I just watched Across the Universe (black friday purchase). I went into the movie with pretty low expectations, but im not gonna lie; i liked it.

Anyone who is a Beatles-phile should have been pretty excited for this movie to come out, only to be severely disappointed by the soundtrack. Obviously covers of the Beatles are in no way going to match the caliber of the original, but I did not dislike the music.

The cinematography of the movie was well done, part modern magic, part Yellow Submarine, and part cheezy 70’s color warps (which could have been toned down a bit, but def added to the 70’s feel).

At times, the acting could have been better, but for the most part, it didn’t detract from the movie.

The story wasn’t spectacular. It didn’t reinvent anything, and the story has been told time and time again: The rich kid delinquent who realizes the harsh realities of life after being drafted; the rich, naive kid sister who realizes the harsh realities of life after everything is taken from her; the “janice joplin” character; the “hendrix”; and last but not least, the scrappy poor kid who was abandoned by his father before he was born only to search him down in a far away land, have no interaction with his father save 5 mins near the beginning and 5 at the end where they magically bond… oh and he is best friends with the rich kid and falls in love with her sister…

The movie was kinda like watching a musical chick flick with elements of the movie Rose, random clips of Platoon and youtube videos of Hendrix, scene elements from Titanic, and a tribute to Yellow Submarine.

For what it’s worth, I don’t regret my purchase, nor do i feel i wasted 2 hours of my life.

Fav part? the strawberries.

Happy Thanksgiving ;]