Across the Universe

I didn't fully appreciate this movie until I watched it a second time. I have a problem with the idea of "new" musicals, as they call them -- movies that just take a bunch of familiar songs and then try to stick them together in some kind of narrative. So I really was rolling my eyes at some of the plot-lines and the wink-wink, nudge-nudge references. And in a way, it was like watching a bunch of really well made music videos back to back.

Still ...

This movie is visually stunning. The art direction is breath-taking and the colour gorgeous. It's by the same director who did Frida, so if you liked that one, you can imagine how colourful and vibrant it is.

There are some incredible sequences. The standouts: I Wanna Hold Your Hand, with Prudence walking slow mo through the tackling football players; I've Just Seen a Face, set at a bowling alley of all places; I Want You/She's So Heavy, featuring a troop of young draftees dragging the Statue of Liberty as they trample the underbrush of Vietnam; plus the amazingly shot Strawberry Fields Forever and the stylized Happiness is a Warm Gun.

A few other scenes really stuck in my head. Eddie Izzard ad-libbing his way through For the Benefit of Mr. Kite was a lot of fun to watch and the Day In the Life/Helter Skelter montage was incredible. But what really stands out is the talent in this young cast. They all do their own singing and a lot of it is live. The woman who plays Sadie, the Janis Joplin character, has a phenomenal voice and presence. Ditto the Jimi Hendrix character Jo-Jo. I would have liked to see more of him. And we don't see or hear enough of lovely Prudence either. But I guess the movie is already quite long.

I also really liked the actor who played Max -- he'd be perfect for the role of Kurt Cobain if they ever make a movie about him. I expect we'll be seeing more of these young actors in the future. Check it out on DVD if you are a Beatles fan, or a fan of artsy, imaginative, offbeat flicks.