Across The Universe

Genre: Musical/Drama

Director: Julie Taymor

Screenplay: Dick Clemet and Ian La Frenais

Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, and Joe Anderson

This is the story of Jude, a young Englishman, who is finally able to go to America to search for the father he has never met. The New World, broken by war, opens up opportunities of friendship and love. Using the music of The Beatles to propel the story, Jude finds a inspiration and himself.

This is an artistic film. It has a strong story line as it follows the lead character, Jude, and his friends, but the film reflects a painting with colorful and imaginative scenes that interpret the music it follows. This film would probably be more enjoyable if you are indeed a Beatles and art film fan. It is possible that you could still appreciate the beautiful cinematography and story without knowing of or liking The Beatles music, but it is the main draw to this film. It also follows the main elements of a musical with singing and dancing, which I felt were stunningly choreographed. The actors even provided their own vocals, which I feel is always a plus and adds another layer of respect to the actor. The main feature is still the art of the film, not the story. This is what the film was intended to be seen for, and that may not be of interest for some. As an art and Beatles lover, myself, I really enjoyed this movie.

The actors are not exactly well known just yet, the most famous probably being Evan Rachel Wood. Best known for her role in Thirteen, she seems to be selective about her roles, sticking mostly to independent films. She is a growing talent who has the potential of being a great and respective actress of her generation. Her work in this film does not disappoint either. Most of the characters she has played have always seem to be driven by some kind of edge or hardship. Though her character, Lucy, has some hardship, this does not propel her character. The hardship in this film was simply the way of life for most Americans during this time. In fact, this is probably one of the more normal roles she’s played so far with the added touch of a very sweet and pleasant voice.

Both Jim Sturgess and Joe Anderson, being British, have had sporadic roles here and there. This is probably their most distinguished film. The both carried their large roles well. I had hoped that we may have seen more of both of them as a result from this film, but their roles still seem to be varied as of late.

I give this film 3 Buttery Kernels.

Coming Soon: Adventures In Babysitting