ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (**1/2)
Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy, Bono, Eddie Izzard and Salma Hayek. Directed by Julie Taymor.
I had high hopes, which was my first mistake. Taymor's visual innovations are prominent, but in an attempt to make a musical out of Beatles tunes, they've weaved into a story that uses every cliche in the book regarding hippie restlessness, the Vietnam war, and peace, love and grooviness in general.
I was with the movie for the first half or so, but eventually it too often felt like something I'd seen dozens of times before. I did like the Uncle Sam poster coming alive singing "I Want You" and Bono's bizarre cameo singing "I Am the Walrus." Jim Sturgess has a nice singing voice and functions well as the protagonist Jude (yes, "Hey Jude" gets sung). Ultimately it's a series of cool music videos loosely linked by an unoriginal narrative.
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