A Breathtaking Epic

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 2012)

The Short: Critics be darned, Cloud Atlas is incredible. Ambitious, insanely well told, brilliantly crafted and incredibly complex, Cloud Atlas is truly a sight to behold. It's a rough diamond a film, but for those who invest in it will find the payoff extremely rewarding like no other movie before it.
Review - When is the last time a movie gave you a headache? Not because of the shaky cam, terrible acting, etc. etc. When was the last time a movie gave you a headache because you actually had to think?
As I sit down to write this review, I simply can't express it any other way but this: Cloud Atlas is incredible. It reminds me of the first time I saw The Matrix. It's intriguing world and complex conundrums wowed me and thrilled me long after seeing it. It's the same with Cloud Atlas. I didn't think that the Wachowski's could pull off yet again another sprawling spider web of complexity, but they have.
Cloud Atlas features an incredible plot, all of which I believe is well told. It's not until the final few minutes that everything comes together in incredibly clever ways. It all makes sense in the end, but you can't go on autopilot and simply "enjoy" Cloud Atlas (which is it's major downfall). Cloud Atlas is best described as a puzzle, and it's presented that way too. You'll be piecing everything together until those last moments, making Cloud Atlas's finale a huge payoff.
Cloud Atlas also shines due to its incredible casting. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, and more play multiple characters in multiple time periods. The acting is (save for a few roles) surprisingly serviceable. Since these actors play multiple roles, it's interesting how they synthesize and bring together elements from the plot and character archetypes so well. And it's great to see Hugo Weaving as an oppressive and gigantic German female nurse.
Everything else is icing on the cake. The cinematography is indeed epic, the presentation is phenomenal, the special effects are amazing, and the sheer scope of some of the scenery is truly incredible. Segways into new scenes are very well thought out, which are one of the best things of the film.
Now while Cloud Atlas's story, characters, and sheer ambition shine brightly, it's not without its hiccups. Cloud Atlas comes together in the end very well, but the whole movie is freaking complex they barely give you any breathing room to process connections and ideas. Cloud Atlas is an exhausting film, but I mean that positively. The comedy sections do give you a chance to breathe, but only until the next scene. They also could've done without some of the stronger innuendo, and the beginning of Adam's story is, lets just say, there for a political agenda of which I don't approve of. Oh, and Hugo Weaving looks very creepy as an Asian person.
Rounding it all out is the star of the show: The Cloud Atlas Sextet. The soundtrack is beautiful, but this original symphonic piece is unlike anything in a soundtrack I've ever heard that was part of a movie soundtrack. It's sweeping, beautiful, and each movement tells a story: that very same story you are watching on screen.
In the end, what is Cloud Atlas? An ambitious, incredibly thorough and complex epic piece of filmmaking that will have you glued to your seat the whole 2 hour and 43 minute run time. Granted, some may be overly bored in Cloud Atlas, which is a shame. Cloud Atlas respects the movie goer, making them think and giving just enough payoff to keep you begging for more.
4.5/5 stars - high recommendation