Rated: PG-13 (for some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language)
Featuring: Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood
Director: Julie Taymor
Genres: Drama, Musical
Length: 133 Min.
Crossing the Beatles
Hollywood prides itself on creativity nowadays. The more artsy a film is, the more attention it warrants despite a lack of box office 
success.
Fans of these independent films may think of Across the Universe, a musical based entirely on the work of the Beatles, as a no-brainer. Catchy remixes, mind-bending musical numbers and visuals that can only be described as bizarre and psychedelic would quench anyone’s thirst for cinematic “art.” But there is such a thing as going too far. Beatles music is a work of art in itself, and the countless renditions of their songs, including a number in which “I Want You (She’s so Heavy)” is sung to scantily clad soldiers carrying the Statue of Liberty through the Vietnamese jungle, do nothing but disturb the immaculate foundation on which they were first written.
Hardcore Beatles fans will probably react to this in one of two ways: they will either celebrate the mere fact that their favorite songs are featured on the big screen, or dismiss it all as blasphemous tripe. There is no in-between. Director Julie Taymore, who brought “The Lion King” to Broadway, conceptualizes every element of the movie, which seems more like an excuse to botch the Beatles as it progresses.
Set in a comic-bookish version of the late 60’s, the very era that the Beatles defined, the story follows 
many characters as they party, sing and rally for peace. The concepts of love, friendship and living life to the fullest are all there, but they lead us nowhere. Instead we travel from one musical number to the other not knowing what to expect and not caring.
That’s not to say that Across the Universe is terrible. It does have redeeming qualities. At the beginning, the music is enjoyable and builds up the plot, but fails to keep the momentum. Among the more pleasing songs are Bono’s psychedelic interpretation of “I Am the Walrus” and a tragic “Let it Be” performed by a helpless boy amid the Detroit Riots of 1963.
Whether or not you will like this film ultimately depends on your opinion of the Beatles’ work. Is it appropriate to plaster remixes of it onto a movie screen? Or is it sacred as the Beatles themselves believed? I just happen to agree with the latter.
–Anthony Kozlowski
