Across the Universe (2007)

Across the Universe (2007)

Written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, & Julie Taymor

Directed by Julie Taymor

            My love for this film can be summed up by the fact that I have an original one-sheet poster from the movie framed above my bed.  I first discovered this underrated gem about a year and a half ago.  I bought it for about ten dollars at my local Blockbuster.  A few weeks ago I was perusing a nearby Costco, when I found it on Blu-ray for twelve bucks.  Score!  ANYWAY,  the first time I watched it, I don’t think I understood it completely.  I watched it again around five months later (around this exact time last year), and was simply spellbound.

            This movie has everything.  EVERYTHING!!!  Let’s start with the basics – it’s a movie based on and set to songs by the Beatles.  I’ll wait while you go out and find this movie and watch it.

Back? Oh, yea sure, go ahead and make some popcorn.

Ok! So, it’s a musical.  Some people don’t like musicals, I can understand that.  They’re pretty gay.  There’s a lot to not like about them.  It’s not very realistic that a group of people would break out into a clearly choreographed dance routine, where everyboyd knows the lyrics to the song they’re singing.  And where the hell does the music come from anyway?  But this one is different.  Here’s a little trick to tell if a musical will be good or not.  If the songs help to move the plot forward, then it will be a good musical.  If the songs are an aside from the plot, the musical will suck (see this, or this, or this.)  Across the Universe uses the songs to move the plot forward.  The plot, here, revolves around Jude, Max, and Lucy (yes, all of the characters are named after Beatles songs, and no, it’s not as lame as it says) and takes place in the 60’s.  Max and Lucy are siblings, Jude is from Liverpool, Jude and Lucy fall in love, Max gets drafted.  Tangental characters include a Hendrix clone named Jo Jo, a Janis Joplin clone named Sadie (and yes, she is pretty sexy), and a hot little Asian lesbian named Prudence.

            The best part about this flick is obviously the music.  The Beatles were masters, and in my opinion, the last great music makers.  What differentiates the Beatles from most other bands of that era, in my mind, is not just their lyrics, but their ability to harmonize.  Beatles songs are rooted in the vocals, and McCartney and Lennon did things with their vocals that are unheard of these days.  Rather than clutter up the songs with over-enthusiastic guitar solos and ostentatious drum fills, they let the lyrics and vocals do the talking.  Now, in this flick, the filmmakers re-interpret some of the songs in ways that are both beautiful and unique, and they do the nearly impossible – they are even better than the originals (unlike in that goddamn blackberry commercial, which pretty much vomits on the original song).

            The acting here is award-worthy.  First off, all of the actors and actresses do their own singing in this.  And it’s not just ‘meh’, like Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge, it’s raw and real. Evan Rachel Wood proves that she’s not just insanely hot, but she’s also one of the better actresses of her generation (if not the best).  Jim Sturgess was equally impressive as the male lead, but the person that stole the most scenes for me was Joe Anderson as Max.  This guy was badass to the max.  That’s right, I said ‘to the max.’  You may have seen him in The Ruins as the German guy that fell down the hole and broke his legs, or possibly in the trailer for remake of The Crazies (which looks awesome, by the way).  He’s awesome, and an actor to look out for.

            The sets here were amazing, the wardrobes were spot-on, everything looked like it was straight out of the era.  When I watched this on blu-ray, I found myself wishing that I had lived during the era (a notion that was instantly quelled when I thought back to “Helter Skelter”, which I am currently reading).

            There is absolutely nothing about this movie that I didn’t like.  See it, see it, see it, SEE IT!!!