Julie Taymor has directed what will probably go down in history as her magnum opus

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2008)

Aside from "Across the Universe", the other Julie Taymor movie that comes to my mind is her biopic "Frida", about Frida Kahlo. Taymor has now shown that when focusing on cultural heritage, one needn't limit oneself to straightforward biopics, but can also look at the sorts of things that happened in a certain era, while fictionalizing events. And that's exactly what she has done with this one. Opening with two vastly dissimilar settings - one shows the seedy Cavern Club in Liverpool, the other shows an upper middle class high school in the United States - the film tells the story of a working class Brit named Jude (Jim Sturgess), who journeys across the pond to find his father. Although he accomplishes this, his trip takes on a new purpose: falling in love with American girl Lucy (Rachel Evan Wood), and participating in everything that took place in the sixties.
If absolutely nothing else, it would be beyond amazing how they incorporate the Beatles' songs into the movie and use them to tell the story. To be certain, every major character has a name from a Beatles song (plus a few actions referencing Beatles songs). But the psychedelic/mystical approach that they take, all the while keeping everything very political, transcends even that. Taymor has created a nearly indescribable experience here, much like the Cirque du Soleil spectacle "Love" that I saw in Las Vegas. It's like Chuck Jones's "What's Opera, Doc?" (although I understand that some people will object to me comparing the two).
All in all, this one that I will recommend to everyone for all time. An absolute masterpiece. Also starring Dylan Baker, Bono, Eddie Izzard and Salma Hayek.