There's a new king in town, as the users of Letterboxd have decided on a new best movie of all time. The new multiverse comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once is now the highest-rated movie on the site, overtaking the previous winner, 2019's Parasite.
Letterboxd has overtaken IMDB as the definitive social networking app for movie fans. The site is the place for film buffs of all ages to share reviews for every release. And whenever a film becomes a Letterboxd favourite, it's typically discussed for years, as was the case for movies like Parasite, The Lighthouse, or Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
It's fair to assume Everything Everywhere All at Once will instantly inherit a similar appreciation, especially after this recent achievement. In a short acceptance video posted on Letterboxd's official Twitter account, the writing and directing duo of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert celebrated with some self-deprecating humor. They first thanked “recency bias” and “all the hardcore fans who are hyperbolically praising us, giving us five-star reviews," which they say they don't agree with. In conclusion, they themselves jokingly said the film wasn't better than Parasite or The Godfather films, and then they advised people who haven't seen Everything Everywhere All at Once to go in with "appropriate expectations."
Everything Everywhere All at Once is easily one of the most promising films of the new year. It looks like a hilarious, heartfelt, and wholly original take on the multiverse concept. It stars Michelle Yeoh of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame, and sees the long-awaited return of Ke Huy Quan, the iconic child star of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The film is gaining massive praise from critics and audiences alike, and it will be hard for another multiverse-centered film to top it. Even the upcoming Doctor Strange and Into the Spider-Verse sequels might have some trouble following this up.
Of course, one problem with rankings like this is recency bias. By nature of the site, all the most logged films are within the last eight years. For instance, classics like Citizen Kane or Come And See generate less than 400k ratings, while Avengers: Endgame has over a million. And Rotten Tomatoes is even worse in this regard, as their algorithms heavily favor recent films, to the point where a movie like Wonder Woman appears on Best Of lists before a 100% approved masterpiece like Before Sunrise. So it's fair to be skeptical about any recent release that's immediately called a classic.
But that said, it's about time a film like Everything Everywhere makes this type of splash. This is an independent comedy, which in our blockbuster-driven marketplace, is a genre everyone wants more of these days. It's also a film by Asian actors and directors, which offers representation far greater than what Hollywood normally allows. And lastly, it's an original movie. Sure the multiverse concept is nothing new, but the story and characters are entirely fresh. For these reasons and more, it's a movie everyone should be supporting, and moviegoers will be much better off if it's a commercial success.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is now playing in select theaters.
Source: Letterboxd