"Across the Universe" is a movie named after The Beatles song of
the same name. The film is a lush and haunting love letter to the
music of The Beatles from the mind and eye of story-teller Julie
Taymor (with story and script-writing from Ian La Frenais and Dick
Clement.)
In a nutshell--but not really, since the film defies apt summarizing--
more than a dozen songs of The Beatles were taken and meticulously
crafted together to form a powerful story that follows the lives of a
disparate group of young soul travelers during the Vietnam War. It
is gorgeous, provocative, eccentric, moving, and captivating.
The music blends directly into the salient story points and creates
an incredible experience. If you have never been a fan of the movie
musical, you still should see this film. It is a unique experience, indeed.
The cast includes Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson,
T.V. Carpio, Dana Fuchs, and Martin Luther as the primaries, each
struggling to find their place in the world in that pivotal time of social
change. There are also some outlandish cameo spots that steal the
show from Bono, Eddie Izzard, and Joe Cocker.
My expectations were low going in, as this movie had some steep
obstacles to overcome. Making a musical appear natural, using a
cast of mostly unknowns, making this many different plots intertwine
seamlessly, and giving proper respect to the material just a few. They
blew me out of the water.
The musical numbers are amazing, the feel and tone
of the music was remarkably captured, the rhythm
of the story pace was perfect, and the visuals were
mind-boggling.
(Yeah, it's totally theatrical and over-the-
top; it's a musical inspired by music produced during
the Age of drug experimentation! If that doesn't even
sound good to you, well, I dunno what to tell ya!
But the choreography and blending of story/music/art
was astounding!)
Definitely worth a check if you'd like a good laugh,
cry, and ultimately uplifting tale about the strength of
the human spirit.
Check these links for a few favorite scenes to get an idea
of what a superb job the cast does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShNnEDb4wFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j7Z5Q7ZDs4
