Wow I didn't think I would like this since I'm not really a Beatles fan but it kinda blew my mind. Just awesome. A really good story set in the turbulent 1960's, with a satisfying romance between an American named Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) and Jude from Liverpool (Jim Sturgess). The movie also traces a small group of friends and musicians who are swept up into the emerging anti-war and counterculture movements, along with the star-crossed lovers, Jude and Lucy.

Interesting versions of more than 30 Beatles songs preformed by the cast, complete with cool cameos (Bono, Joe Cocker) and musical numbers with amazingly trippy choreographed dance routines. This was just so good.

A couple numbers stood out for me: "Come Together" with Joe Cocker, just wow, the business people dancing and shuffling on the busy New York street and "I want You(?)" with the brother getting inducted into the army was downright scary with a very Pink Floyd, Another Brick In The Wall feel to it.

I'm not one for the musicals but I can't wait to watch this again. 06.13

Jude (Jim Sturgess) is a young shipyard worker from Liverpool who travel to the States to find his unknown American G.I. father. Lucy Carrigan (Evan Rachel Wood) is worried about her boyfriend Daniel going into the Vietnam war. Jude finds his father as a janitor at Princeton University, and befriends Lucy's brother Max (Joe Anderson).

The best part of this movie is the abundance of great Beatles' music. The worst part is the rambling disjointed story. In between, there are the admirable efforts by most of the actors who are usually not the song and dance types. Director Julie Taymor risks it all in a wild clash of bizarre imagery. It probably serves better as separate music videos than a cohesive narrative.

I have seen worse movie musicals, namely Xanadu, Can't Stop the Music and Mame, but as a fan of the genre I have seen far better as well. The colourful visuals are great and the songs(well it's the Beatles after all!) are wonderful. However, while I love the songs themselves I found myself left cold by the arrangements which were rather static and the singing which was often flat and lacking in heart and emotion.

The story is a mess in structure, too thin for the overlong running time, and like Mamma Mia! was more an excuse to interrupt the flow with constant singing and songs, with a number of scenes feeling more music video than a story for a movie musical. The script is tired and clichéd, the choreography dull, the romance rather stilted, the pace laboured and I found myself indifferent to all the characters, mainly because they are not written very well at all, with some not doing much to bring the story forward and some lacking in personality.

Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess and the supporting cast are talented and try hard, but the script, story and arrangements of the songs leave them not so much to work from, so they're either bland or wasted, excepting Dana Fuchs whose singing is wonderful and she is a breath of fresh air as well. All in all, great visuals, songs and one good performance are not enough to save a messy story. 3/10 Bethany Cox