Trippy Travels Across the Universe

A strange film, a strange film indeed. It's quite amazing that director Julie Taymor was even able to get this thing distributed by a major movie studio, despite how flawed an experience it is. In fact, about half of the film just flat out does not work, however the half that does work is simply magical. The threadbare story, which is really just a vehicle for masterfully-staged musical segments, follows Jude, a young dock worker from Liverpool who journeys to America in search of a father he never knew. While there he befriends college dropout Max, and subsequently falls in love with his younger sister, Lucy. Their rocky relationship, intermixed with a lot of Vietnam talk and psychedlic visuals, comprises most of the film. Had Taymor left it at that, the film would have been an endearing and fun ride. Unfortunately she feels the need to clutter the screenplay with subplots concerning every other character in the film, including a fame-seeking female rock singer, a sexually confused teenage girl, an African-American guitarist from Detroit, and others. Taymor just stretches herself too thin, and the misguided "characterization" does nothing but make the film much longer than necessary.

Of course the main reason this film was made was to rework Beatles songs, which Taymor does surprisingly effectively. However, she uses them in such abundance, that they are frequently hit and miss. "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is one of the strangest and least relevant of all the songs used, and its placement in the film struck me as being there simply as an excuse for some extreme visual excess. Thankfully, plenty of arrangements are pure brilliance, "Come Together", "Let it Be", and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" being the most notable.

Filled to the brim with gorgeous and inventive visuals, some of the best songs ever written, and heartfelt performances, "Across the Universe" is a film meant for the soul. If Taymor knew when to say know (and had spent more time in the cutting room), it would have been perfect. Still, a definite recommendation from yours truly.