Across the Universe is a big, loud, and certainly colorful musical. It also seemed rather messy and unfocused to me. Many times the film lost my interests for a few moments, but on the whole, Across the Universe, is a bold experiment in the film musical. With some imperfections aside it is a film worth checking out. With its Beatle filled songs and references it surely is to please most Beatle fans.
Across the Universe tells the story to of a limey from Liverpool, named Jude, who comes to America to find his absent father. On his trip he comes across all sorts of people, all of which are named after Beatles songs. For me to describe the story further would be a waste because there really is not one. It’s more of a journey through the sixties with tons of Beatles songs to back up the story. There are side stories about Vietnam, the anti war and civil rights movements, and multiple more personal stories between the film’s characters. All of them blend together and make more of a portrait.
What I thought was the weakest point of the film for me was that I simply did not care much for the characters. The characters had no real interest for me and were really dull for the most part. Its seemed like the film was more interested in visuals and music then an actual story. I don’t think a strong plot is needed in a musical but it makes the film much more watch able when there is some meat to the story.
The music in the film is of course all covers of Beatle’s songs. It would be nearly impossible to have the original Beatles songs in this film, as it would cost a fortune. The songs in the film range from mediocre to pretty damn good versions of Beatles classics. I liked the covers of “I’ve Just Seen A Face” and “Happiness is a Warm Gun” in particular from the film. The rest are not bad but just are shy of being really that good. In all honesty the music made me want to whip out my I Pod and start listening to the original songs.
What I can’t fault in the film is the performances of the actors in the film as many of them were pretty talented singers, and if they were not that strong of singers their delivery of the songs saved them. Many of the actors in the film had more of a natural approach to vocals and it worked. The films star, Jim Sturgess, was maybe the best singer, or perhaps the best equipped to sing Beatles songs. The songs that he sings in were usually the best and the catchiest.
Perhaps what I liked best about this film is the wonderfully creative and quite often tripy visuals of the film. The director Julie Taymor does a good job creating this colorful world within this film and uses lots of fun visuals. Looking at this film, especially in the second half of the film, I was often very pleased with all the wonderful color pallets and interesting images. Taymor got her start in the theatre and she is know for her theatric sense of style and in this film she demonstrates it well. This film if nothing else is a feast on the eyes.
I am certainly not in love with this film, as you might now guess but certainly is not a bad one. I give the film points for being so bold and stylish but I dislike it for being a little bland with its characters. I also think the music is not as good as the source material, but then again what is. This film is better as a spectacle then it is as a musical. If the film had moved me or excited me a little more then I think I would have enjoyed it better. Instead of seeing this film I would recommend the great Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night. That film is much more lively then this one.
2 ½ / 4 Stars
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