Across the Universe
(2007: PG-13)
Director: Julie Taymor
One of the most visually stunning and musically mesmerizing movies I’ve ever seen … It’s one of the best musicals of our time! A masterpiece by director Julie Taymor as a revolutionary rock musical that re-images American during the turbulent late-1960’s era when the battle lines were drawn overseas and at home. It’s the story about a young dockworker named Jude (played by Jim Sturgess) who leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in America during this crazy period of history. Jude falls in love with Evan Rachel Wood’s character “Lucy” for a true meaning of “Lucy in the stars like diamonds” who is a rich but sheltered American girl who is merging her life into the anti-war movement within New York City’s Greenwich Village. A stimulating visual trip through the Vietnam crisis, the draft, political tensions, and a psychedelic world has gone made blended together with a fantastical love story. It’s an amazing perspective of the time and crisis. Cameo by Bono in the film as well. One of the best films of this genre I’ve ever seen. Simply mind-blowing. Rated: 5 stars out of 5.