Surprise: Great in 3-D!

Rating: 10/10 (23 May 2012)

I came of age in the '60s, so this really hit home for me. To those who resented it for its strongly theatrical treatment of the Beatles era, I suggest you'd probably have a hard time with anyone else's take on those decades except your own -- still too personal, maybe. But it's not meant to be a documentary. For me,this film advanced that reality into a mythical realm, making of it a parable; so historical license is forgivable here, if the experience for the viewer gets the essence right. Personally, I'm ready to accept that time in my life being transmuted into its cultural gifts, so I loved this one in the theaters, then on DVD ... and (after I got a 3-D HDTV) on Blu-Ray.
And that was in itself a revelation. Of course, the film isn't in actual 3-D, but my Panasonic rig has a "2D-to-3D" setting which I'd not tried out much 'til now; and I have to credit the technology sector -- the result, while not flawless, is pretty impressive and totally watchable. And I was especially glad that I tried it out on Across the Universe. The faux addition of depth really enhanced this film's imagery, and enabled me to appreciate its complex, fast-moving visuals more thoroughly as layers of content got spatially sorted out for me. I saw distinctions in 3-D I'd never noticed while watching it in 2-D, even in the psychedelically colorized scenes. Considering how many scenes in it were deliberately composed with a strong eye for foreground/background interplays, and stunningly deep perspectives, this film should have been shot in 3-D (were it made today, I've no doubt it would be). I totally recommend to anyone else out there who has access to a 3-D setup, try this out -- the "long strange trip" expands your consciousness yet again, and no chemicals are needed -- just a little help from 21st-century technology. (Across the Universe is my new #1 reason I'm glad I sprang for at-home 3-D.)