Julie Taymor's latest project, "Across the Universe," a musical set in the 1960s to the backdrop of classic Beatles songs, is no more than an extravagant spectacle that sacrifices substance for aesthetic. The film does little justice to the songs or the important historical events it attempts to dramatize because of its candy-coated portrayal of the era. The interspersed musical segments make up for the otherwise vapid script, but the story rarely goes beyond the limits of conventionality.
When Jude (played by Jim Sturgess), a dock worker in Liverpool, sets off for America in search of his father, he is quickly thrust into the vibrant counter-culture of the 1960s. After a disappointing encounter with his father, a janitor at Princeton University with a family of his own, he meets a young ivy-leaguer named Max (Joe Anderson), who invites him home for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
The pair hit it off immediately, and Jude subsequently falls in love with Max's little sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). The newfound friends head for New York City, where they meet a variety of freewheeling individuals from across the country. Max's decision to drop out of college, however, quickly gets him drafted into the army at the height of the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, Jude and Lucy experience the social turbulence on the home front propelled by the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.
"Across the Universe" is a visually impressive spectacle; the grand sets and costumes mimic the fashion of the 1960s, from the hippie clothing down to the tie-dye VW mini-buses. Taymor frequently tweaks the color and light throughout the movie, which gives it a surreal look. The choreographed routines accompanying every song never fail to liven up the screen thanks to the hundreds of background singers and dancers prancing about.
The film's strongest point is its soundtrack, a chronological rendition of the major Beatles songs. Elliot Goldenthal, the academy award winning composer of "Frida" (2002), puts an enjoyable spin on their music by introducing a lively Broadway-esque quality. Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson and Evan Rachel Wood are definitely not at the peak of their acting abilities in this movie, but their singing performances are solid. The soundtrack also has a few interesting guest spots, including Joe Cocker and U2's Bono, who nail their versions of "Come Together" and "I Am the Walrus."
Unfortunately, intricate musical displays involving lots of pretty colors don't make a good movie. Neither does a good soundtrack. The basic love story used in the film is formulaic, predictable and all too often unconvincing. Maybe that's what should be expected when the plotline must stay within the context of the Beatles' lyrics. For example, after Lucy's boyfriend comes home from Vietnam in a casket, she gets over his death almost immediately. She hops right into Jude's bed after the melodramatic sob-fest at the funeral.
In "Across the Universe," characters come and go as they please. Both Bono and Eddie Izzard appear randomly for one scene, and then disappear just as quickly, without any explanation as to who they were or why they showed up. Even some of the more important minor characters lack much-needed development, making it difficult for the audience to empathize with them. Prudence (T.V. Carpio), a young woman who keeps falling in love with the wrong girl, never justifies her unnecessary role in the film and ultimately slows down the pacing of the story.
It is painfully obvious that Taymor wanted to make a politically relevant film about war while the American military is bogged down in Iraq. The director makes her view very clear, but she whitewashes the loaded subject material by focusing on Jude and Lucy's mundane relationship. Her critiques never amount to anything more than a dull denunciation of the futility of war.
"Across the Universe" never delivers on its promise of originality and winds up being just another poorly-crafted Hollywood gimmick that sounds much better than it actually is. The song and dance segments are wonderfully executed, but the rest of the film is painfully prosaic. If you'd like to hear a modern twist on old Beatles songs, buy the soundtrack and spare yourself this pretentious story on love and war.
