Across the Universe 2007 Review

I wanted to see Across the Universe from the moment I saw the first advertising for it. As a big Beatles fan, all I needed to know was that the film extensively used Lennon/McCartney and Harrison songs to tell a story. The bottom line is that I really enjoyed the film, from its straightforward romantic storylines to its clever excursion into psychedelic surrealism.

First, the songs are sung by the cast members of the film, not by the Beatles. This worked out pretty well, as the cast has good voices. If you're familiar with the songs of the Beatles, then describing the plot and the characters will sound a little trite. I cringed a little as the plot became clear and the characters were introduced, but it worked out better than my initial impression indicated. You see, all the characters' names are based on Beatles songs and that sounded just a little silly.

Set in the 1960s, the main character is Jude (Jim Sturgess), who is a young shipworker from Liverpool, England. He gets a job aboard a ship and heads to the US, without telling his mom the real reason why he's going. Once in the US, he jumps ship and goes to Princeton, where his biological father works at the university. Thus, the John Lennon-esque Jude is given a background roughly similar to John Lennon, since Lennon's dad was a sailor who left John in Liverpool with his mom as a young child. In the film, Jude's dad was a soldier who didn't know he got an English girl pregnant -- it doesn't matter to the child how his dad managed to leave, only that he's not there.

At Princeton, Jude meets Max, a bored student. Max soon leaves Princeton and heads to New York City with Jude, but not until Jude became smitten with Max's sister Lucy. Lucy's boyfriend gets drafted and eventually dies in Vietnam, and Jude wastes no time consoling the now-available Lucy. Lucy gets involved with anti-war radicals in New York City and tries to get Jude interested, but he'd rather paint and draw. Meanwhile, Max gets his draft notice and -- after a dazzling sequence where he gets his Army induction physical to the song I Want You -- goes off to war. In New York City, Jude, Lucy, Prudence and (for a while) Max live with Sadie, a Janis Joplin-like aspiring singer. Sadie hooks up with a Jimi Hendrix-like guitar player named JoJo.

What happens to these relationships? Will Max be killed in the war? Will Lucy become hopelessly radical? Will Jude be caught and sent back to England? What about his girlfriend back there? Will Sadie get a recording contract? And wasn't there something about psychedelic drugs in the 1960s??

To my pleasant surprise, all these threads and others were fleshed out and answered, usually in creative and thoughtful ways. Wrapped around all these plot lines were Beatle songs, often used in ways that I didn't expect. For example, the song Revolution is used to point out how foolish and hypocritical the anti-war radicals are. Other plot devices are expected, such as a final rooftop concert that gets closed down by the police.

Some of the musical numbers were standouts, such as the previously mentioned I Want You for the Army physical. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite was a spectacular surreal sequence and Hey Jude was used in the most perfect way. I don't know for sure if the playing of musical instruments was actually done by the actors or if it was mimed, but it all looked real and believable (except for the obviously surreal segments). The singing was all pretty good, and the images and performances often took the songs to places where I did not expect.

There is brief nudity in the film and occasional rough language, but it's fine for anyone 14 and older. Older teens will probably enjoy this telling of recent history through songs and interlocking plotlines. The film is very colorful and ultimately joyous.

The bottom line is that I enjoyed Across the Universe. If you have hesitated going to this movie because it sounds just a little too goofy, give it a try. If you think you've heard all you can stand of Beatles songs, the interpretations here may surprise you... in a good way. This was an interesting and enjoyable film.

I recommend Across the Universe.