The hubby and I have eagerly been awaiting Across the Universe ever since seeing the first psychedelic trailer for it months ago. This film promised to be totally unique. It lives up to its promise and, while I would personally make a few changes, I do recommend this movie.

Plot Info
Set in the 1960s, this musical features a soundtrack made up entirely of Beatles songs. The story follows Jude (Jim Sturgess), a British sailor gone on permanent military leave in America. Jude encounters laid back, life-loving Max Carrigan (Joe Anderson) and his beautiful younger sister, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). The group ultimately ends up in New York, embroiled in the controversy surrounding the Vietnam War in various capacities.

My Thoughts
Some people are going to absolutely hate Across the Universe, but there’s a lot of good stuff in this innovative movie musical. For starters, the film has much more of a plot than I expected. The story is well-developed and offers a few surprises. Continuity is excellent throughout – a character who disappears suddenly in one place is almost certain to pop up in another. On the negative side, some of the pacing is a little odd. The beginning is stellar and the end is good but for me, the movie ran into a bit of trouble in terms of momentum when it deviated too far from the main themes to incorporate a random Beatles song or two. A particularly psychedelic section featuring “I am the Walrus” and “The Benefit of Mr. Kite drags on and on.” It’s also possible I just didn’t “get” this drug-induced portion, being not so much a child of the '60s.

Acid trips aside, I think the selection of songs is pretty great and most are well-used. “Girl”, the film’s opening number, is light and sweet and sets up the film’s basic plot perfectly. My husband and I both loved the choreography to “I Want You”, which is complete with dancing military drill sergeants and would-be draftees in their underwear. “Strawberry Fields” is turned into a vivid, colorful montage of images reminiscent of a music video. Most of the film’s stars do a respectable job with both acting and singing these famous songs. Out of the entire cast, I think Joe Anderson has the best voice and the most charisma. The film’s star, Jim Sturgess, also does a very nice job vocally and brings a high level of emotional depth to his role. My only disappointment was with Evan Rachel Wood as Lucy. She looks just right for the part and does well dramatically, but her voice just isn’t as strong as the others’. While she does an acceptable job with peppy, upbeat material, she struggles with ballads and her voice nearly disappears on the high notes.

Mr_chelledun and I both gave Across the Universe points for being thought-provoking. It’s usually a good sign when I care about a movie enough to come home and start looking up things about it on Wikipedia. The film contains a lot of symbolism, some of which I got, some I didn’t. While Across the Universe generally carries an anti-war message, the characters don’t necessarily start with anti-war views. This movie does a good idea of showing Lucy, in particular, transition from being a naive young girl leading a comfortable life to a zealous activist.

Overall…
I liked Across the Universe when I was watching it, and I like it even more as I sit here and think about some of its particularly clever moments. Don’t go in expecting either a typical romance or a typical war movie. Do expect something that can’t easily be put in a particular genre. Across the Universe has some funny moments, beautiful visuals, a killer soundtrack, and generally good acting. The quality of this production is miles above most of the drivel I saw this summer, and for that I am grateful. I’ll probably watch this movie again and I suggest you give it a try at least once.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD