Across the Universe

If you've ever watched The Wall or Tommy and wished that there was a psychedelic film done to Beatles music, then Across the Universe is for you. I have to say, it starts off not half bad. I was reminded of Moulin Rouge, which I really enjoyed in spite of Nicole Kidman. The music is appealing and well done with enough homage to the original renditions that it is likable, and more importantly, recognizable to even the most musically challenged individuals. Done mostly chronologically, the songs elicit a nostalgia that is enjoyable and lets you forget the mediocre acting and story that is on the screen. For awhile.

The film goes on. And on. And on for a seemingly endless period of time. I must admit, I am a huge Beatles fan, and most of my favorites were sung, but there was one crucial song missing; Yesterday, the most covered song of all time. However, this oversight or intentional subversion, whichever it happened to be, did little to detract from the film.

Set in the early 1960's, converging story lines of characters with names found in Beatles songs highlight the decade of peace, love, war and civil disobedience. The main characters, Jude and Lucy meet, fall in and out of love, and reconnect after the scarring trauma of the Vietnam War. Really though, it is not as heavy as it sounds. The war scenes start with a bang, and end with slow motion singing and over the top visual effects. Taking countless cues from The Wall, this film is far from original.

The highlights are certainly the adaptations of the songs, and presentation. The choreography and some of the trippy visuals that accompany the musical interludes are thoughtful and clever. However, the story is stagnant and stale. The characters never fully develop, and although it is a light-hearted intentionally provocative and quite possibly one of the more creative displays of film making of the past year, it is ultimately not entertaining enough.

A great idea, and wonderful musical numbers, but everything else falls flat. Perhaps it is the depressing journey through drugs and the war, and maybe it is the music itself that brings the tone down a notch, but either way, the film as a whole fails. 6/10 for the musical presentation, but that is sadly generous.