| The Movie:
If it were possible to go into the mind and film the imagination,
if one could actually get a glimpse of a creative spark and
present it as a movie, the end result would look something
like "Across the Universe." Here is a film so vibrant,
colorful, and imaginative that it practically flies off the
screen. It's not something you simply watch; this richly detailed
musical fantasy is something you fully experience, from the
stunning visuals to the brilliant soundtrack. Few films have
successfully incorporated previously written song material
into an original story; one notable exception is Baz Luhrmann's
"Moulin Rouge," in which songs by Elton John, David
Bowie, Madonna, The Police, and many others were interwoven.
"Across the Universe" gets its inspiration from
the music of The Beatles - every song fit the story so naturally,
it's almost as if they were specially written for the film.
Click
Here to Read Chris Pandolfi's Full Theatrical Review!!
Special Features:
While Across the Universe fell short of reaching the stars,
the DVD is out of this world. Broken up into two discs, Sony
has placed a galaxy of features on this Special Edition DVD.
Leading off disc one is a deleted scene of the song “and
I love her.” It is a quick clip and not a necessary
one. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” has two
live, alternative takes that include different blocking and
camera movement of the circus scene. The commentary with Julie
Taymor and composer Elliot Goldenthal is the best feature
on disc one. Taymor discusses style and conceptualization
of the film, along with choreography and transitions. Goldenthal
discusses the nature of musical segues and how he and Taymor
worked collaboratively. There are three photo galleries that
cover what happened on set, behind the scenes and the design
of the film. There are also a ton of previews for various
films ranging from Persepolis to The Jane Austen Book Club,
a telltale sign of a box-office dud.
Disc two includes the overall cosmos of features, all of
which are worth a watch. “Creating the Universe”
is a twenty-nine minute featurette that includes rehearsal
footage and Taymor going into detail about how she got her
film off the ground. “Stars of Tomorrow” is a
twenty-eight minute segment on the mainly unknown leads of
the film. “Moving Across the Universe” is a nine-minute
featurette about the choreography of the film. The choreographer
goes into detail about the intensive planning for the movie.
“FX on Universe” is a short segment on the ideas
behind creating the effects and the overall experimentation
with visuals. This segment really should have been longer,
as there are a huge amount of groundbreaking effects in the
picture. “Extended Musical Performances” contain
eight extended versions of the songs featured in the film.
8/10
Overall:
Across the Universe is a beautiful mess. There are some brilliant
visuals, but the story never really grabs the attention it
desperately craves. Essentially, Across the Universe is like
Pink Floyd’s The Wall, only less depressing. Fans of
the film will love the DVD though. There are numerous features
and most are worth checking out for even those only mildly
amused. This is a DVD worth traveling across the universe
for, especially if you can make the jump to high-def.
-G. Brandon Hill
|
