I left the movie smiling and singing.

Rating: 9/10 (30 September 2007)

All right, top five things about the movie. Here it goes:
5. The emotion of the sixties is captured in a completely new way. There are the highs, which get your heart beating and your mind racing (as well as redefine 'high'), and there are the lows, which take you so far into the characters lives and make you so connected that you feel the need to turn your head away in embarrassment.
4. Not gonna lie, Jim Sturgess is attractive. He sports the short shag and the British long shaggy hair extremely well, he can sing with emotion...and he has that wonderful accent. For some, this is reason enough to see it.
3. After I saw this movie and went around raving about it to my friends, one of the questions they asked me was who was in it. I honestly told them that it didn't matter. This is one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in a long time. Not all of these people are unknowns, but enough of them have gone under the radar that when they display the amount of talent that they do, you have a whole new appreciation for them.
2. The movie straddles the line between reality and imagination and does so in a way that makes it a work of art. The surrealism is invoked at appropriate times, when drugs are implied or there is a mental breakdown, and doesn't hinder the plot, only helps it.
1. The music. I ran out and bought the CD as soon as the movie was over and haven't stopped listening to it since. First of all, the actors are all extremely talented singers and it is pleasing to listen to. Second of all, this movie either redefines or reemphasizes the meaning and emotion behind these songs. The way the songs are incorporated into the plot make you rethink the words and it is the songs that carry the story and not the other way around. If you go into the movie looking for classic Beatles and an open mind, you will enjoy yourself. It is a new generation's swing on the classics, which needs to be understood. It is a reawakening of Beatles music.
In a nut shell, see this movie with open ears and an open mind and you will not be disappointed. All you need is love.