Across the Universe

There are a lot more good than bad in "Across the Universe", in fact, I only disliked 2 song sequences (Bono and Eddie Izzard's scenes), and its length could have been trimmed a bit for a better flow, story-wise.

The skillful imagery combined with the songs from the Beatles made for some emotionally-laden scenes, and for the most part, the momentum of the film only stumbles in the middle with the 2 scenes mentioned earlier, otherwise, I was pretty entertained by the singing and performances of the cast, and the conceptual direction by Taymore to blend the songs into the story.

I can still remember when I heard Evan Rachel Wood sing on "Once and Again" (a TV show from a few years ago), and the timber of her voice always gave me chills, and it's no different for me today. Granted, her voice isn't immensely strong, its texture and balance is what makes it a joy to listen to in this film. Dana Fuchs was very enjoyable as she channeled Joplin, and the rest of the cast was good enough to carry their weight in their singing.

I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+.