I really really really like musicals. But i was turned off by this one at first because I found the use of popular song to be kind of distracting to the process of settling in to get to know the characters which is so important in the first fifteen minutes of film but I'm glad I stuck it out and watched the whole thing.
I liked this movie but didn't love it. I'm not a huge Beatles fan and this film confirmed for me what I already thought. They have some really good songs but I don't think they are end-all be-all of music. If you aren't already a Beatles fan, I don't think you'll come away from this movie one. I might even be a little sour towards the Beatles. A boyfriend once cited them while breaking up with me. Apparently love was not all he needed.
I thought this film was lovely to look at, a cool idea, but ultimately a bit overambitious. The plot was a bit weak in spots and some characters seemed to have been written in so they could have the same name as a song. This is particularly true of Prudence who didn't move the plot along like other minor characters and just kinda popped in and out without reason. This was disappointing really because they set her up to be a main character by featuring her as with Lucy and Jude in the very begining of the movie.
I was also kinda put off by the over psychedelic scenes. When it began to look a bit too much like a music video, it took me away from the plot. I was also annoyed by many of the cliches. In general I find psychedelics to be the least interesting thing about the 60s and find it really irritating when it is linked to a moral superiority. I'm anti-war too but I don't think frying your brain and claiming yourself as artist is a political statement. I'd rather be one of the squares.
So yeah, I wasn't very impressed by this movie. But I do like the 60s and I do like watching attractive people break into song without a moment's notice.
I'd recommend this though if you are a Beatles fan or are curious about seeing what Glee might have looked like in the 60s.
