Very Entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2007)

"Across the Universe" was one of the best movies of the season. With such titles as "30 Days of Night" and other B-movies to look forward to, AtU was an uplifting adventure that kept you mesmerized and enchanted. There is only one flaw in its entirety. The creators of this excellent piece decided to make a movie that fit in as many of the Beatle's greatest hits (all of the movies songs are remakes of original Beatle's songs) with stunning, albeit a little odd, special effects into a two and a half hour period. What would have made it so much more enjoyable would be a more in-depth story line and fewer songs. There are twenty nine songs that are sung in this movie. Each one is roughly between two and five minutes. In comparison to "Moulin Rouge!", a movie similar in many aspects, "Moulin Rouge!" had fourteen songs that were sung by the actors. This left room for more acting sequences and thus, a far more riveting experience. "AtU", because of its significant greater number of songs, was not allowed the time to show the prowess of its actors, only their voices which, without a doubt, were enchanting. Which brings me to my next point, the songs. I am an actor and hopeful singer. Thusly, I was hypnotized by the voices of all of the characters. The entrancing tones are only matched by the visual effects that accompany them. I bought the soundtrack about a month before the movie was released. I was not a huge Beatles fan when I bought the soundtrack on iTunes. Now I cannot get enough of them. It is amazing to hear the transformations between the original tracks and the revamped "AtU" tracks. The brilliantly executed songs sound even better when accompanied by the visual effects sequences in the movie. The movie also deals with a lot of issues on peace and the war in Nam. One of my friends who accompanied me in the theater was a little upset at the "hippie peace" people, due to the fact that he is a hard core supporter of war and the troops. Thusly, I would suggest this movie to anyone, only a little less enthusiastically to those who share the same views as my friend. Overall, the movie is given an eight out of ten in my book. Its only drawbacks occur with the lack of significant acting sequences and the large number of songs. Either way, the movie is highly suggested and should be seen by all.