 | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Other |
I don't quite know how to categorize it into what genre... hmmm...
One review I came across online said: “If the names Jude, Max(well), Lucy, Sadie, JoJo and Prudence seem more than a little familiar, welcome to the "spot the Beatles reference" game that makes Across the Universe a good-natured (if sometimes enthusiastic to the point of corniness) romp.”
Well, for someone who was not born during the height of the rule of Beatles’ rock-n-roll, it was a fun peek into that psychedelic chaotic free-loving era. The film often moves without a decent explanation back and forth between reality and the fantastic, driven by Beatles tunes unabashedly sung throughout the film. Come to think of it, I’d say that a good chunk of the dialogue was sung with just enough storyline to get you through from one song to the next. (A/N: My top 3 are I’ve Just Seen a Girl, Hey Jude and Dear Prudence.)
Far from being perfect, if you go technical about the elements and nitpicky about the storylines, you’re sure to be able to poke a couple of holes through it. Was it just me or was Max’s lack of a reaction after seeing his virginal little sister and his friend in bed a bit disturbing?! They also had a way of building things up but for some reason, could not sustain that level of energy (i.e. Prudence’s lesbianism placed so much color into her character but she eventually disappears, they build up Max’s going off to war from his initial resistance to his “waking up to reality” realization but they don’t follow through. They just show him coming back after some time with some emotional trauma…) But because almost every scene is a gloss eye-candy, you tend to forgive the lack of a good plot and character development.
And to say that they used visuals with reckless abandon is actually an understatement. Some of my more memorable scenes was Prudence walking in slow-mo across the football field, singing a ballad version of I Wanna Hold Your Hand, oblivious to all the action around her and Max's recruitment to the army.
The singing itself is outstanding. I learned that the vocals for most tracks were actually captured live on set rather than pre-recorded in the studio… WOW! *jaw drops to the floor* And it makes sense too because it gives the performances some added realism.
There’s a lot to be said about the level of creativity invested into this movie. And flawed as it may be at some areas, it’s not a bad way to while away your time.
Did I mention that the guy who plays Jude is such a cutie?! 
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