Movie Notes: Across The Universe

April 24th, 2008

= 4 stars

Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson
Directed by Julie Taymor

Synopsis

Liverpudlian Jude (Jim Sturgess) emigrates to America during the tumultuous sixties, and falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood).

The Good

• A lot to like if you’re a Beatles fan. Thirty-one Beatles songs are depicted visually in inventive and creative ways. The songs are covers, but with different arrangements, turns of phrase, and meanings than the Fab Four versions
• Many subtle Beatle references mixed in for true Beatle-files. Character names are taken from the discography — Jude, Lucy, Sadie, Prudence. Dr. Robert introduces drugs to the gang, and it’s rumored a Dr. Robert gave Lennon an initial sample. The Strawberry Fields Forever segment features color film projected on Lucy’s face, similar to the Beatles’ music video of the same song. And the blue thin-headed creatures during Benefit From Mr. Kite do resemble the Blue Meanies.
• I was surprised to learn Evan Rachel Wood actually sang. while Jim Sturgess adds a necessary English influence and does resemble McCartney. Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther, and T.V. Carpio add diversity and their voices. Sadie (Fuchs) in particular sure can sing.

The Bad

• A completely predictable plot that’s definitely on the “hopeless romantic” end of the spectrum.
• Some of the visuals don’t jibe well, such as strawberry-bombs during Strawberry Fields Forever and the spoken-word Being For The Benefit Of Mister Kite.
• A lack of familiarity with The Beatles would diminish enjoyment exponentially.
• This is “history lite” — actual events filtered through musical conventions and adolescent romance. It feels slightly “Cliff Notes” and cheap.

Conclusion

There’s some similarity between Across The Universe and the Cirque du Soleil “Love”. Both use Beatles’ music as a backdrop to wonderful, imaginative visuals and alternate interpretations. “Love” had access to the original recordings, while this film did not. However, I think Across The Universe coped with this possible failing extremely well.

While not every scene works and some imaginings are a bit too “out there,” I feel the majority did the Beatles’ music justice. By movie’s end, I was certainly thinking All You Need Is Love.

IMBD: Across The Universe
Wikipedia: Across The Universe
Rotten Tomatoes: Across The Universe 53%