Oh, the 60's...

Rating: Null/10 (7 November 2007)

Don't listen to the mixed reviews: "Across the Universe" is a gorgeous, psychedelic musical, and easily my favourite film of 2007 so far. Julie Taymor (a Broadway veteran owner of a stunning visual style, as you can see in her previous features, "Titus" and "Frida") has created a breathtaking masterpiece that's even comparable to Baz Luhrmann's unique "Moulin Rouge!" (I'm biased, though, since "Moulin Rouge!" is my personal favourite musical ever).
Yes, the movie is just a "2-hour music video", but a fantastic one at that. The Beatles' songs are more than enough material for a great musical, and Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais ("The Commitments") know that. You can call some of the plot elements cheesy, but they work as fun stereotypes of the 60's. I was born in the late 80's and enjoyed the film with a "nostalgic" feel... you don't need to have lived in the 60's to know it was a time like no other: for music and the world itself; a time of change and war, but also of fun and passion. Maybe it's because today's popular songs are about umbrellas and putting *it* into your mouth, maybe it's because The Beatles were just plain great, but "Across the Universe" arrives at the right time, introducing Paul, John, George & Ringo to a new generation. It's the kind of movie you should go watch with your parents and/or grandparents, and all of you will enjoy it equally (I promise:). The young cast (Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson and the revelation Dana Fuchs - what a voice that woman has!) does a fine job, and there are fun cameos by Bono, Eddie Izzard and Salma Hayek (sexiest singing nurse ever? I think so!), it's the only movie I've ever gone to see twice in theaters (and maybe I'll go see it again, if I have time while it's still playing). Generally, even if I love a film I've just seen in theaters, I wait for the DVD to see it again; but "Across the Universe" is one of those that deserves to be seen on a big screen, for the experience. Watch it on a double feature with the classic "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), and be prepared for a fun time celebrating an era like no other. 10/10.