Cloud Atlas

Set in the past, present and future, this is an epic story based on the 2004 book of the same name by David Mitchell. The film tells the story of how each action we make ripples through time and affects the past present and future. The story can get complex and confusing at times, and it can get difficult to tell just how the stories connect, but overall, I think this is a fantastic adaptation of an exponentially complex story.

Let me start by saying that I can see how people can love this film, and how others can hate it. It is unique and original, no doubt about it. I personally thought this film was fantastic. The acting was great, the story was interesting and the visuals were stunning. There were flaws, and I won't overlook them, but overall I think this film was a great epic that kept me thoroughly engaged throughout the film.

Let me start with the positive elements of this film. The visuals were amazing, from the clear waters and white beaches of the 1800's, to the futuristic Neo-Seoul. I even found myself enjoying the look of the 1970's timeline, as well as the eye candy that was the post apocalyptic distant future.

The music was, perhaps, the most epic part of this film. The "Cloud Atlas Sextet" complemented the story so well, and the melodic composition for me was one of the biggest hits of the film.

The acting was good. I thought that the best characters were Ben Whishaw's Robert Frobisher, Doona Bae's Sonmi-451, and I actually really enjoyed Jim Broadbent's performance as Timothy Cavendish. All in all, the overall performances were good, but I couldn't help but wonder about certain casting choices. For example, was it really necessary for Halle Berry to play this guy?

And did it make all that much of a difference to the story that Tom Hanks was the hotel manager in the Letters from Zedelghem timeline?




As far as the story, I thought that they did a good job keeping things moving along. There is a lot of ground to cover in this film, and that fact is made obvious in the film's run time! At almost three hours, this is one of the longest films you'll find in your neighborhood theater! That being said, I never found myself wanting the film to be over. I was engaged from beginning to end, and to keep me sitting still in a room for three hours is no small feat. For some, far to long, but I personally didn't mind.

Negatives for this film are of course, as I mentioned before, the "starring actors" playing rolls in which they really can't even be recognized. From an actors standpoint, I can only imagine that these characters would have been tremendously fun to play, but I as a viewer thought that it only made things a mit more confusing than necessary.

Another thing that I thought while watching this film is that I found it difficult to connect some of the different timelines. Some were easy, and actually quite obvious, while others were near impossible to connect. A puzzling reality for a film focused on telling the story of how different timelines are all inter connected.

So now we arrive at the inevitable. Yes, I have prepared a score for this film based on the various areas that I find make or break a film. And my verdict is as follows.

Story/Plot: 8/10
Acting/Cast: 6/10
Effects/Visuals: 7.5/10
Music: 8.5/10

OVERALL: 30/40 - 75.00%

UPDATE AS OF 12/19/2014

The verdict?
Pretty damn good / Recommend Heartily

7 out of 10