Worth it?

Rating: 7/10 (3 April 2008)

Was Across the Universe worth watching? Yes and no. I've seen this movie sober, and under the influence and I must say, it was a completely different movie the two times I watched it. I first watched it while intoxicated while at a friend's home. It struck me as a movie not particularly worthy of remembrance, but with very good covers of some classic Beatles songs, which stuck with me through the week, though the rest of the movie seemed incoherent and pointless. I decided to watch it again, sober this time, thinking I would get much more out of it than the first time through. I was not completely wrong, but almost. The movie is actually much more of a musical than I'd expected. In my opinion, it nearly overwhelmed then entire storyline. I attribute missing this in the first viewing, to my influenced state of mind, but even then, I was truly surprised I didn't notice. Other than the music, the story is nothing short or predictable. You can see each and every turn, though it's mostly a straight line, from almost the very beginning of the movie. With no real in depth plot, it's probably not worth watching in any state of mind but relaxed and intoxicated. If you like amateur theatre you may enjoy this movie as well, but the normal cinema patron or Netflix subscriber won't be impressed with anything but the music. Overall, if you'd like to watch a movie, skip it, but if you're into 2 hour music videos of good music; stay in, have (more than) a few drinks, and enjoy.