Across The Universe, the new film by Frida director Julie Taymor, is a love story crafted around numerous classic Beatles songs. Set against the backdrop of the UK and US in the 1960s, it depicts an era of infinite possibilities. While the director possesses boundless creativity, the story is regrettably weak; it is, to some extent, overly whimsical, resulting in a film that is quite tedious. Presented as a musical featuring familiar hits, the songs have been rearranged to fit the plot, rendering them rather nondescript. Coupled with the less-than-ideal vocal skills of certain male actors, the result is truly unbearable to listen to. While a story weaving between reality and fantasy is comprehensible, that does not justify a messy narrative. For instance, in the sequence where Prudence locks herself in a closet, her affection for Jojo is explained in a single shot; with absolutely no prior exposition regarding her inner feelings, it is entirely unconvincing.
Although the 60s and The Beatles represent innovation, that does not mean one can simply pile things up aimlessly. Even a cameo by Bono cannot salvage the failure of such a chaotic narrative—forcing Beatles lyrics into a weak plot feels just like fan fiction created online.