A sci-fi action flick that stays focused on its family theme
This is the brain-dump I shared with doubtful family members.
There are four story motifs going simultaneously:
i) a kung-fu western like Seven Samurai featuring a reluctant hero and a near-invincible villain, and with legit fight sequencesii) a sci-fi multiverse story drawing inspiration from classics like Terminator (a traveller from the future comes to warn and teach the person who can defeat the future villain) and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (the improbability drive)
iii) a drama about a struggling family where the matriarch is rejecting those around her due to her regrets about her life, and the pain of a daughter feeling the rejection
iv) an immigrant story that doesn’t have a happy path, where the dream is just shattered, and the immigrants are living above a failing laundromat (and a relevant depiction at Asians confronting the rather more American idea of divorce)
The story and its characters are credible in the problem they faced and how they solved it. Story motifs i) and ii) above lead you to believe that the characters need to kapow! their way through this problem. This is a tense setup because it forces the viewer to wonder, what will she do with her daughter?
I was completely blown away when the story revealed that its hero isn’t just Evelyn and Alpha Waymond (and what a hilariously loaded name!), it’s also regular Waymond. That the story’s heart is a sweet weenie of a dad whose message of kindness, whose desire to connect, is the answer.
That the villain is a person feeling rejection rings home these days. Evelyn’s journey is to realize she rejected her daughter in both this universe and in the Alphaverse. And the answer is unconditional acceptance. The climax isn’t just a fight scene, it’s also where Evelyn decides to confront her fear of her father’s judgment, accept herself and her daughter, and introduce the daughter’s girlfriend to her dad. Evelyn is an emotionally dynamic protagonist, which isn’t common in sci-fi or martial arts movies.
Great fight sequences have multiple movements before a cut. This movie, while also delivering these tearjerker moments, does not disappoint. The fanny pack fight, based on Jackie Chan’s entertaining long-take fight style, adds an unexpected layer to the movie while also keeping in motion the threads of the multiverse story and the couple’s now-manifest disconnect.
(side note: the movie was originally written with him in it, but I think it’s better without him)
(side side note: the greatest fight sequence ever filmed was also Michelle Yeoh, in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)I wouldn’t blame anyone for finding the movie overwhelming, but I’m partial to great visual effects and EEAAO delivers big. Everything surrounding Joy/Jobu, like the changing outfits and the way she attacks was a treat to watch. The cinematography is also good at keeping you organized as you switch between multiverses. It felt easy to go from laundromat to Alphaverse to hot-dog-finger-verse.
This outfit is its own reason to love the movie
It brought new ideas. Hot dog fingers make you good with your feet. An everything bagel that has literally everything on it, making it a black hole. That the everything bagel is a metaphor for suicide. Jumping to a verse where humans never existed. The first time I watched it, my brain was on fire.
It’s legit funny! The scene where Rock Joy and Rock Evelyn are sharing a profound moment, Rock Joy curses and Rock Evelyn says, “Language”. The scene where Alpha Waymond eats his chap stick: “Sir, don’t do that.” The scenes where Evelyn keeps mispronouncing Jobu Tapaki. Again, in a movie that’s already delivering on other levels, the laughs were a treat.
Actor Waymond telling Actor Evelyn, “I would have lived above a laundromat with you.” For children of the 80’s, Ke Huy Quan’s moving performance across multiple personas, ranging from romantic lead to weenie-dad to action hero, is a wonderful comeback.
That there’s a version of reality in which they’re actors and Evelyn is a martial arts actor. And Michelle Yeoh really is a martial arts actor. So meta!
