I was really looking forward to this one, not because I'm the biggest Beatles fan, but because the idea of this film is so innovative. It's a musical where most of the plot progresses through Beatles tunes and short five minute interludes of dialogue between them. The movie goes through three main phases, which reflect the different phases that the Beatles' music went through. The movie begins with a cheesy falling in love theme with vomit-worthy choreography and cinematics, namely the scene where Prudence sings a horrible arrangement of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in the middle of a football field while the players knock the shit out of each other in the background. Once the vomiting stops, the movie takes you on a visual acid trip led by Uncle Sam, Mr. Kite, and of course, Bono. At this point in the movie you look down to make sure what you are eating is just popcorn and when you realize it is the movie, not you, that has gotten this trippy, you can sit back and enjoy the psychadelic colors and creepy naked ladies that walk on the water. Finally, the movie transitions into an intense, symbolic phase flashing back and forth between the soldiers in Vietnam, Jude's symbolic artwork, and Sadie's rock band. The music is, for the most part, well arranged and well sung with the exception of the first half hour. The movie is deeply symbolic and thought provoking, especially in the final phase. However, the only humor the movie has to offer is the slipping of Beatles' song titles into the dialogue and the characters' names.
Sadie: "Where did she come from?"
Jude: "She came in through the bathroom window."
Me: "Hahahaha I get it! It's a song!"
Across the Universe will satisfy an artistic viewer, piss off a Beatles worshiper for not keeping the precise style of the original songs, confuse people who are neither artistic or appreciate the Beatles, and overdose those who watched it while high.
Pros:
- Artistically pleasing
- Innovative
- Gets you high without negative side effects or risk of getting arrested
Cons:
- Cheesy beginning
- Gets kinda creepy
- A few weird song arrangements
Final Decision: 3 Paul McCartney Whoops out of 5
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