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Jude leaves his home country of England for America in search of his biological father, what he finds instead is a romance and a group of friends that will forever change his life. After he meets Max he is invited over for thanksgiving and meets his younger sister Lucy who he takes an instant liking too. The pair hit if off rather well, but Max and Jude move to New York. Jude and Lucy reconnect when she decides it is in her best interest to move to New York. Lucy begins to become involved in peace rallies after Max is drafted for the war. As the peace rallies heat up Jude and Lucy begin to drift apart and after an altercation with law Jude is forced back to his home country. Jude eventually tries to get back into America so that he can reconnect with Lucy and make things right.
Across the Universe is rich and beautiful in its own right just for the soundtrack, but it happens to go a lot deeper then that. Lucy and Jude are two young people looking to live and love and to just find peace. The world around them is focused in on war and destruction and they just want to find a peaceful safe haven where war is not an option. This becomes difficult after Max becomes a part of the war. Lucy’s resentment towards the war escalates as she begins to become a part of violent protests which result in police action.
This film tells this story in such a unique way you cannot help but love it. The music of the Beatles is so rich with color and imagery, the words have been sung now for almost 50 years and everyone from anywhere has heard the Beatles and possibly been touched by their lyrics. Across the Universe is a simple tale of love and peace that uses some of the greatest words ever written on paper to help tell its story. As the story unfolds and the main characters belt out famous Beatles songs you can strangely realize how music can define a generation and change the way we look at things. You can also strangely envision the tales told through songs and what it all means and how the interpretation of the lyrics comes down to how the song and its words make each individual feel.
Jude and Lucy were complete opposite, Jude coming from a tough background having to work for everything he got, Lucy was a bit naïve in that sense, coming from a rich uptight American family not having to worry about how they would survive. Lucy sort of finds herself struck by reality when her boyfriend dies in the war and then her brother gets drafted. Jude and Lucy just really want to be these free spirits and this is beautifully captured through the dream like sequences that play out while they sing masterfully to the words of the Beatles. As they listen to their music and Jude creates his art you can feel how they want to be disconnected from what it means to be normal. Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess play these characters and convey their youthful innocence so well, they capture what it means to fall in love and have life get in the way. They bring new life to classic songs and their vocals are just stunning. You cannot ask for much more from a young vibrant cast. They gave it their all both mentally and physically and left everything out in the open for the audiences to enjoy.
Across the Universe is a film I put off watching on many occasions, the reason being I have no idea. I love the lyrics of the Beatles and have a lot of respect for the Beatles and what the accomplished in a short amount of time. It was great to see their songs used to tell a great story. Across the universe is a stellar film, do not pass up the chance to see it.
8/10
