By Ryan Parsons | Image property of Columbia Pictures.
Across the Universe
I have been excited about Across the Universe ever since the trailer stole some of my pre-theatrical excitement while sitting in a dark theater. A fan of a good musical, I couldn't help but dig the idea of listening to a Beatles album during a film's entire running. Throw in a love story, some psychedelic visuals and begin to question how can this film go wrong.
The official reviews have begun to surface and they, well, read on...
Official Reviews: Across the Universe
Two of the first official reviews have appeared for Across the Universe and they seem to agree that the film has something, though it may be thin.
Variety
All you need is love -- for the Beatles, for psychedelic visuals, for ideas about being young in the ‘60s -- to fully enjoy “Across the Universe.” Julie Taymor has delivered an audacious, idiosyncratic creation that plays like a riff on “Hair” with Fab Four cachet, stretching a thin love story across one tumultuous decade. It’s all played with such conviction, that it’s hard to dislike but hard to take seriously. Pic’s commercial prospects look more in line with those of “Rent” than of “Chicago,” though the Taymor touch achieves enough sporadic moments of invention and punch-drunk romanticism to steal the hearts of baby boomers and young female auds in particular.
THR
Julie Taymor's visual gifts are very much in evidence in "Across the Universe," an ambitious, only partly successful attempt to reinvigorate the musical genre.
Taymor previously worked her magic onstage with "The Lion King" and onscreen with "Frida." As a re-creation of the tumultuous '60s era, her new film is another triumph of design. Imaginatively shot and choreographed, it also presents a frequently exciting interpretation of more than 30 Beatles songs, performed by an attractive cast of young actors.
Yet this lavish production, which also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, is finally unsatisfying because it somehow misses the essence of the Beatles and of the most memorable movie musicals.
Don't let the reviews deter you. This film looks unique enough to be review-proof. Check out both reviews for Across the Universe by clicking the bold links above.
Across the Universe opens to theaters September 14, 2007.
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