[7]

Across the Universe follows a group of young people who come of age against the turbulent backdrop of the 1960s. The film is set to a constant stream of rejiggered Beatles tunes, which allows director Julie Taymor (Broadway’s The Lion King, Titus, Frida) to cut loose with her trademark visual splendor and poetic license in a wide variety of music video sequences. When the music is playing and Taymor’s psychedelic imagery is unfolding on screen, the movie works. But in between musical numbers, Across the Universe suffers from a loose narrative and paper-thin characterizations. If you can accept the film’s conceit and you don’t hold The Beatles too sacred to be tampered with, you might still be able to enjoy the movie on the merits of its stellar sights and sounds. With Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess.

Oscar Nomination: Best Costume Design