Student Film Reviews

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1. Brendan Keane 07.03.09 / 12pm

   Great review! I enjoyed this movie very much. I found the musical-like lightheartedness to sometimes downplay the importance of the social movement of the time, often creating a false dichotomy between love and activism. Still though, the movie payed great tribute to this mega-group and allowed for modern listeners and followers to at least see a caricature of what inspired their lyrics and ideology.
2. Nick Vought 07.03.09 / 1pm

   I have not seen very many musical movies, but out of all the ones I have seen I enjoyed this one the most. I thought the acting in it was really cool and the singing in it was just great. They had all these different stories it kept going to and it made the film really fun to watch. This film is defenitly art cinema and you can really tell while you are watching it with the different camera angles and the way they filmed it.
3. Kesi Rentie 07.03.09 / 3pm

   I am not a big fan of the Beatles, but their music is better than some styles of music I have heard. I am also not a fan of musicals, but why not “Across the Universe”? I would check out “Across the Universe” just because you gave it such a good review. However, I am a fan of Eddie Izzard, and I like art forms that include current performers of the time. Your review is great, but I am not one to go out and rent this type of play to watch at home. I know I would be more interested in “Across the Universe” if I watched it live.
4. Nick Greenwald 07.03.09 / 4pm

   Unlike William Conlin, one of my least favorite film genres is musicals. I can remember watching various musicals with my parents years ago and being extremely happy when they ended. However, Across the Universe is a truly amazing film. First off, The Beatles are by far my favorite band so hearing all the different renditions of their songs was great. The various songs serve a specific purpose and intertwine directly into the plot and with the characters. This adds just one of many great artistic aspects to the movie.
   The film takes place in New York during the 1960s and portrays the life of various individuals associated with the counter-culture.
5. Brandon Morris 07.03.09 / 11pm

   I’m not usually a fan of musicals, however, Across the Universe is an exception. The reason I like this movie is because of the great adaptations of classic Beatles songs that don’t take away form the plot, but add to it. Like William Conlin pointed out there are substantial breaks between songs, thereby allowing the plot to develop more like a non musical, though regular dialogue. Perhaps the most entertaining part of the musical is the visual effect that are used during the songs. Without the entertaining visual effect the songs in the movie would seem out of place and not part of the stylist aspect of the movie. Overall “Across the Universe” was an exceptional movie thanks to the cleaver use of song to help tell a well written love story.
6. Michelle Wong 07.04.09 / 11am

   As an iconic genre of Hollywood’s ‘‘golden years’’, the classical musical has decline since the gradual break-up of the studio system. However, the genre has been reinvented and continuously mutated over the following years, such as the musical drama featured in Saturday Night Fever (John Badham, 1977).In this sense, Across the Universe is not only a survivor of the genre but also a completely innovative film where the music is a logical part of the script (characters “sign” their lines giving them a much deeper meaning).What I most admire about Julie Taymor’s movie is the way she fusions music and image and connects the work of The Beatles with the plot. Thus, Jude – same name as Lennon’s first son and famous inspiration for McCartney song Hey, Jude- belongs to a working class from Liverpool – home city of the Beatles. The impacts of Vietnam is expressed trough the experiences and feelings of their characters, establishing a clear anti-war position and showing the strong reaction against Vietnam that characterized that generation ( same reaction the 4 Beatles, and particularly Lennon had). Also, the aesthetics in some parts of the film resembles the colorful and psychedelic mood of Yellow Submarine (George Dunning & Denis Abey, 1968), and, of course, much of the lyrics and essence of The Beatles. Overall, Across the Universe offers to join a hallucinogenic trip and to experience many of the conflicts of the generation of the late 60s and early 70s. Personally, I would definitively join that trip again.
7. Manami Ishida 07.04.09 / 11am

   Across the Universe is one of my favorite movies. They cover Beatles’ music, and those are great. Every actor in the film sings very well, and they have different voice. The arrangement of the songs works really well. What also like about this movie is the scenes which uses a lot of artistic. The color is beautiful, and those are memorable.
   This movie is a little different from other musical films. Songs sometimes become the main in musical films. However, in Across the Universe, music help to tell the story because the story also impressive.
8. Chang Hao Zhang 07.04.09 / 3pm

   Why do I like this movie? First of all, it is my favorite rock band, The Beatles. Secondly, the movie is flawless utilizing the Beatles songs to unveil different aspect about the characters. From my perspective, the angels in the movie are metamorphosing. It is the typical type of formalistic film which apply large amount of mise en scene in the movie. The Across the Universe is milestone in the history of musicals. It hallmarks the new revolution of such type of movie. The movie review above is just great. It reveals the major plots of the film, and also comments on the significant of the movie.
9. Jordan Esparza 07.04.09 / 3pm

   ok, so when we were asked to see a music like Across the universe i wasn’t the most excited person. its not because i didn’t think the movie its self was going to be good, but mostly because i haven’t always been the biggest fan of musicals. however, after watching this movie, i really enjoyed it. not only was the plot, story line and direction amazing but the acting and singing was just spectacular. I feel like if this movie were more mainstream it would have won some more prestigious awards .if any one were to ask me about this movie i would recommend it for sure.
10. Seth Pratt 07.04.09 / 5pm

    I really enjoyed your review of Across the Universe. The movie itself was very enjoyable despite the fact that it was a musical. The covers of The Beatles’ songs were done well and voiced over quite well.
    It reminded me a lot of The Beatles Love Show that I saw in Las Vegas last year, with the songs building a story up around them, and the non musical scenes just helping to elaborate on the story the songs were telling.
11. Angelique Avlakeotes 07.04.09 / 7pm

    Across the Universe was a fantastic movie. I loved your review! The music in this film is phenomenal. I am not a declared film major however, this summer I am taking a film class and after reading reviews like this I am inspired! I never had really listened to the Beatles. This movie gave me a new awakening for their music. Across the Universe will always stay in my top 10 for great films!
12. Matt Hostetler 07.04.09 / 10pm

    The creativity that went into writing the script for Across the Universe was refreshing. Respect must be given where it is due and Across the Universe definitely earns it. Taking song lyrics and weaving them together into a story line that makes sense and is fun to watch is no easy task, yet this movie pulls it off beautifully. And by beautifully I don’t think I will ever get the picture of Bono out of my mind tripping while driving the school.

    A refreshing and fun movie to watch, especially with a date.
13. Karina Villicana 07.04.09 / 10pm

    Upon viewing this film, I had mixed feelings regarding whether or not I enjoyed it. I am a huge Beatles fan, and fell in love with the music in the movie. There were so many incredible renditions of classic hits that I grew up listening to that I found myself singing along throughout the movie. I think my mixed feelings were a result of my general dislike towards musicals. I appreciated the music, however I often found myself wanting to skip ahead so as to see what would happen next in the storyline.
    At the end of the film, I did not feel as though a story was told and I did see a resolution of any conflict. Perhaps I simply did not understand the film as well as others, however the art and the music were very beautiful.
14. Allison Thompson 07.07.09 / 5pm

    I enjoyed this movie for many reasons including fabulous renditions of Beatles songs, beautiful visual effects, and great acting. I enjoyed the story line and found it impressive that so many social issues of the 1960’s were included. I was impacted strongly by the contrast between life in the US before the Vietnam war and after. In this story, not one character is untouched by the war although only one character actually fights in it. Also evident in this movie is the shift that occured in the Beatles’ music as a result of living in the US during war times. They evolved from writing music about teenage love and holding hands into writing songs about revolution and songs that promote peace, not war. My favorite song in this movie is ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’ because of it’s portrayal of Max’s psychological state after he was wounded in the war. He was never quite the same, neither was the rest of the world.
15. Richard Feilden 07.08.09 / 9pm

    As William rightly noted, this is a polarizing film! If you want to see an alternative take on this musical, you can find review here: https://studentfilmreviews.org/?p=142
16. Ali Boulger 07.10.09 / 11pm

    I agree with your review of the film, Across the Universe. I was captivated throughout the entire movie. Everything from the choice of songs, to the characters vocals and the story line all made it for a fantastic musical film. I usually get rather annoyed by musicals and find myself thinking, “not another song”. During this film, I found myself waiting for another song to be sung. The Beatles are, of course, amazing but the way the film had each singer sing the song in a certain way was amazing as well. The film was both fun and lovable.
17. Christina Lautensack 07.13.09 / 7pm

    For the most part, I enjoyed this movie. The renditions of the Beatles songs were amazing. I love the twist that was put on these songs that were written so long ago. New life was brought to these songs. Another part of the movie that should not go unnoticed, like Williams Conlin wrote, was the cinematography. During certain scenes, such as the one where the song “I Am the Walrus” was sung, the visuals brought those into some type of trippy fantasy world, and that was appropriate for the time. My one complaint is that it seemed as though too many songs were incorporated into the film. Less may have been more.
18. Coral Martinez 07.17.09 / 2pm

    I loved this movie! I’ve always enjoyed musicals and am especially fond of the Beatles so I was extremely excited about this film when I first saw the previews for it. The songs were all redone beautifully. I really enjoyed the spin they put on all of the songs, even though they weren’t necessarily truthful. But it gave new meanings to the songs that were incredibly thought provoking an interesting. The film was also very aesthetically pleasing. The colors and visual effects were amazing to watch on screen. The emotions of the characters jumped right off the screen as well — all of the feelings in the film seemed powerful and palpable. I loved how this film paid tribute to some of the great artists ever known to music, including Hendrix and Joplin along with the Beatles of course. I would recommend this film to anyone and everyone.
19. Benjamin Siemens 07.17.09 / 4pm

    Across the Universe presented the audience with a spectrum of popular Beatles songs which fit into the story flawlessly. Not only were they incorporated correctly but they allowed the story to develop in a uniform manner. The visual affects that were employed in this film added more structure to the story in particular the song While My Guitar Gently Weeps did a superb job of this. I am not the biggest fan of musicals but I have made an exception for this one. I had my doubts gong into the film as to whether anybody can cover the Beatles song and retain the true original value. This film proved me wrong and I tip my hat to Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais for creating an excellent screenplay.
20. Sarah Burks 07.17.09 / 5pm

    I love the beatles. This is almost like extra icing. It brings alot of the songs into context. They didn’t so much change the songs as bring them into a new light, i think both the movie and beatles versions are amazing. Great moive, even if you don’t like musicals.
21. Matthew Smith 07.17.09 / 10pm

    I am a huge Beatles fan and absolutely loved this film. Musicals are hard foe me to sit through, but when you incorporate some of my favorite music it always makes it easier to watch. This film will start to slow down at moments then they hit you with your favorite Beatles song and you are hooked again. It was interesting the character portrayal in this film. If I understood it right they brought together Jimi Hendrix and Janice Joplin in this film. I also loved how the progression of the Beatle’s career went right along with the progression of the film. All together this was a beautiful movie that will hit every emotion on every level.
22. Tim Ritter 07.22.09 / 4pm

    I very much enjoyed Across The Universe despite my absolute fear of musicals. The fact that I love The Beatles’ music that was redone in the film obviously helped. Some of the remakes fell flat for me, but others I actually enjoyed more that the originals. It is also just fascinating to watch the director’s visual interpretation of such classic songs. For example, the beautiful scene showing strawberries pinned to a wall created a lasting image that I now attach to the song Strawberry Fields. Although you describe a rather simple plot and conflict, the one problem I have with the film is its scattered presentation. The attachment to the songs caused a lack of fluid focus for the film. About 2/3 of the way through, it felt less like a story and more like a musical, artistic mess. However, this was not unenjoyable. The film was a great visual and audio experience that I think fulfilled the massive expectations that came with creating a Beatles musical.
23. Katelynn Johnson 08.31.09 / 1pm

    I personally am a big fan of this film. With that said I do think there is room for improvement. The film is visual eye candy and the story as well as the music is done very well, but I have to disagree with William Conlin when he says that the music “drives the story”. I found these musical breaks to be entertaining and well done but not neccessarily needed to push the story further. I felt that the use of a popular band (ie: The Beatles) was used more so for advertizing purposes. It felt to me that some of the songs featured in this film were simply placed to add on another song, and were unneccissary to the storyline.

    The film as a whole is beautifully done and is very entertaining but all around is not the best film, let alone, musical that I have seen.
24. Chi Truong 10.12.09 / 11am

    I absolutely adore this film. I really l liked how there were no major American actors or actresses that played a part in this movie. It is just the pure essence of the Beatles. The songs were incorporated into the movie so well there were no awkward transitions. This film also included a lot of very beautiful cinematography; it was very appropriate for when different camera angles were needed. Actors and actresses were also very natural in their acting, and played the roles very well. The costumes through out the movie were also very simple yet time era acceptable. Overall this was a terrific film.
25. Amelia Neverman 10.15.09 / 1pm

    Loved your review! I agree with everything you said I loved this film. Across the Universe was an uplifting and unforgettable film. Julie Taymor’s creative away of putting all of the Beatle’s songs and making them into a story line is remarkable. I love how you say there is “absolutely nothing to criticize about this film” it is completely true. The color, costumes, and flowing of scenes take you on a journey of happiness and sorrow with the characters. The actors are extremely talented in this film for their ability to act and sing with such unique voices, not to mention only but a few had previously been famous. . Across the Universe has never let me down on a day when I feel like cuddling in the blankets and enjoying a well produced film.
26. Courtney Kent 10.16.09 / 6am

    I really like the review for this film! “Across the Universe” has been one of my favorite films since I had the pleasure of seeing it in theatres. Although this film is great no matter what screen you see it on, the colors and design of the musical reinged brilliant on the big screen. Musicals have always been my favorite cateogry of film and i am in disbelief evertime i hear that someone is not a fan of the artform. Perhaps it is because I love to sing, but when the characters in a musical sing a song, my heart explodes with excitement and happiness. I never listened to the Beetles music much before this film, but now i am obsessed. That, among other things, has to be a sign of a great movie doing its job. However, i find myself listening to the characters rendition of the classics song instead of the original! The mise-en-scene of “Across the Universe” is one to judge others off of. Every aspect of the film works together with perfect amounts to create this masterpiece of a musical. The music, most obviously, is a major part of the film, not only in essence of the film but of the characters as well. Also, the look of the charcters is extremely important, especially of those characters portraying a real person. The clothes and makeup create the realistic portrayal of the 60’s and once again, we forget they are acting. I get so lost in the aspects of the film, random bursts of song seem perfectly normal to me. I could watch this film a hundred times and it would never get old.
27. Chris Frick 10.20.09 / 1pm

    I absolutely loved this movie. I am a huge fan of The Beatles and extremely was amazed how the director tied all the most infamous songs in the band, together to make a epic story. The Psychedelic Era was an amazing time period full of culture and most important LOVE. This movie was a great portrayal of that era and everything in the movie caught my attention keeping me interested in what would happen next. It was also awesome how most of the actors portrayed a famous musician or celebrity. This did not seem like a musical to me which made a movie to enjoy numerous times. The mood of the movie is very upbeat and the various bright colors reinforce that emotion. I hope that this certain director will continue to make such psychedelic movies and not stop at this. It is a movie I will continue to watch and leave in my “Classics” section.
28. Andrew Culbertson 10.21.09 / 7am

    I totally agree with your review, this film is basically is either a love or hate film. The middle ground is non-existant. I have to say though that if you like The Beatles I don’t know why this would not be a great musical to watch for you. Also if you have a bad opinion of musicals this film may change your opinion. The camera angles and scenes bring to mind ART CINEMA for me a lot. It very uplifting the way Julia Taymor carries each scene and the color scheme, and costumes is enough to leave anyone transfixed. For those who loved this film it is likely to become a cult classic. It already seems well on its way to becoming one.
29. Zach Doiron 11.10.09 / 9am

    I’m going to start out saying that this was overall a very well done and enjoyable movie. The cinematography was spectacular throughout the entire flick. I find myself also agreeing that this is a love/hate film. I see this mainly in the reaction Beatles fans had to the film versus the reaction non-Beatles fans had. For one, the Taymor really does a great job of capturing the “mood” of the 60s counterculture and what it might have been like to be apart of that. But on the other hand, for many music appreciators and Beatles fanatics, this film just glossed over the more important aspects of the era. I feel torn between the two opinions, and even though I felt Taymor did justice to the songs by rearranging them and giving them new life, I didn’t feel that the movie’s message itself contained any importance. Sure it’s a musical and they used these great Beatles’ songs, but there’s not much more to the plot line then a simple love story revolving around all these events of the 1960s. I think the musicals were entertaining, but they didn’t drive the story, they were more breaks from the story than the actual story themselves. With all that said, Across the Universe is a very well done movie with innovative cinematography, and one more way for the public to rediscover the Beatles’ music in a new light.
30. Katie Hansen 12.01.09 / 10am

    I can say that this is one of my favorite movies. This being a movie about the music of the Beatles, and me being a big Beatles fan, it’s unforgettable in terms of it’s music and the visual effects. One strength this movie had was it’s different interpretations of Beatles songs. I especially liked Prudence’s version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” near the beginning of the movie. The set design and choreography were also very impressive.Julie Taymor does an amazing job of creating a perfect narrative to the Beatles catalog. Most songs used, especially in the first half of the film, are strategically used to help the story and not just thrown in because its there popular song. I thought that acting along with the set design and choreography made this movie a classic in my book. I would recommend this film to just about anyone.
31. Julia Chiriboga 01.27.10 / 6pm

    This review pretty much read my mind. This movie has been a favorite of mine since I saw it when it came out in 2007. Like the author William Conlin, I too have found that people either love it or hate it. It really depends on how you feel about musicals in general too. Personally I loved it and could watch it over and over again. I think that the sound track is one of the best I’ve heard in a while. They were able to make the songs theirs while keeping enough of the original feel. All in all, very well done.
32. Shelby Schmitt 03.01.10 / 9pm

    I never liked musicals until i watched “Across the Universe.” This movie was never like anything I have ever seen before. It had so much character, and kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. Not only was it a musical, but it was all The Beatles songs which made it all the more exciting. I loved all the musicians especially how Bono had a part in the film. The plot of the movie was perfect, how the young boy was on a mission to find his real father and comes along so many different adventures. The film had so much meaning to each of the characters real lives. They all were going through different life-crises and shared their feelings through the music. The colors, and creativity the movie brought was so amazing. The film made me want to live in that time period and go through all the events the characters did. Amazing movie, never gets old.
33. Lacey Rothman 04.06.10 / 11am

    I agree with this review to the fullest extent. Across the Universe is one of my favorite films as well. I have always been a huge fan of the Beatles, even as a very young child. It’s the first band from my parents generation that I was able to appreciate, and it made our relationship stronger. Across the Universe conveys issues that occurred during the 1960’s, around the same time all of the music in the film was popular. I have no complaints about this film. I was never bored for a moment and I’ve seen it several times. I even bought the soundtrack when it came out because I enjoyed the cover of the songs so much. I really enjoy musicals and I felt like this film had a perfect balance of great music, a good storyline, and made a real connection with the audience.
34. Jennifer Greynald 05.03.10 / 12pm

    I love your review partly because I am also a huge fan of this film. I have always enjoyed musicals as well as the music from the Beatles, so both combined truly made a beautiful movie. You commented that your favorite aspect was the songs from the Beatles and I have to agree. Although what I loved most about the music was not necessarily each song itself, but the manner in which it was played out. Each character acts out different songs in unique ways and dramatically different from the original song itself. I also liked how some songs were slowed down and sped in relation to the scene and intensified each emotional and dramatic moment. Also, the cinematographic elements of the film also had me in awe! The vibrant colors of the sky and clouds created quite the scene and the moments with psychedelic color patterns added variety to the scenes. Great review and fabulous movie!
35. Whitney Riles 06.27.10 / 1pm

    Musicals are usually the last genre I would choose to watch, however, Across the Universe is so amazing that I’m glad I gave it the chance I don’t give most musicals. The acting was great and everyone had a beautiful voice. I really enjoyed the fact that this movie had all Beatles songs, and each scene that involved singing was so incredible. One of my favorite scenes that is so simple is the one when they sing “I want to hold your hand,” because I love when the girl who is playing the cheerleader gets up from the bleachers and walks through the field and the football players are tackling each other in slow motion. Its such a simple scene but the visuals made the scene that much more amazing, and that’s exactly how the whole movie plays out. Every scene and every song has such amazing detail and beauty throughout it, and the story line behind this film makes it a movie you must watch.
36. Kaylee Skiba 03.22.13 / 10pm

    One of my favorite movies. Across the Universe is a terrific film. The music, of course, is the best part of this movie. Julie Taymor did a fantastic job incorporating The Beatles’ songs into this elaborate story line. I’ve always enjoyed the movies with Evan Rachel-Wood in them, and being able to hear her beautiful singing voice was a total bonus! Bono, Eddie Izzard, and all of the other guest stars in this film were amazing. I love how all their characters come together (ha) making this a very good movie!
37. Jennifer Tabibian 03.13.15 / 10pm

    Unlike this reviewer, I am usually not a huge fan of musicals. However, Across the Universe is my exception! The musical is one of my favorite movies and one of the only films I actually own on dvd. I agree with the reviewer that the highlight of the film is The Beatles covers in the soundtrack. The music narrated the movie impeccably. To be honest, sometimes I listen to the movie soundtrack instead of the original Beatles version of the songs. The movie is a creative and trippy masterpiece that drew me to that era. I especially loved their homage to Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix in the film. I would recommend this film to all Beatles fans and others even if they aren’t musical fans!

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