(WARNING! OLD REVIEW AHEAD!)
Across the Universe depicts the tales and tribulations of six friends as they grow and mature in the ‘60s. The catch? The characters, whenever they get the chance, spontaneously begin to croon a popular Beatles tune. The actual problem? There’s about five million of them in this film. So, when British boy Jude (His name is Jude! Jude! Do you get it?!!) helps out an American pal, “With a Little Help from my Friends” begins to play. Needless to say, this formula wears out its welcome pretty quickly.
As the film starts, we meet Jude in jolly old England. Wishing to meet his long-lost father, he takes a little trip to America, where a storm is a-brewin’. Upon realizing that his father is not an actual college professor (rather, a janitor), Jude decides to stick around for a while and accidentally runs into typical ‘60s bohemian Max Carrigan. After doing him a favor, Max welcomes Jude into the world of rebellion and… um… drug-induced fantasies. We are also introduced to Max’s sister, Lucy, who becomes smitten with Jude almost immediately. Prudence, Jojo, and Sadie (the owner of the apartment that the six characters occupy) round out the rest of the main cast.
Now, I will admit that, although the movie is a bit odd, I was hooked… for about forty-five minutes (one highlight is the cover of “I’ve Just Seen a Face” set at a bowling alley). Overkill soon creeps in as Max is drawn into the army, does the tango with a wax-faced (literally!) general, and carries the Statue of Liberty whilst singing “She’s so Heavy”. And that’s not even the strangest number in the movie! We also get Bono singing “I am the Walrus” for no apparent reason and Eddie Izzard (playing “Mr. Kite”) dancing with giant blue puppets.
Anyway, the last forty-five minutes (the film runs two hours and fifteen minutes too long) then take us back to the main characters about five years later. Jude’s relationship with Lucy is on the brink, Max is still in the army, Sadie and Jojo aren’t doing too well, and Prudence basically disappears (Seriously! She leaves about halfway through and doesn’t show up until the last five minutes!). The story at this point focuses on Lucy and Jude as the latter is accused of lazing off and drawing doodles while the “world is at war.” After that, there’s another nifty musical number (“Happiness is a Warm Gun,” featuring Salma Hayek as five different nurses and… wait for it… a dancing priest!), a few more plot details are given to us, and the film simply ends without much explanation.
Across the Universe almost feels like three different movies mashed together as one. The first is a captivating story about a boy looking for his father and discovering America in the ‘60s, the second is basically a bunch of music videos that don’t amount to anything, and the third is a dull and uninteresting tale about six friends at the end of the decade.
Not surprisingly, the actual film itself turns into a bit of a train wreck as director Julie Taymor (who also helmed the vastly superior Lion King Broadway show) can’t seem to decide in which direction she should be going. Unless you’re one heck of a Beatles fan or you like watching insane images flash across the screen (think Moulin Rouge meets Cirque du Soleil meets Hair), I’d advise you to skip this intriguing, but ultimately disappointing film.
Rating: 5/10
