Across The Universe Hits Video: Lennon and Harrison Glad To Be Dead
Last week, I rented Across the Universe -- y'know, that new Beatles movie that doesn't have the Beatles in it. Or any stars. Or a coherent storyline. I'm still reeling from how much I disliked this movie. And part of the reason I'm so pissed off is because there's another part of me that really enjoyed it. The part that likes anything involving the Beatles. The part that couldn't help being sucked in.
I don't even know where to begin. The movie is so all over the place it's impossible to talk about it in an organized fashion. For the uninitiated let me give you the conceit of the film: "Hey, what if we make a movie that only has about 40 lines of dialog and fill in the rest with lyrics from unassociated Beatles songs?"
Did they pull it off? Well, let's examine the plot and you can decide. At this point, I'd normally say SPOILER ALERT to those of you who still want to see the film, but that would be like giving a warning about a possible fecal odor to someone who was bent on diving headfirst into a pile of manure.
The Plot And Characters Of Across the Universe
The movie relies upon ridiculous archetypal characters, hoping that their mere recognizability will spare the producers from actually having to flesh out their identities through writing. That works out great because the script is not about Mean Mr. Mustard or Maxwell Silver Hammer and, therefore, with little exception, the filmmakers can't actually use the Beatles lyrics to tell usCheck out some more Gladstone. HERE and HERE.