DVD Pick: Across the Universe

Love, Rock n Roll and Revolution!

BY COLIN ENQUIST

Across the Universe is a rock opera based entirely off songs written by The Beatles. The film is directed by Julia Taymor who also got a writing credit for the film. She is the genius behind the outstanding musical The Lion King which won her a Tony Award (the first woman to do so in the category) for directing the musical. The film stars Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson and T.V. Carpio. Cameo appearances from Bono, Eddie Izzard, Joe Crocker, Salma Hayek and others are sprinkled throughout the film.

The story is very disjointed and is tough to follow but is not impossible. Following several characters, the tale leads us from early in the 1960s to the later turbulent times of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. At heart the film is a love story, from beginning to end, but it strays because of the abundance of characters. As the story shifts to each character it loses some of its perspective, almost being forced in another direction just to use a specific song in the vast library of The Beatles. Jude (Jim Sturgess) the love torn artist, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) the budding revolutionist, Max (Joe Anderson) the one being drafted for war, not to mention the musicians Sadie (Dana Fuchs) and Jojo (Martin Luther McCoy) (who resemble Janis Joplin and Jimmi Hendrix), each are uniquely interesting. All their sagas are intertwined but if Taymor had trimmed down some of the side plots the story could have flowed more fluently. Making us focus more on the romance budding between Jude and Lucy which is the main story being told in the film. Sturgess even opens the film singing “Girl”, describing a girl (who turns out is Lucy) which he loves, but he has many uncertainties about her.

Love may be the heart of the film but The Beatles songs are essentially the centerpiece of it. Incorporating 33 of The Beatles songs throughout the entire film, Taymor has created a soundtrack that is the film itself. Not only does the film use The Beatles songs to base the story off of, but it uses references throughout the entire film. I probably missed some myself, the ones easily noticeable were that most characters names were somehow related to a song written by The Beatles, Jude doing a drawing of an apple (The Beatles record label), some were not so obvious (Max holding his silver hammer!) and I was happy to catch them. Surely I missed many and if I watch the film again maybe I can detect the ones I missed the first time around. The musical aspect is not just used as a prop though, with commentary in the lyrics supporting the dialogue and path the story is moving in.

Taymor uses stylish choreography for the few dance numbers. The stand out would be when Max is going through his physical before being shipped off to Vietnam.

This film is worth watching if you enjoy musicals or are a fan of The Beatles. The disorganized story makes this film lacking where Grease or West Side Story excelled. I would never consider Across the Universe to be one of the greatest musicals but it is a fun film that you will love to sing to. You may find yourself heading down to your local Best Buy or onto the iTunes store to purchase the soundtrack so you can sing along with the cast anytime you want. I know I did! One song is now my ring tone as well!

3 out of 5