Cloud Atlas

Hey everyone!

Today we are going to review Cloud atlas. And let me just say, after just having watch this, It’s incredibly hard to explain what I just watched. Don’t worry though, this particular review will be spoiler free! Now I am not even close to being a professional critic or anything of the sort, but I figure I can give you my opinion and just something to go off of if you are trying to decide if this 172 minute sci-fi extravaganza is right for you! I’m going to try and make this review simple and painless for those of you who don’t follow movie stats or even know what this movie is about.

Now first off, if you are expecting this movie to be anything like The Matrix ( as I’ve heard a lot people were) then turn back now. I’ve been hearing a lot of harsh criticisms and comparisons for this very reason, so when going into this, don’t even think about the Matrix. Not even a little bit. You didn’t go to watch Avatar and assume it was going to be like the Titanic now did you? So don’t do it to this movie.

Cloud atlas was originally a novel written by David Mitchell way back in 2004. The book was adapted into a screen play by the Wachowski brothers siblings, and then brought to life on the big screen with co- director, Tom Tykwer. To mention a few stars of the movie, we have Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw and many more.

So in this story, we follow six characters over the course of six timelines to various places around the world, connected by specific plot points. Each tale has so much depth and very unique settings, I cant imagine what it was like taking the novel and trying to adapt it into a single movie. And to actually make it work with great scene transition is just amazing to me. We range from an 1800’s lawyer struggling with his beliefs on slavery, to a futuristic Neo- Seoul, Korea, where synthetic humans are being made to work in cafe’s, and everything in between! Familiar faces come back into each story to play various roles and show that our choices do in fact have consequences whether we see the outcome in this lifetime or the next. We see how simple acts of kindness can change an entire being, and that love can inspire a revolution.

The Good– Like the Wachowskis so often do, they have created yet another visually stunning film. From the set pieces to each individual environment, the meticulous details are what really set each location apart from each other. The prosthetic make up used was quite astonishing to me. While a lot of the time, was strange and hard to get used to, I was an overall of of it regardless. Although, I would find myself straying from the movie to try and figure out which actor was so cleverly disguised behind all of it.

There was a great mix of tragic undertones as well as comedy laced throughout the entirety. Being a 3 hour movie, it all flowed together nicely without in-balancing the mood.

The Bad– There were some unresolved questions. I am assuming this is because I haven’t read the book, but when adapting a novel, one should be sure to cover all of these points. I’m guessing they just bit off a little more than they could chew by adapting such an ambitious project.

The Ugly– One story in particular was extremely hard to understand. well, not the story it’s self, just the dialog. The scene is set in a post apocalyptic settlement where I guess “broken and battered English” is the primary language used by all. I’m still not entirely sure what was going on.

Overall, I’d say go see this movie. I really did enjoy it and for being such a lengthy flick, It actually didn’t feel that long. Now unfortunately I can definitely say that this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Not even a little bit actually. I can see it going to the extremes where you will either love it or hate it. If you go into the movie with an open mind and keep all questions until the end, you should be fine. It has a rather nice way of wrapping everything up in a smooth little package. Maybe some of the ends were frayed, but over all, It made it.  Well hopefully this helped an little and once again, thanks for reading.

Cloud atlas has been rated R for foul language, brief nudity, sexual encounters, and a bit of violence. All the good stuff.

Coming to theaters October 26, 2012

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