Across The Universe

Truly amazing accomplishment. This one movie seems to do what no other has accomplished, providing a glimpse into what the sixties were like for typical Americans. Not Quadrophenia, nor Help, nor Harold & Maude, nor the Magic Christian, Woodstock the film, or any other film from the era has accomplished. (please correct me if I'm wrong.)
I fell in love with this film immediately for its wild, inspired feel but I never knew the details of sixties events and yet I found the film intrigued me so much that it made me start looking into what the truth might be. I thank the film for bringing alive a history that I'd always passed over. Bono's character with the bus got me started. I knew it wasn't just Magical Mystery Tour but thanks to Wikipedia it led me to the real magic bus belonging to Ken Kesey, the author of the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and his cross-country trip in a bus named 'further,' allegedly to see the 1964 World's Fair in New York. Along the way he made sure to turn on as many people as he possibly could, as acid was legal at the time. His attempt to meet with Timothy Leary at his farm in Albany was unsuccessful, as Leary had just come off a 3-day trip and was in no condition to meet with him. So Bono's character was somewhat accurate, as is Izzard's portrayal of Leary.
A second event was the explosion in the apartment of the war-protesting radicals, a true life event for the Weather Underground. I'd never known about these events and likely never would have learned about them without this film. So for me I can wholeheartedly recommend the film on many levels. Not only for the direction, camerawork, script, artwork, acting, and music, but also for its ability to create a sense of curiousity where none ever existed before.
The music deserves special mention as these versions are able to make a person hear and feel the Beatle's music in entirely new ways, giving glimpses into perhaps what the songs may really have meant to the original authors. I have a suspicion that if I were to look into what they intended their songs to mean I would find that someone has already researched this beforehand and used their inspiration for how the songs are staged in the movie. So the film may even be educational in the sense that a person can learn more about the music and the artists without having to read volumes of boring books that consist of interviews with their tailors.
For me the best scene is not even in the film. The special edition has deleted scenes and out-takes, one of which is Izzard doing his entire take on For the Benefit of Mr. Kite outside the circus tent. I highly recommend the special edition due to this gem.

The soundtrack is great if you love the Beatles. The songs are by different artists who appeared in the movie. I love these new interpretations. The movie is great also.

What a great movie, and a wonderful interpretation of classic Beatles songs. I'm not one for musicals, but I enjoyed the movie so much I bought the soundtrack the next day. My wife and i both listen to this while we are doing things around the house, etc., and its energy keeps you moving. Bono from U2 sings on one of the tracks (I am the Walrus), and the rest of the cast does a great job. If you like the Beatles, you'll like this album.

...the music in the film was superior. The actors aren't great singers, but the music worked very well because they were singing live and in character. Believing in a song goes a long way towards selling it, even if the voice work isn't perfect.

However, this soundtrack album uses studio vocals instead of the vocals used in the film. While the performances are technically "better", it just doesn't come across as well.

Also, some of the arrangements are different. For example, "Hold Me Tight" is a nice little song that was punched up in the film by alternating between a pop-ish arrangement set in the US and a harder rock arrangement in the UK. But the track on here uses the (weaker, imo) pop version all the way through.

One more example: "With a Little Help from my Friends" is sung in the film by Max and his college friends, with Jude one of the group. It was rough sounding, but perfect for the setting and the song. On here, however, it's done as a duet with Max and Jude, and it doesn't work nearly as well.

So while I'd probably still recommend this soundtrack to those that enjoyed the movie, potential buyers need to be aware that they're not getting exactly what they heard in the film.

I read through several reviews before deciding to order this CD. While I agree that the bass lines on many of the tracks are distorted almost to the point of a burst speaker-I think that was deliberate decision of the producers. The producers deliberately played with tempo, instrumentation and stripping away some of the expected elements that you automatically associate with these songs. If you want to hear the classic Beatles tunes exactly as the Beatles would have done them, then buy the originals. I do wish that they would have included "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" but you can't have everything. If you are an active listener then you will probably like it. If you just want to sing along with songs you know like a karaoke star--buy the originals.