“Across the Universe” is a mess.
There’s no denying that.
It is poorly paced and badly structured, and at times its feather-light plot and contrived or obligatory numbers become tedious.
But at one point, about halfway through, I decided just to go along for the ride.
I delighted in every brash, bold choice, whether it worked or not.
I let the poignant moments move me, whether or not I intellectually felt that they were contrived.
Newcomer Jim Sturgess stars as Jude, a young man working on the docks in Liverpool.
Eager to escape, he travels to Princeton where he meets Max (Joe Anderson).
But it’s his meeting with Max’s younger sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) that changes him.
They quickly fall in love, but their relationship is tested by the chaos of the late 1960s and Max’s unwilling tour in Vietnam.
magic
Warning:- this post does contain the films Goofs. May spoil the film.
… now for Magic’s Technical Bit:
Director
Julie Taymor
Writers
Dick Clement
Ian La Frenais
Release Date
28 September 2007 (UK)
Genre
Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance
Tagline
All you need is love.
Plot
The music of the Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist.
Goofs
- Anachronisms: When Jude is on the beach in the “Blackbird” sequence, the wind turbines in The Mersey Estuary can be seen.
- Revealing mistakes: In the scene where the white women dance on top of the water and, subsequently, fall in, one of the platforms that a dancer (on the right side of the “v”) is standing on is clearly visible, covered and uncovered by the waves.
- Continuity: In the first scene where Jude is at home with his mother, he barely spreads butter over a piece of bread and puts it in his mouth. When he turns around, the butter is spread across the entire piece.
- Continuity: When Lucy is trying to make it to the roof at the end of the movie the police officers go from having night sticks in their hands to having their hands facing palms out to stop the crowds.
- Revealing mistakes: The boy in the coffin during the “Let it Be” sequence is very clearly breathing.
- Anachronisms: In the scene in New York’s Port you can see a modern day ferry in the background.
- Anachronisms: A modern Merseyrail train can be seen crossing a bridge in the background of one of the Liverpool shots.
- Continuity: When Max is playing golf on the roof the beer bottle used for as a tee disappears and reappears between shots.
- Continuity: Mr. Kite’s yellow gloves vanish when he’s ushering the group into the tent, then reappear when he’s in the tent.
- Anachronisms: In the scenes taking place on the high school basketball court, there are floor markings for a three point arc. High schools did not adopt the three point shot until the 1980s.
- Continuity: While the characters are outside Mr. Kite’s tent, the lighting and shadows keep changing from a mid-day light to a sunset-like light.
- Crew or equipment visible: While Max is fighting in Vietnam during “Helter Skelter” his M16 has a blank firing adapter installed on the end of the barrel, which allows the prop weapon to fire multiple rounds.
- Anachronisms: In the scene on the roof top the lead vocal microphone has an XLR connector on it. The only thing that used XLR at the time was the Canon P series of film camera. Sound equipment still used twist lock cable with four pins.
- Anachronisms: During the song “Do It In The Road” at the Cafe Huh?, JoJo is playing a late 1972 Telecaster Custom. As this is set in the 60’s, it’s really unlikely he would have this guitar.
- Continuity: During the “Strawberry Fields Forever” sequence a shot shows Jude’s foot splattered with bright red paint. Once the shot cuts away and back, the paint disappears. When the shot then cuts away and back a second time the splattered paint is on his foot again.
Continuity: When Max is in the hospital, the bed posts change between the beginning and end of the scene.