Movie Review: Across The Universe

I watched this film on the VCD, I was skeptical about it because, c'mon: a musical based on songs by the Beatles, the protests against the Vietnam War, young love...I had doubts to whether I'd enjoy the film or snore before it was over. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was better that I expected so here goes...

The Plot
Set in the 1960s, we are introduced to young Jude from Liverpool who goes to America to find his father. He then meets Max, a rebellious young man from a privileged family. They become great friends & move to New York to savor the fun there. Lucy is Max's sweet & innocent sister whose boyfriend was killed when he was in the military. She is then drawn to the anti-war movement, especially when her brother was called to serve the country. Lucy & Max falls in love & their relationship is battered with Lucy's obsession to protest against the war & Max's jealousy that she spends more time with the protests than with him. Other characters include Sadie, a sexy singer; Prudence, a flighty lesbian; & Jojo, a talented guitarist & Sadie's lover.

Turmoil breaks the group & Jude returns to Liverpool. Max is injured from the war & returns, encouraging Jude to seek out Lucy. He comes to the US & meets Lucy again. Sadie & Jojo reunite musically & romantically, & it's a happy reunion for the group.

The Cast

Newcomers are the order of the day. Evan Rachel Woods is sweet & beautiful as Lucy, Jim Sturgess plays the dreamy artist Jude very well, Joe Anderson is lovable as Max, Dana Fuchs is gorgeous & tough as Sadie, Martin Luther McCoy not only plays affable Jojo but he plays the guitar REALLY well. The cast did their job really well, they played the different & contrasting personalities of the characters with perfection, they all can sing too & their voices are a perfect blend.

The Music
Well I'm a fan of music by the Beatles so no complaints there! Old favorites like "All You Need Is Love", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "Hey Jude" & "Something" fit seamlessly into the film, albeit in a different version that's refreshing & wonderful to listen to. The movie also featured songs I've not heard before, neither does Dad know them, so it was a wonderful trip to enjoy music by the Beatles again.

Conclusion
A lovely musical, it had the right dose of emotion, nonchalance, humor, wit, music; the story is simple but depicted with a lot of color & of course, awesome tunes. The dance routines are wonderful & you can feel the flow from the screen. If you're not a fan of the Beatles, you'll probably like this film too because it plays the music in a new light & you won't even know it unless you're familiar with the lyrics. Thumbs up!

Comments

Unknown said…
Hey!! i love this movie! I've watched this one bfr...really cool. Its quite eccentric and creative. Not a usual kind of movie....thats why I like it. haha. I'm also a fan of the Beatles....yea...take care n keep in touch! :)
Anonymous said…
Told you it was nice ;)
CDanvers said…
musicals bore the hell out of me.

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