and a poignant turn from Quan, though it is 15-20% longer than needed.

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Radio Times
12 May 2022 · ★★★★ · Patrick Cremona
80

An extremely ambitious and spectacularly original multiverse adventure that sticks far more than it misses. The emotional pull, anchored by strong performances, remains its greatest strength despite some puerile humour.

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The Guardian
15 May 2022 · Peter Bradshaw
80*

The critic finds the film an inventive indie sci-fi with spectacular ambitions and a tangible emotional core that stands out amid its multiverse chaos. Michelle Yeoh's kaleidoscopic lead performance is singled out for praise.

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Time Out
4 May 2022 · ★★★★ · Dan Jolin
80

The Daniels juggle silly gags and weird visuals like cackling Dadaists in this anarchic sci-fi comedy. Michelle Yeoh knocks every scene out of the park as the relatable family tribulations tether the heavy concepts.

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Los Angeles Times
24 March 2022 · Justin Chang
70*

The critic describes the film as exactly that—funny, messy, moving and exasperating—singling out Michelle Yeoh’s megawatt performance as its coherent purpose and dazzling showcase.

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The New York Times
24 March 2022 · Critic’s Pick · A.O. Scott
70*

The critic calls the film messy and glorious, praising how its antic multiverse cleverness serves a sincere heart as a bittersweet domestic drama of immigrant striving and mother-daughter love.

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The Hollywood Reporter
11 March 2022 · festival review · David Rooney
30*

The film is insanely imaginative and often fun as a frenetic multiverse adventure, but its nonstop chaotic overload sacrifices control and emotional poignancy, feeling like hollow flashiness at times.

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The New Yorker
24 March 2022 · Richard Brody
20*

The critic finds the film a failed fantasy and vapor puff of corporatized fantasy despite the cast, complaining that it lacks physicality and offers only bland life lessons and sophomoric humor.

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Den of Geek
12 March 2022 · ★★★★★ · David Crow
100

The critic calls the film one of the most wildly creative and ambitious genre movies in years, praising its kaleidoscopic multiverse vision and humanist core. Yeoh's lead performance anchors the inventive, gonzo elements from the Daniels.

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/Film
12 March 2022 · 10/10 · Jacob Hall
100

The critic hails it as the best American movie in years, a mind-melting masterpiece that mixes humor, action, and profound exploration of depression and kindness in the face of nihilism.

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Collider
25 March 2022 · A- · Ross Bonaime
90

The critic praises the film's ambitious, chaotic multiverse storytelling and strong performances, especially from Michelle Yeoh, calling it one of the most brilliant films in recent years. They single out the blend of absurdity and emotional depth about life's choices.

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Film Stories
13 May 2022 · John Moore
90*

The critic calls it a triumph, praising Michelle Yeoh's masterclass performance as the emotional anchor in the chaotic multiverse adventure, and highlighting the film's blend of humor, action, and insightful commentary on life and family.

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Polygon
1 April 2022 · Tasha Robinson
90*

The critic hails it as a multiversal masterpiece with game-changing effects and ambition rivaling The Matrix, praising its mix of vulgar humor, humanistic messages, and focus on personal growth amid chaos. They single out the inventive action sequences and emotional core.

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The Wrap
11 March 2022 · festival review · Robert Abele
85*

The review lauds the film's chaotic yet heartfelt blend of sci-fi, action, and family drama, crediting Michelle Yeoh's magnetic performance and the directors' ability to balance absurdity with emotional depth. It singles out the inventive multiverse concepts and the way the film embraces life's messiness.

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Deadline
11 March 2022 · festival review · Valerie Complex
80*

The critic praises the film's wild, multiverse-spanning adventure as an emotionally mature family drama that uses its sci-fi elements to explore love and togetherness, highlighting Michelle Yeoh's standout performance. They single out the strong cast and the directors' powerful storytelling for creating a fun, emotionally engaging ride.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate