Across the Universe - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Across the Universe

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Just barely missing it’s 10th anniversary, Across the Universe skates onto a 4K UHD upgrade that follows a remastering of the film from the original 35mm elements. The movie was never a box office smash in 2007, but was rather met with some mixed responses as Julie Taymor’s rock opera that was based off the Beatles music garnered some leary eyes. Some people loved the movie’s stunning set pieces, and incredibly artistic visuals, while others were turned off by the non traditional storytelling blended with a traditional musical. I originally shrugged the movie off and didn’t see it for many years, due to the fact that it didn’t look like anything I was interested in, AND due to the fact that the last musical using the Beatles music as a jumping board was Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band. Which is widely considered one of the worst musical’s of all time (and hilariously fun in a MST3K sort of way). That is until I came across the Blu-ray for $5 in a pawn shop and decided “why not?”.

Across the Universe is a film that re imagines the late 1960s and infuses it with the Music of the Beatles and a love story that spans two continents. Jim Sturgess is Jude (I’m sure you’re all prepared for the fact that we’re getting a remix of “Hey Jude” later in the film with that name), a dockworker in Liverpool who longs for something more. He was raised a poor boy from a single mother, but has tracked his father down to an address at Princeton University. Heading across the seas to meet his long lost father, Jude starts a new life in America when he befriends Princeton party boy, Max Carrigan (Joe Anderson) and his sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). Jude wants to be more than a dockworker, and Max has no desire to fit in with his upscale parents and their idea of what he should do with his life, so the pair moves to New York City to make their dreams come true.

Jude is infatuated with Lucy right off the bat, but it’s not until she moves out to New York to visit the due before university starts that their whirlwind romance spins out of control. However, this is the time of the Vietnam war and Max is drafted into the military against his will. Lucy becomes an activist in the 60s protests against the Nam conflict, while Jude fulfills his dreams of becoming an artist. Unfortunately, the two’s ideals seem destined to pull them apart, as Lucy absorbs herself into the protest. Desperately trying to bring her brother Max home somehow. Jude feels jealous, betrayed and soon the two drift apart even farther. When Jude is deported to England after trying to save her at a protest turned riot, the two are separated by more than just a few hurt feelings. But even when you’re half the world over, love finds a way.

Across the Universe is not told in a traditional sort of way, even for a musical. The first third is, but after that the movie gets bolder and more “different” as it goes along. The first act is your traditional musical, with people from two different worlds singing and dancing their way together (Lucy is portrayed as a sort of “doo wop” 50s style visually, while Jude is a bit more black leather and rock n’ roll), but once the two go to New York things change. The story gets decidedly more loopy as the influences of the 1960s drug culture takes over, and the “hippies” infiltrate the group. The story mimics that looser sort of feeling, using some of the Beatles later songs of the era, as well as allowing the narrative to get more free flowing and visually psychedelic. The third act of the movie, when Lucy and Jude are dealing with their problems, the movie starts to get tighter and harsher again, but still uses much of the artistic flair and “looseness” of the second act as well.

The film is highly personal, and not expected to be taken as a 3 act story with the romance. Sure, there is romance between Jude and Lucy, but the movie is really like listening to your favorite music. It ebbs and it flows, with high points and valleys. Some bits will make sense more than others, while even more will be raw emotion rather than a straight forward narrative. This was the very reason that Across the Universe was met with such shock and awe when it came out 10 years ago. People were expecting a standard musical, but instead we got a film that was as much art as a song is, and that means it isn’t for everyone. Sturgess is fantastic as Jude, and Evan Rachel Wood is solid enough as Lucy (although I think she was a little miscast even though I LOVE her in Westworld), but the blending of the Beatles with period piece drama and remixing of the songs makes for an intoxicating watch (despite the strange psychedelic nature of the weak second act), and a very good time if you love the music as much as I do.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language




Video:

Across the Universe has been completely remastered from the original 35mm elements for this new edition, and the results show. The film was one of Sony’s flagship movies back at the beginning of the Blu-ray format, and a demo worthy film that EVERYONE used to show off their home theater system. However, that 5/5 rating we all gave it was when the format was in its infancy, and newer encoding techniques and higher bitrates have surpassed it. The new 35mm master in 2160p looks REALLY REALLY good, and is one of the better catalog titles that Sony has been pumping out recently. The blacks are deeper and inkier, and fine detailing is exquisite. Comparing against the 2008 Blu-ray it looks almost soft and mushy in comparison, with sharper details and more revealing textures all around (such as their New York apartment). I will say this though. The natural color grading is kind of honey colored, but I DID notice that some of the daylight scenes seem dimmer than the Blu-ray if you compare. Night and indoor shots seems less effected, but the UHD version is noticeably dimmer when the sun is out. Nothing to be shocked or horrified over, but the new brightness levels takes a little getting used to.





Audio:

Back in early 2008 most of Sony releases had 5.1 PCM uncompressed audio on their Blu-rays, so it was a rare (at the time) thing to have a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track on board, and it was considered an amazing audio mix. And it most certainly was. The Blu-ray still sounds wonderful today, but what could be better than getting an upgrade when you jump up from Blu-ray to 4K UHD? This time it’s a full on Dolby Atmos track with a 7.1 core (for those who aren’t running Atmos just yet), and the upgrade is definitely there, albeit the Atmos portion of it isn’t wildly different than the 7.1 of the core track. The music is really the main star of the film, and always has been, and the jump from 5.1 to 7.1 and above is nice. The back end of the room sounds more open and spacious, with the Beatles music flowing effortlessly from one channel to the next. Overheads are used, but used mildly, such as when a helicopter thuds overhead during Max’s terror over going to Vietnam. Otherwise they just aren’t use a WHOLE lot in the film. So in reality it’s a slightly modified 7.1 track more than anything (albeit a nice jump up from the 5.1 of the Blu-ray). LFE is punchy and powerful, adding great bass to the constant musical numbers, as well as enhanced power to things like slamming doors, cars in New York City, or the thundering sound of War. An overall great sounding Blu-ray track just got a bit better with this upgrade to Atmos, and while it may not be as demo worthy due to the lack of overheads, its’ a very small price to pay for one of the best audio mixes for a dramatic film in the last 10 years.





Extras:

• Extended Musical Performances
• Deleted Scenes
• Filmmaker Audio Commentary
• 5 Production Featurettes
• Rehearsal Footage

Final Score: ​

Across the Universe is a highly personal film that has been rather controversial since it’s 2007 release. People usually either love the film, or hate it. I for one was one of those who truly enjoyed the movie, although I definitely see the flaws in the center act that slows it down. The movie is a work of art more than a piece of entertainment, and uses the music of the Beatles to tell the story more than the actual dramatic dialog. Now, being a 10 year old film, most of you don’t want to hear me wax eloquent about the film itself, but want to see whether or not I think it’s a good upgrade over the 1080p Blu-ray. In that regards It’s a VERY nice upgrade. The Blu-ray has always looked great, but the new encode kicks it into high gear (although it is dimmer in some spots), and the increased channels of the Atmos track is well done. A simple “go for it” is my recommendation. Great watch.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson
Directed by: Julie Taymor
Written by: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish DD 5.1
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 133 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 9th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Great Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will try and catch it.

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. I saw this one years ago but I didn't like it much.

 

[Michael Scott]

it's definitely a love it or hate it film Asere