The wicked Blue Meanies take over Pepperland, eliminating all color and music. As the only survivor, the Lord Admiral escapes in the yellow submarine and journeys to Liverpool to enlist the help of the Beatles.
I always had a strong dislike for the song Yellow Submarine, and was expecting this to be the (now-commonplace) style of music film more commonly seen on Broadway or in the West End whereby songs from an artist or band are contrived together into a highly affected plot. I was not entirely surprised by this film, but there was something, just something, about it that made it not dreck. Still, I'd prefer to re-watch Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982).
The film’s message can be scrunched down to: “Music is better than violence.” It’s sure to add, however, that by lucky coincidence the former is on sale now at your local record store.
— Joseph Jon Lanthier (Slant Magazine)
