I enjoyed Across the Universe. I liked all of the covers, especially when it was just vocals on its own. I enjoyed the interpretations of the songs, whether it be Revolution being the lingering soundtrack to Lucy's strong feelings against the war, or I Want To Hold Your Hand being Prudence's anthem of unrequited love (my favorite scene from the movie).

I love how it starts with these R&B Beatles Classics to give that early 60s feel, and then drifts to the songs of Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road to represent that Psychedelic/Vietnam War era.

Jude, Lucy, and especially Max seem to be pretty like-able characters. Although Jude does kinda feel vanilla and NPC. But whatever that's fine. I felt Jude and Lucy's falling-in-love was a little rushed but I felt the later part of them being divided by the anti-war revolution was deep and profound.

And of course, the ending was touching. How Jojo and Sadie's singing of Don't Let Me Down represented this healing process after the war. It paving the way for Jude and Lucy's poetic getting-back-together scene, which was done pretty well by the way; the police chasing them, Lucy not being able to get inside, her going to the opposite building, them catching eyes. Job well done.

I love the earlier parts where Jude, Max, and the boys were just having fun at college, and being rebellious. The bowling sequence where Jude falls in love with Lucy gave me a bit of butterflies. Those particular early 60s scenes capture this Teen Nostalgia, and the love of just being fun and spontaneous and finding who you are.

There are weaknesses to the film. Even though its visuals, covers, Beatles references, and characters were cool, the movie felt more so like this Wikipedia-like audio-visual timeline musical, going from year to year, just the summary of everything that happened, when it could've gone deeper. It could've explored the trauma of war a little more, how about more of Max's PTSD and healing process? Unlike Forrest Gump (1994), this movie addressed the darkness of the war, but no-one introspected on it or said anything. Everyone healed, and that's that. In a way, it skipped over that depth for the sake of having a concise, quick, enjoyable plot. I suppose the movie's job was to give you that concise audio-visual musical. I personally would've liked a little more depth.

All in all, I would recommend this movie to anyone. I love the youthful energy of these characters, how they cope with the war, pursue their dreams, and find love. Its ending is optimistic, yet acknowledges the hardship that disunites people. This "love triumphs in the end" was a sweet and heartfelt message, particularly for me.