8 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr.Sci-Fi | 100% |
Adventure | 69% |
Martial arts | 49% |
Action | 16% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1, 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1, 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish, Mandarin (Traditional)
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Are there different rules for capitalization in various so-called "multi verses"? This may be a salient if not exactly pressing question, since in this universe, Lionsgate and A24 actually went to the trouble of having their public relations folks overtly ask that the "at" in the title of the film be capitalized, which according to several style books is verboten, or at least discouraged. That may seem like the very definition of minutiae, but as Everything Everywhere All At Once makes abundantly clear, even some supposed "trivialities" from day to day living can assume outsized importance under the right conditions. Everything Everywhere All At Once is one of those films which seemed to kind of erupt fully formed in the public consciousness like a veritable Venus from the half shell, but I personally started seeing a number of comments pass through my social media feeds from folks who had attended early screenings and who were basically all, to use a term of Art, gobsmacked. It's not hard to understand the visceral reactions Everything Everywhere All At Once seems to have engendered, for while the film's "the Daniels" (more about them in a moment) make a case that this is their riff on elements from Fight Club combined with a certain franchise by the Wachowskis, what the film may actually play more like is any number of films where a focal character "inhabits" either other people or other versions of themselves, admittedly courtesy of what might be cheekily termed a glitch in The Matrix. The film provides a perhaps career defining (in more ways than one) role (or, maybe more accurately, roles) for Michelle Yeoh, but it also offers a real showcase for a wonderful comic performance from Jamie Lee Curtis, which I personally won't be surprised to see celebrated with a Best Supporting Actress nomination at next year's Academy Awards.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc.
Everything Everywhere All At Once is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films and A24 with a 2160p transfer in a
variety of aspect ratios, as is documented in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa Mini and a
4K DI as relevant data points. Perhaps a bit surprisingly given a 4K DI, I didn't notice a huge uptick in detail levels in this version vis a
vis the 1080 version, but there definitely is an improvement in the precision of fine detail in admittedly mundane things like facial pores or some of
the fabrics in costumes. As with the 1080 version, this is an often really impressive looking transfer, though there has been a lot of tweaking
to the imagery, so
that elements we normally address like detail levels, palette saturation and "grain" (whether digital or otherwise) can be hugely variant by design. I
mention some obvious stylistic differences between various sequences in our Everything Everywhere All At Once Blu-ray review of the 1080 version, and I'd say elements like the perceived
grittiness of the 1.33:1 quasi-flashback material is noticeably more textured looking in this version, and in fact overall some of the "grain effects" (for
want of a better term) are generally more perceptible throughout the 4K UHD version. Dolby Vision and HDR might add a bit of nuance to
things like the deep teal coloring of some of the alternate reality scenes, or even the buttery yellows of Evelyn's premiere night in her guise as a movie
star, but, again, I'd say the differences are perhaps minimal. Shadow definition is marginally improved here, which can help fine detail levels in some of
those aforementioned teal bathed scenes.
Everything Everywhere All At Once features a spectacularly boisterous Dolby Atmos track that I'd personally rate as reference quality. In fact, when the first overpowering whoosh of LFE appears with the "Everything" intertitle, I suspect many will, like I did, actually startle from the sheer onslaught of the sound. The architecture of the sound design is appealingly vertical and horizontal in the Atmos mix, and once Evelyn starts channeling her martial arts maven, there is a veritable explosion of surround activity permeating the "traditional" channels as well as the Atmos channels. Evelyn's own "whooshing" through various realities also provides some fun, immersive panning effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Some of the Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin) moments have forced English subtitles, but there are optional English, Spanish and Mandarin subtitles for the entire film.
Both the 4K UHD and 1080 discs in this package feature the same supplements:
Everything Everywhere All At Once may not be everyone's cup of tea (and/or THC, as the case may be), but I found it to be a whirlwind of fun and whimsy. Metaphysically the film is even more confounding than that famous Wachowski franchise, but this film has a much more prevalent sense of humor than any of Neo's adventures. Technical merits are first rate (especially some astounding audio), and the supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.
2022
2022
Collector's Edition
2022
Collector's Edition
2022
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