Yellow Submarine (1968)

A Masterpiece!

A Major Disappointment

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This could have been poorly done had it not been for a sense of quality that seemed to be a part of the Beatles and their people. This is the wonderful story of society that develops over time and come under threat. But it is not the usual "save the world" kind of thing but rather the creation of a world like we've never seen. There is a surreal being to it. It is colorful and engaging. Of course, what is most impressive is the integration of Beatles music into the plot. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a great example of psychedelic visuals. But overall, it is a movie that never bores. Its images are striking and there is an array of the most wonderful characters.

even if you're not a Beatles fan, even if "psychedelia" isn't your thing, I do believe this 60s time-capsule has enough going for it to where it's worth watching. Maybe not multiple times, but at least once.This bears saying because it IS kind of stupid, when you break it down to its bare elements. The idyllic English countryside fantasy-world of "Pepperland" has been taken over by the "Blue Meanies," and only the Beatles can stop them. So it's a surreal but nonsensical journey from the Beatles' Liverpool to Pepperland, punctuated by a bunch of their songs which have very little to do with the story. Plus a handful of jokes which are painfully un-funny.This totally would be an embarrassingly trite cash-grab if not for the truly interesting and unique art direction, which really has nothing to do with the Beatles at all except for them both exploiting a psychedelic look. This Czech guy, Heinz Edelmann, designed everything with this neon-tubed, pop-art, minimalist look that really works.Even better are the weird images and effects that pop up, especially during the musical sequences. Like the Oscilloscope under the face-caricatures in "Only a Northern Song," or the rotoscoped acrobats in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." I can see how many would find this all to be just artsy-fartsy nonsense, but for me it works. Even without any apparent underlying meaning, it somehow feels both whimsical and sad, in a good way.In summation, this movie is well-financed Outsider Art. It's trite, but it's also well-developed in some ways. And there's nothing else out there quite like it.

This is an animated film built around songs by the Beatles. There will be mild spoilers ahead:The plot here is really kind of basic. In a far off land called Pepperland, the Blue Meanies have attacked because they hate music and happiness. They imprison Sgt. Pepper and his Lonely Hearts Club Band in a globe and subjugate the people to their rule. One man, Old Fred, flees in the Yellow Submarine to find help (as the Lord Mayor says, "H is for Hurry, E is for Ergent, L is for Love me and P is for Please!").Fred takes the sub to Liverpool and more Beatles music, "Eleanor Rigby" next, coming upon Ringo walking alone and feeling unappreciated. Fred jabbers incoherently, but Ringo agrees to help and off we go to get the other three, each making an entrance amidst rater whimsical surroundings (lots of strangeness in the house they're in, with things playing with toys and odd things going on behind doors).Paul is last to arrive, completely up to speed on things and referring to Blue Meanies as though he knows what they are. The Beatles join Fred in the sub and proceed though various Seas which serve as musical cues as well as introducing the character of Jeremy Hillary Boob, a rather endearing if bombastic little man.En route to Pepperland, we meet monsters, Indians, the cavalry, a Sea of Holes (where Ringo winds up with "a hole in me pocket" literally. Jeremy is kidnapped by the Blue Meanies in the Sea of Holes, which gives way to the Sea of Green and Pepperland.Pepperland has lost all color and is now a sad, drab and gray place. The Beatles manage to make it to where the other band is imprisoned and Ringo uses the "hole" from his pocket to free them from the globe. Some of the best stuff happens in here, like a conversation between the head Blue Meanie and his toady Max. Max has some great lines here, mostly replies to questions. Jeremy, of all people, neutralizes the head Blue Meanie and the day is saved.There's a short live action bit with the real Beatles cutting up for the camera and ending the film by singing "All Together Now". It's a very fun, if somewhat lightweight film.This is available on DVD and Blu Ray and looks great. It's well worth getting. Recommended.

Yellow Submarine is an animated musical fantasy film based on the music of The Beatles.The film was directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and King Features Syndicate. Initial reports said that the Beatles themselves would provide their own character voices,however, aside from composing and performing the songs, the real Beatles participated only in the closing scene of the film, while their cartoon counterparts were voiced by other actors.The Blue Meanies take over Pepperland, draining it of all its color and music, firing anti-music missiles, bonking people with green apples, and turning the inhabitants to stone by way of the pointed finger of a giant white glove. As the only survivor, the Lord Admiral escapes in the yellow submarine and goes to London to enlist the help of the Beatles. The charming and innocent boys travel through strange worlds and meet bizarre characters, including the Nowhere Man. Several blissed-filled musical sequences and drug references later, the Beatles drive out the Blue Meanies and restore Pepperland to tranquility armed with only music, love, and witty remarks.The movie is an animated meandering journey filled with puns and dry British humor, where psychedelic music videos take precedent over any linear story. What little there is of a plot, however, concerns a vibrantly colored place called Pepperland that resembles the album cover for Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band come to life. The swirling animation is a mixture of pop-culture images and modern artistic styles brought loosely together with a naïve antiwar message and some clever political commentary.Also,the animated feature could be considered a family movie as it will definitely provide fun and entertainment to viewers of all ages.Also,it is characterized by a joyful blend of colorful animation and the music of the Beatles will delight anyone regardless of age.OFF TOPIC:This film is was on limited released this year (May 2012).