2008 Woodie Awards
Across the Universe Review
Symrin Chawla
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: A&E
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The film opens to find the young Jude (Jim Sturgess) - as in "Hey Jude" - sitting on a desolate beach singing a ballad of lost love. It then goes on to tell the timeless story of boy meets girl: Jude travels to the U.S. in the 1960s to find his father and ends up falling for his friend's younger sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) - as in "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds."
They all move into a New York loft along with several other vagabonds who are briefly and awkwardly introduced through song and dance. Peace and love ensue, along with anti-war protests, civil rights riots, and a healthy dose of Beatles hit songs.
Presumably, this could have been this generation's "HAIR." Unfortunately, it fails to live up to the hope the movie trailer gives you. What you expect to be a two hour-long hippie relapse turns out to be several psychedelic music videos loosely strung together by an airy storyline. Although it is creative and has good intentions, the film doesn't quite come together neatly. The overall vibe is awkward, as characters are randomly introduced then abandoned though out the entire first half of the film.
One such confusing scene occurs 20 minutes into the movie. The scene randomly switches from Jude and Lucy to a young cheerleader in Ohio, conveniently named Prudence, singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" about a fellow female cheerleader … and then back to Jude. Several scenes later, Prudence climbs into the New York loft through the bathroom window. If you are any bit confused, don't worry, it made even less sense on screen. Some relief comes when the shady plot begins to clear up and all the characters' story lines finally intersect. Regrettably, this happens after two-thirds of the popcorn is gone.
As ungraceful as the storyline is, the music is in a world of its own - literally. Enchanting, psychedelic, and truly whimsical, the musical scenes are the real reason to watch this film. Every time a character breaks into song, the aura of the screen changes completely - for the better. This can be said especially of Bono's rendition of "I Am The Walrus" which has the intensely satisfying appeal of a flower-power rave.
If the rest of the film could have maintained the same energy as the music or developed its characters as deeply as it did for the imagery, this movie would have been more than just overly decadent mediocrity. "Across the Universe" could have done The Beatles justice and gets some special brownie points for trying, but ultimately, it's no trip to Strawberry Fields.
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