Across the Universe

Visually and thematically audacious, Across the Universe revolves around the romance that ensues between a pair of disparate characters (Jim Sturgess’ British steelworker Jude and Evan Rachel Wood’s privileged American student Luc) against the backdrop of some of the ’60s most well-known events. Director Julie Taymor, armed with over two dozen Beatles songs, has fashioned a contemporary musical that’s certainly unlike anything the genre has to offer, as the filmmaker’s notoriously avant-garde sensibilities serve her well within the context of a sporadically authentic yet mostly surreal endeavor. And although it does seem entirely likely that the film will have a more pronounced impact on admirers of the Beatles’ music, Across the Universe‘s engaging storyline and proliferation of intriguing characters all but assures the continuing interest of even those with a cursory knowledge of the band’s discography. That being said, it’s hard to deny that the film loses its way as it passes the one-hour mark – as Taymor, working from Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’ screenplay, jettisons marked instances of plot in favor of a random, distinctly free-wheeling sensibility that admittedly does grow increasingly tough to take (with Eddie Izzard’s off-the-wall cameo as a demented circus ringleader certainly the most obvious example of this). The engaging performances and catchy songs prove instrumental in ensuring that the movie remains watchable even through its more overtly self-indulgent stretches, while there’s little doubt that the whole thing effectively regains its footing as it approaches its emotionally charged, thoroughly satisfying finale.

*** out of ****