Universe tells story through classic Beatles music

Across the Universe was released across the country on Oct. 12. The film is a musical based on 34 different Beatles songs. With a colorful cast and mesmerizing cinematography, the movie should be the talk of the town for some time.

The film's plot begins with a parallel between a working-class British man named Jude Feeny and a high-school senior named Lucy Carrigan. Jude soon leaves his modest life in an attempt to find his American father, while Lucy has to bear the burden of a boyfriend gone to war.

Soon Jude enjoys the American lifestyle, meeting Lucy's brother Max and befriending him quickly. Assuming a freer lifestyle in New York, Jude and Max move in to an apartment filled with musicians and rogues. After the death of her boyfriend, Lucy follows suit.

The characters in the film describe a great deal about hippie culture in America. With so many different characters expressed in the film, Across the Universe deals with the many faces available in the '60s and '70s-the faces that produced the counterculture of the Vietnam War.

Many might be suspicious as to how cover songs can compose a classic musical. While the songs keep the musical integrity of the Beatles intact by full incorporation of the songs, the cinematography adapts the song into fully functioning sequences.

The only difference between Across the Universe and a musical film like Rent or Phantom of the Opera is the fact that the music is not original, but a composition of many different songs into a film. In that regard, rather than being the backup soundtrack, the soundtrack itself takes the most basic elements represented by the earliest of true musicals, Oklahoma!: the music is used to progress the plot and provide transition, instead of simply describing an event.

While most people are generally turned off by the idea of a musical, even moreso of paying for a ticket in the theater, the film can be enjoyable for people of all backgrounds.

People who admire the Beatles for their music and their sociopolitical efforts will find the various messages behind the film inspiring and gripping. People who want to see a film that includes standalone entertainment without precedent should find themselves involved with the plot and the circumstance of the film very quickly.

The content of the film can be very subjective, since the hippie culture is promoted so vigorously and so frequently. Opponents who view hippie ideals as radical may not appreciate the message of the film. Likewise, proponents of "free love" and peace movements can easily agree with the film's contents.

With the hipster revolution come the ideas of sexual liberation and experimental drug usage-all obvious marks of the hippie movement. In many ways, the movie can be both challenging and rewarding, and providing insight to moviegoers of all walks of life.

The arrangement of the music is understandable to all Beatles fans. Well-known songs such as "Come Together," "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" are in the film, as well as some that only a true Beatles fan would know, like "I Am the Walrus" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," among others.

The sound of the music is not that of a typical musical-the sound is not extremely accurate and full of belting and wailing like a Broadway production. Instead, the sound is very alternative and very interpretive. Much of the music is intertwined with the cinematography and choreography.

The vision of the film does well in encompassing hippie culture as well. Aside from the use of Beatles music, the cinematography includes strong use of experimental effects, such as inverted colors and things that make the film seem more like an acid trip than a movie with some friends. In this way, the film accurately depicts the experimental culture of hippies and the youth during the Vietnam War.

However, the movie is not flawless. At times there are scenes that seem conclusive without fully explaining the events that lead to that moment. In other words, it feels like there are deleted scenes or a director's cut that will fully flesh out the details of the story.

Another issue is the fact that the songs' renditions might not be what most people will expect. While many find the original radio sound quality the essence of the Beatles, the onstage performances depicted in the film might distort too much of what people like about the Beatles.

While there are many controversies, the film is the very least interesting, and at the most life-changing. People that love the resistance to the Vietnam War, especially like that represented in movies such as Forrest Gump, will surely appreciate Across the Universe. While expectations for movies are understandable, Across the Universe might circumvent them.

"I was originally wary of going to see Across the Universe because I generally do not enjoy musicals either as drama or film. However, the movie has easily become one of my favorites, and I actually enjoyed its musical qualities. The cast's rendition of classic Beatles' songs was absolutely incredible," said Josh Adair, first-year Undecided Engineering major.

A movie of true entertainment value and quality, Across the Universe will definitely make a part of history by its fluid integration of Beatles music and its hippie depiction of an unforgettable era in America.