Wonderful

Rating: 7/10 (2 October 2007)

Here in the UK, "Across The Universe" has had somewhat of a rough ride from some critics. (Hi there esteemed film reviewers of the "Independent" and "Metro" newspapers!) Basically they felt that "Across The Universe" was just awful; shoehorning the Beatles music into an ill-thought through piece of musical cinema, using those songs in wholly inappropriate and crass ways.
I cannot say that I understand their opinion completely. Maybe you just have to be a Beatles fan to appreciate the film, but I thought that "Across The Universe" was absolutely wonderful.
OK... Maybe not absolutely wonderful. Outside of the many great musical set pieces (there are 31 songs on the soundtrack) the film suffers from a somewhat lethargic pacing and a fairly witless and predictable story. Guff about the innocence of the early Sixties being eroded by Vietnam, civil rights, the expanding drug culture, sexual and political revolution is used as a background to a simplistic story of Boy meets Girl, Boy and Girl fall in love, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl back and, hey, guess what? The message here is that "All You Need Is Love".
You got all that? Good. Forget all of it, because what makes "Across The Universe" a really good film, and where it really works, is in the stunning visuals (Julie Taymor also made "Titus", which anybody will tell you is an astonishing looking film) and the brilliant versions of those songs, some of which are over 40 years old.
Highlights?
T. V. Carpio's version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand",reinvented as a lesbian torch song. Evan Rachel Wood's exuberant "It Won't Be Long" (I sadly have to report that I had completely forgotten that brilliant opener to "With The Beatles"), as a great, lost, call and response, Sixties girl group number. Bono's truly bonkers version of "I Am The Walrus". Joe Cocker's muscular take on "Come Together". Joe Anderson's "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" (with Salma Hayek popping up a a nurse, oh, yes!) Practically everything sang by Jim Sturgess ("Strawberry Fields Forever", "Across The Universe", "Girl") and Dana Fuchs ("Helter Skelter", "Oh Darling", "Don't Let Me Down").
Er... Basically the highlights were all of the musical sections of the film. True, Eddie Izzard doing "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" was kind of terrible, but I think it was supposed to be terrible.
Even if you are not a Beatles fan, and there are some of those curious creatures about (Hi there, Mr. Planet! Hi there, Graham!), there is a lot to enjoy in "Across The Universe". But be warned. You are almost certainly going to miss out on some of the fun Beatles references, he says smugly. (A girl climbing in through a bathroom window, anyone? The climatic rooftop gig being interrupted by the police, bringing to mind the last time the Beatles played live, on the roof of Apple headquarters on 30th January 1969.) I think that "Across The Universe" is worth seeing, but I would say that, being Beatles fan A number 1.
Remember... "All You Need Is Love".