Hair meets Apocalypse Now?

Rating: 10/10 (18 August 2008)

Julie Taymor certainly has a brilliant mind. Having seen both her Lion King and Green Bird on Broadway, I was eagerly awaiting the release of "Across the Universe". Week after week, month after month, I watched the Preview of it prior to the featured movie at my local theater, but it seemed to take nearly two years before the actual movie was released. When it was released, at least here in NYC, the reviews were less than positive and there was discussion about Taymor wanting to take her name off the film, etc.
I recently purchased the movie on DVD and watched it. Reviewing this movie is as difficult as explaining it. It has a serious story about a young man from Britain who comes to NYC's Greenwich Village during a time when protests of the Vietnam war were increasing. But Across the Universe transcends from a serious story, to real life footage of the Detroit Riots, to an acid trip hallucination, then back to a serious story several times throughout its 2 hours and 15 minute running time.
All of the actors are excellent and all the members of the Beatles would be proud, I'm sure, of the performances of those who sing the Beatles' songs.
I'm a NYC resident and if this movie were released in the early 80's, it's the type of movie where one would have lit a joint in the balcony of the Loews Astor Plaza theater, and went for the "trip".
If you like the Beatles or Julie Taymor or both, pop in the DVD, sit back, let yourself go and enjoy the ride "across the Universe"!