Having many of the same sentiments that young adults are feeling today, Across the Universe, directed in 2007 by Julie Taymor, is a film lacking a great story line but makes up for its shortcomings by excelling in its great adaptations of Beatles’ songs. During the Vietnam War, there were many sentiments against the government and the soldiers that were participating, many unwillingly, in it.
The film Across the Universe plays out many of the emotions of this turbulent time for America and is also easily related to the way that many people feel about the war going on today. The film weakly describes the emotions of a girl who believes that her brother is fighting for a war that she feels has no real purpose and consequently decides to join the war protests. Another weak point of this film is that nobody else really seems to have a good reason to protest the war. Today many people feel there is no purpose for the war in Iraq, but at least the majority of the people who oppose the present war do not act violently towards others but rather act in a more civilized and educated manner.
A very strong feature of this film is that it shows that war can help break through barriers that would otherwise never be broken. Lucy, played by Evan Rachel Wood, and Jude, played by Jim Sturgess, come from very different backgrounds but break through the class barriers that were in place in the 1960’s. Had it not been for the war then they very likely would not have met and established a relationship.
With its excellent adaptations of many popular Beatles songs, Across the Universe touches many people. Even though the film itself is not an outstanding picture, it provides people with a point of view that is not often seen and helps many people relate to events in the past and connects many people to the past in a way they never thought of. However, if for no other reason, the film is worth watching for the music.