Julie Taymor's Across the Universe is essentially a series of Beatles covers with hints of a story feebly wrapped around it. What little plot there is follows uninteresting characters falling in and out of love in uninteresting ways during the Vietnam era. These faults would sound the death knell of an ordinary movie, but this one more than makes up for it with its bold images and exhilarating creativity. The best thing one could say about Across the Universe is that it tries. It tries so hard it infects the audience with its own joyous celebration. But sometimes it tries too hard. And despite its successes, it manages to fall flat on its face a number of times.The first hour and fifteen minutes was absolutely perfect. It was everything a movie musical can and should be. The cinematography was crisp and beautiful, the special effects awe-inspiring, and the characters engaging. But the best part was the music. It successfully enhanced the entire film experience. It strengthened every emotion, deepened every character, and moved the audience more profoundly than any other single filmic technique. "Let It Be" and "Come Together" are by far the highlights for me, perhaps of any musical I've ever seen. I cannot imagine how wide-eyed and open-mouthed I must have been watching them. Even the more lively dance numbers I found myself comparing to Singin' in the Rain.
But the movie lacked a legitimate take-home message, just that love is cool and war is not. The editing seemed nonexistent, as if every scene they shot was included no matter how much it destroyed the pacing and alienated the audience. The acting redefined average. To be fair, the script and dialogue were pretty pitiful in the first place, so the actors didn't have much to work with. I hated how the movie idealized the bohemian lifestyle and bellowed its anti-war mentality. But more than that, I hated the 30 minute hallucinatory dreck masquerading as a subplot people might actually care about. Not even cameos by Bono, Eddie Izzard, and Salma Hayek could salvage them. To drop so dramatically from amazing to amazingly bad is impressive, and not in a good way. But in the last 15 minutes or so the movie picks up again to end it on a saccharine, innocuous note. For any fans of the Beatles, which should be a vast majority of people, go watch this movie. You will most certainly not be disappointed.
IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0445922/