One of my favorite movie musicals is streaming free on Tubi — why you should watch this visual masterpiece

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'Across the Universe' helps your favorite Beatles tunes tell a story

Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess in Across the Universe
(Image credit: Alamy)

There’s something special about a movie that just goes for it, even if it gets a little weird or overly stylized along the way. "Across the Universe "does exactly that.

Julie Taymor’s 2007 jukebox musical isn’t just a love story set during the Vietnam War; it’s a full-on Beatles-fueled fever dream. The visuals are surreal, the choreography feels like it’s floating in space and some of the musical numbers are so wild and creative they’ve been stuck in my head since I first saw it.

Part love story, part visual trip, "Across the Universe" follows Jude, played by Jim Sturgess, a working-class artist from Liverpool who comes to America looking for his father. Instead, he finds Lucy, played by Evan Rachel Wood, a sheltered girl from the suburbs, and the two of them get swept up in the chaos of the '60s — Vietnam, protests, political awakenings, all of it.

What's 'Across the Universe' about?

Across the Universe (2007) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers - YouTube Across the Universe (2007) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers - YouTube
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Jude (Jim Sturgess) is a shipyard worker from Liverpool, who heads to America to find the father he never met. There, he meets Max (Joe Anderson), a college dropout with a rebellious streak, and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), Max’s younger sister who’s still figuring herself out. Jude and Max move to New York City, where they fall in with a group of artists, musicians, and dreamers all trying to make sense of a world that feels like it’s coming apart.

As Jude and Lucy fall for each other, the outside world starts closing in. Max gets drafted into the Vietnam War. Lucy finds purpose in the antiwar movement and throws herself into activism. Their lives shift. What started as a free-spirited escape becomes heavier. Through it all, the Beatles' music threads every moment together.

You see the characters move through protests, smoky dive bars, rooftop jam sessions, war zones, and psychedelic trips that feel like waking dreams. Sadie (Dana Fuchs), a powerhouse singer with serious Janis Joplin vibes, and Jojo (Martin Luther McCoy), a guitarist inspired by Jimi Hendrix, become part of their circle. Each character brings something different to the mix, but everything keeps circling back to Jude and Lucy. Their relationship is the heartbeat of the film.

The plot doesn’t follow a straight line. It moves through moods and moments. It’s about falling in love while the world is burning and trying to hold on to something real when everything around you feels unreal. I went through something similar with a relationship when I saw the movie for the first time, which is likely why it resonated with me so much.

Why you should stream 'Across the Universe'

The plot is only half the point. "Across the Universe" is really about taking the entire Beatles catalog and turning it into a full-blown visual trip.

There's "I Want You (She’s So Heavy)" turned into this creepy, over-the-top military draft sequence. And "Strawberry Fields Forever" explodes into an art piece with actual bleeding strawberries. For the U2 fans, Bono plays Dr. Robert, belting out "I Am the Walrus" on a psychedelic school bus that feels like it’s driving straight into another dimension.

'Across the Universe' cast

(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

The music is memorable because it doesn't just rely on straight Beatles covers. They’re completely reworked. Slowed down, stripped bare, flipped inside out. "Let It Be" turns into a haunting gospel piece after a riot. "Because" is a quiet, graceful moment that plays over an underwater scene.

Even if you’ve heard "Across the Universe" a hundred times before, something about hearing it in a new context makes it hit in a whole new way — at least it does for me.

Julie Taymor’s signature style is all over this thing. Under her direction, there are slow motion crowd shots, abstract symbolism in just about every scene, and gorgeous visuals with surreal backdrops.

Sometimes it leans a little too hard into the artsy territory, but that’s kind of the point. It’s not going for realism. It’s trying to tap into a mood. That raw, chaotic, creative energy that defined so much of the sixties is something I search for in media from the decade, so I was thrilled to see it in droves here.

And even though it’s set in 1968, the themes still land. Love and war. Hope and heartbreak. Youth crashing headfirst into reality. It’s wild how much of it still feels like it could’ve been made for right now.

Movies like this don’t get made often. And they definitely don’t usually end up streaming for free. Ready to turn on, tune in, and drop out? "Across the Universe" is streaming for free on Tubi, so be sure to check it out.

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Brittany Vincent
Brittany Vincent

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.

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