Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

I saw a sold-out opening night screening of "Across the Universe" last night with a group of my friends who had really been looking forward to it. Many of them were extremely disappointed, while in the critical world, Roger Ebert and the New York Times loved it. Because the film was so highly anticipated, and a number of people have asked me how I liked it, I'm writing this review in an attempt to express why the movie is so divisive. I'm not going to talk about plot, or describe any of the numbers. If you're interested in seeing the movie, they'll be more enjoyable if they're unexpected.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

It's a bizarre and beautiful movie musical, almost a music video at times, that uses thirty- three of The Beatles' songs and director Julie Taymor's unique visual style to illustrate both a personal love story and the overall conflict in the sixties. The movie is incredibly original and ambitious, and therefore its failings are as dramatic as its successes. Both stem from the same source: Julie Taymor's self-indulgence. That's nothing new to her movies, "Frida" and "Titus" have the same problem, but in a movie stripped of traditional narrative, it's glaringly obvious. Some songs are impeccably chosen and staged with great creativity, but others are too obvious, or thematically forced so Taymor can cram in another song and stunning visual sequence.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

For the first half of the movie, I was frequently divided. One innovative sequence would really pull me into the style, then a forced number or awkward staging would distance me again. When an obvious, recognizable number began, I was torn between a cynical impulse to roll my eyes and an almost exhilarated impulse to laugh and applaud.

"Across the Universe" is a mess. There's no denying that. It is poorly paced and badly structured, and at times its feather-light plot and contrived or obligatory numbers become tedious. But at one point, about halfway through, I decided just to go along for the ride. I delighted in every brash, bold choice, whether it worked or not. I let the poignant moments move me, whether or not I intellectually felt that they were contrived.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

The Beatles' music had a huge effect on me; from the fateful day that my friend accidentally copied the first three tracks of "Revolver" onto my computer, a love affair was born. Their songs are inexorably tied to memories beautiful and horrible scattered all over my life, and as I grow older, I'm constantly discovering new, deeper resonances in their familiar refrains. Even when the context was vague or stretched, the film's reinterpreting and revealing new facets of these songs seemed to serve as a tribute to their breadth and greatness. Taymor's damning depiction of the horrors of war, and lyrical portrait of young, idealistic love are both painfully expressive and unique, and simply took my breath away. By the film's shamelessly corny close, I realized that I had just had a genuine cinematic experience. For all the movies that I watch, that's incredibly rare.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

In his review in the New York Times, Stephen Holden writes, "I realized that falling in love with a movie is like falling in love with another person. Imperfections, however glaring, become endearing quirks once you've tumbled." I could laughingly list this movie's flaws from now till next week, but I sort of fell in love with its sheer audacity. You might not. It's extremely naïve, and thematically simple, and you could find that endearing or irritating. You may love it, or you may hate it, but you're going to feel something. This movie will not change your life; don't expect it to. But if you let your criticism fade to the background, and abandon yourself to Taymor's passionate fervor, you may have a pretty amazing experience.

IMDB Reviewer

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

The last time someone entertained the idea of matching the Beatles' music to a screen adventure was in 1978, with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." And we all know how that one turned out. Director Julie Taymor's ambitions shoot a little higher for her round of Fab Four worship, eschewing satin jackets and Peter Frampton for a film of singular artistic representation and copious visual poetry/madness.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

A young English shipyard stooge, Jude (Jim Sturgess) travels to Vietnam-concerned America to find his father. He soon falls under the spell of Max (Joe Anderson), a reckless college student with an urge to ditch his pampered life and live in bohemian New York City. Taking Max up on the offer, Jude immerses himself in his art and his affection for Max's younger sister, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), while settling into a commune-like apartment with singer Sadie (Dana Fuchs), lesbian Prudence (T.V. Carpio), and rocker JoJo (Martin Luther McCoy). As the stage is set for an explosion of social uprising, emotional escalation, and painful lessons in broken hearts, Jude finds his soul changed by this experience, struggling to maintain his voice in an unraveling world.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

After her leashed success with the artist bio-pic "Frida," Taymor seems itching to jump back into the warm waters of the cartwheeling surreal artistry that defined her 1999 marathon, "Titus." "Universe" is a strange musical, especially in the context of today's classic pop music marketplace that's turning everything sonically sacred into Broadway gold ("Mamma Mia!," "Movin' Out"), but its unpredictability is a major asset. The film represents Taymor at her most confined, expectation-wise (it is Beatles music, after all), yet dares her ambition to turn the familiar sights, sounds, and political aggression of the 1960s into a swirling bouillabaisse of colors and passion. Sometimes she stumbles, but the fanaticism and boldness of the picture is exhilarating.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

It's impossible to ignore that "Universe" has been whittled out of pure cheese. Taymor isn't tinkering with iconic political and pop culture moments of the era as much as she's relying on them to act as visual touchstones for the comfort of the audience. They are common sights: war protests, Vietnam hubbub, drug-fueled escapism of the mind, and flower power. Nothing in the picture is a subtle remark on the times; Taymor scavenges to mold this hodgepodge of era-specific melodrama and personalities, smudging the decade into one big sparkling smear. It extends beyond the Beatles ephemera and cutesy references (such as Prudence sneaking through a bathroom window, or another character imagining his life when he's 64) to include Sadie and JoJo as doubles for Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, Lucy falling for a Weathermen-type of radical protest group, and Bono in a cameo as a trippy Neal Cassady figure named Dr. Robert (singing "I Am the Walrus").

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

Not all of it pieces together smoothly, and you if come to "Universe" with a mind unprepared for such rampant use of cliché and smug artist iconography, the film will surely nauseate. "Universe" is best appreciated more as a shotgun blast of expression than a traditional story; Taymor gives into her performance art urges often during the film, which teems with surreal special effects ("Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is both the most explosive and trying of the film's more extravagant sequences), exaggerated choreography, and usage of street puppetry. The feature is a circus with tent poles pushing right through the screen, and I responded to Taymor's eccentricities with tremendous joy. She's willing to flame-out in a big way with her concepts, and that is a lost art.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

In "Universe's" corner are the celebrated tunes, which are given proper respect from the cast. In the case of Wood, it demonstrates she's a far better singer than she is an actress. Since the film follows dramatic convention, the opening half, with its lighter set list (including showstoppers "It Won't Be Long" and "Hold Me Tight") is a breezy affair compared to the drudgery of the second half, with its darker intentions and calamity. Still, most of the music is interpreted with gusto and imagination, even when it deviates off the Beatles track. Imagining "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as a lesbian anthem for Prudence is a good example.

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

"Universe" isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, and that's exactly how I want my Julie Taymor served. It's a polarizing experience, asking the viewer to follow some very extreme and potentially ludicrous lines of thought and presentation. If given the mental green light, "Across the Universe" is an oddity that crosses over to exhilaration and crooked beauty often, keeping the audience on their toes with this mash note to communicative spirits and rousing free-range creativity.

DVDtalk

×

Across the Universe (2007) [2-Disc Deluxe Edition]

Close

Special Features:
DISC ONE:
- The Film
- Audio commentary with director Julie Taymor and composer Eliot Goldenthal
- Deleted Scene
- 2 Outtakes
- Image Gallery
- Featurettes: "Creating the Universe" and "All About the Music"
- Trailers

DISC TWO:
- Extended Music Scenes
- Featurettes: "Stars of Tomorrow", "Moving Across the Universe", "FX on the Universe"