"...and I've been workin' like a dog."

Rating: 7/10 (7 June 2014)

Just call me late to the party on so many topics. I was never a Beatles fan back in the day, I thought they'd be a passing fad and all the screaming girls at their concert appearances convinced me that too many people had simply lost their minds. So it's fifty years later and whenever an early Beatles tune comes on the radio it gets my feet pumping in time to the beat. My appreciation of the Fab Four has obviously grown over time, and their staying power in popular music seems likely to continue forever.
I had some interesting observations while watching this flick the other night. For starters, their hair really wasn't all that long! Mop-top, yes, to be sure, but otherwise they looked to be exceptionally well groomed. Virtually every closeup of the boys looked like it could have been a cover on the next issue of Teen Beat or 16. The frantic double and triple timed speed-ups in the filming with the odd camera angles was an early precursor to shows like 'The Monkees' and set a new standard for portraying zany antics in movies.
In as much as there really is no story to speak of, what most viewers should enjoy is a hearty helping of the group's early popular songs. If you're a fan you'll recognize them all and find yourself singing along. You get the impression the Beatles didn't take themselves too seriously at this stage in their careers, and it was a hoot to see a particular scene where an old man in a closet has a fan mag with a picture of Elvis on the cover.