If You Like The Beatles, Beautiful Visuals, Musicals, or Love Stories, Then This Is A Movie You Must See

Rating: 7/10 (12 May 2012)

"Across the Universe" is a film I had heard of for years, but had never taken the time to sit down and watch. I knew it was a rock opera with Beatles songs, that it was a love story, and that I heard nothing bad about it. But after about three years of being in limbo on how this movie was, I decided to finally sit down and give it a watch. And I wish I had done so sooner.
"Across the Universe" is about Jude, a young man from Liverpool who decides to go to America to find his father. While what he finds is a disappointment, he meets his friend Max and his sister, Lucy, who Jude falls in love with. The three of them move to New York, where they meet Prudence, Satie, and JoJo, and soon they are all swept up in the 1960's world of music, war, and love. You could possibly look at this film and completely label it a hippy throwback, but while you're watching it, the word hippy never comes to mind. It's more of a story of a group of people's self-discovery and the hardships they go through.
There are no big-name actors in this film, at all. It's all unknowns. I love it when big films give young actors a chance to shine, and with this film, it'll probably be the roles they're all remembered for. Jim Sturgess plays Jude. He looks like he came right out of 1960's England. If you could go back in time and put him into the Beatles, you wouldn't know a difference at all. He was the perfect person to play Jude. Not just for looks, but for his performance too. He's instantly likable, you just look at him and grin because you probably know a guy exactly like him.
Evan Rachel Wood plays Lucy. She gives a good performance, and Lucy's a likable character. She's obviously a polar opposite to Jude, so it gives them a good character dynamic, but honestly, the exact same kind of dynamic was in "Grease", so it gives it a bit of a recycled feel, especially for a musical.
Visually, this film will trip you out to no end. In several of the musical numbers, you'll just be wondering, "who the hell just turned the psychedelic switch to 11"? It'll be a perfectly normal scene, and then it's like you just dived head first into an acid trip. Some of the scenes are disturbing and a bit off putting, like "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", but there are others that are really beautiful like "Dear Prudence". It's a mixed bag, but you can't deny, it's a gorgeous film to look at.
The songs in this film are all used to perfect effect. You'll realize it later, because you won't be able to listen to the Beatles afterwards and not think of the scenes in the film that go along with the film. Now usually, I'm completely against covers in films, but several of the songs used in the film I think are better in certain ways. "Something" is the one I think is probably used to the best effect. It seems like the song is sung in the exact situation the Beatles imagined when they wrote the song. It works so beautifully, that you might find that the original version doesn't work as good if you visualize it being played to the scene.
The other musical numbers that really stand out to me in this movie are "With A Little Help from My Friends", "Hey Jude", and "All You Need is Love", which epitomizes everything the film builds up towards. Don't be surprised to find yourself singing along to these songs. Throughout the film, you've grown to love these characters, and these songs lift you up and warm your heart in a way that not a lot of films these days can do.
In conclusion, "Across the Universe" is a great film. It seems the team behind this film were able to find a story that after viewing this film, you feel like it wasn't forced, but more like it was there all along. And now that you've seen it unfold, you'll never be able to forget it.