A love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s during the turbulent years of anti-war protests, mind exploration and rock 'n roll. The film moves from the dockyards of Liverpool to the psychedelia of Greenwich Village, from the riot-torn streets of Detroit to the killing fields of Vietnam. Star-crossed lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), along with a small group of friends and musicians, are swept into the anti-war and counterculture movements, with "Dr. Robert" (Bono) and "Mr. Kite" (Eddie Izzard) as their guides. Tumultuous forces outside their control ultimately tear the young lovers apart, forcing Jude and Lucy to find their own way back to each other.

"All you need is love" to fall in love with "Across the Universe", and apparently, to change the world.

The movie attempts to transport viewers into a time they would have long forgotten. The time of the glorious Sixties, an era famous for drugs, hippies and psychedelia.

The story starts with Jude (Jim Sturgess), a reserved Liverpool dockworker, who goes to America in search of his father. In the process he meets Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), a sheltered young American girl and falls in love with her. When her brother Max (Joe Anderson) gets sent to fight in the Vietnam war, she does the only thing she can to bring him back, join the Anti-war Revolution! As Lucy goes public with her cause, Jude becomes secluded in his art. The two are torn apart by the 'Helter Skelter' of the Vietnam War and the 'war' they waged to try and stop it.

Sturgess conveys the perfect amount of bruised charm required of his character. His facial expressions, however, are a bit off but this can be excusable as it is hard to maintain this while trying to remain on key. Wood, who plays Lucy, should be commended for a strikingly better emotional performance than Sturgess, although not so much for her singing. In fact, T.V. Caprio and Martin Luther McCoy have much better voices, despite their smaller roles.

From her direction, Julie Taymor may be mistaken as a director on crack. This statement clearly overlooks the daring messages and themes she is trying to convey through an even bolder approach. Almost every message is delivered via an ambience of a scene rather than the standard action or conversation between characters.

"Across the Universe" attempts the age-old theme of war, freedom and love, yes, in this way the movie bears a striking resemblance to "Moulin Rouge", but thankfully not in a cliched and unoriginal way. The themes are daringly attempted because of the sensitive nature of the story, blasting before the desensitised masses.

The main thrust of the movie is still its love story narrated by the Beatles' songs, with titles such as 'Hold Me Tight' and 'I've Just Seen A Face' humming the delicate start of the movie. Then with 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Let It Be' resonating the core of the film. Finally with 'Revolution' and 'Helter Skelter' bringing a crashing crescendo before 'Across The Universe' melodiously floats the story back to the ground. It is a worthwhile watch, if only for the soundtrack alone.

A word of caution would be that creativity is subjective and this would not be the most favourable subject to viewers who can't relate to it. "Across The Universe" is evidently not for those with closed minds. So I suggest that you approach this with an open heart and mind, in short, approach it with love.

This movie is, in one word, 'psychedelic'.

"A psychedelic experience is characterised by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters." - wikipedia.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to... well, not Strawberry Fields, but the nostalgic era of the Sixties when Love, Peace and the music of the Beatles are spread across the universe. For those who have lived through those 'hippy' and 'groovy' times, the trip will bring home memories of a youth coloured by free love, anti-war protests, drugs and 'psychedelia'. You may even tap your feet and sing along with the music.

For the younger viewers, however, the movie will take you through a touching love story 'guided' by the songs of the Beatles. Yes, you would have heard the songs before, but not in the way they are delivered here...

It is the 1960s and Jude (Jim Sturgess) leaves his shipyard job and girlfriend in Liverpool, England, to travel across the Atlantic to Princeton University in search of a father he has never met. There, he befriends Max (Joe Anderson), a campus drop-out, and falls in love with his beautiful sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). Soon the three share a pad in Greenwich Village with the Janis Joplin-styled Sadie (Dana Fuchs), a Jimi Hendrix-type musician named Jo-Jo (Martin Luther McCoy) and the lesbian cheerleader Prudence (T.V. Carpio).

What starts off as good times, with wild parties and musical road trips, soon turns serious when Max is drafted into the Vietnam War and our friends get caught up in the anti-war movement. Lucy's relationship with budding artist Jude is affected when the peace movement turns into a 'social revolution'. Jude is sent back to Liverpool and that's when he has to 'take a sad song, and make it better...'

Yes, everything in the story is illustrated by a Beatles song. However, those who long for 'original' Beatles numbers are in the wrong movie. Most of them are radically altered and sung by the actors to evoke their feelings or personality. I had thought that "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" was one of the silliest ditties by the Beatles - until I hear Prudence render it as a longing for a lover she cannot have. This song now has a new meaning for me, as it would have for all who have seen this movie. Ditto that for "Let It Be", sung during scenes of riots in Detroit.

Some of the choreographed pieces have the feel of amateurish high school art class projects but director Julie Taymor can also be very inventive, like in the underwater sequences that look like ballet, a stage show that turns into musical warfare, and scenes of strawberries that bleed (to go with "Strawberry Fields").

Another clever device by the filmmakers is the use of lesser-known actors in the cast. Stars like Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Carpio and Fuchs have been selected more for the vocal ability than acting - and they win our hearts every time they sing. If their character lacks proper development, this is made up for by showing their emotions (through the songs) and their reactions to the various historical milestones, like the assassination of Martin Luther King.

At more than two hours, "Across The Universe" can be taxing on our bottoms but it definitely helps to uplift our hearts. And most of all, it shows how incredibly versatile and universal the Beatles' songs can be to artists and creative people.