Psychedelic but inconsistent

Rating: 6/10 (1 February 2008)

Across the Universe is a sensory musical that uses songs from The Beatles to tell a story about America in the tumultuous decade of the 60s. It is about a young man named Jude, who travels to the United States from his native home of Liverpool. Once there, he meets a dropout student named Max and they quickly become friends. They move to a building in New York City, where a relationship builds up between Jude and Max's sister, Lucy. They also meet a number of peculiar people from the city, widening the friendship circle. Alas, Max's departure to fight for the war and the differing stances between the remaining friends soon gets in the way.
Across the Universe is basically a bunch of neat music videos, tied together by a mediocre plot. The only reason the plot is not a complete mess is that the characters hold it together (although at some points the characters have rather impractical motives). Some parts of the film are downright silly, but I guess that stems from it being a musical. It gets more serious toward the middle, when the Vietnam War and protests play a greater role. All in all, the plot left me unsatisfied.
The music parts were certainly interesting. There were a couple of abstract segments, but it was very artistic and beautiful. The special effects are excellent. The use of colors (especially when Jude creates a "strawberry farm") is thoughtful. Depending on viewer tastes, the music might start to take a toll toward the end (although that is where the best songs come in). The music selection was a definite draw for me.
The acting and dialog was pretty much standard. There are cameos by Bono, Eddie Izzard, Joe Cocker, and Salma Hayek, which adds to the musical flavor.
The main problem I had was that the whole film was plagued by inconsistencies. It felt like the writers attempted too much to fit the songs into the story, which leads to problems. It presses for an emotional response, but often I disagreed with the messages.
I should note that I am not a fan of musicals. Someone who likes musicals will probably enjoy the film more and be able to ignore the problems. If you like the Beatles, then the film is definitely worth watching. For a general audience, Across the Universe is a solid film.