A Mesmerizing Premise, That Lives Up to Its Promise!

Rating: 9/10 (27 February 2013)

Forget all that cinema has taught you. If you can manage to not use fabricated expectations that you have gathered throughout your cinematic life when experiencing Cloud Atlas, then the altitude of enjoyment you are left with following the film, will be elevated amongst some of the other most original concepts film has to offer. Yes, Cloud Atlas does contain familiar storytelling elements, but no, they are not enhanced and adapted into conventional territory; in fact, quite the opposite. The trailer prepares you well, without giving much of the plot away, in that the tone is set and you are prepared to be mesmerised by the power of being told a similar story several times over, though they are adapted to different spatial and cultural contexts. Cloud Atlas is one of those rare visual experiences whereby you take an outsider's perspective of reality, as the film's originality in embarking on a mythology of ancestry and its message alone are enough for you to continue discussion on its brilliance for generations to come; though I am sure our descendents will have another approach to this work of art.
My apologies if that perplexing piece of prose above did not make the slightest bit of sense. There are just too many points of celebration to enforce onto my appreciation for this magnificent film, and trying to encompass each of them within a single piece of writing is rather difficult when even the premise is a potential topic of ongoing discussion. The acting, editing, costume design, stunning visual effects, dialogue/language use and many other superb elements in Cloud Atlas are almost taken for granted; they are left in the backdrop in order to supplement the sensationally superior foregrounded concept that makes this feature unique. We are taken on a magnificently original journey, that is aided by the seamless editing as we leap from era to era: one moment we are dealing with the issue of 19th century slavery, and the next shot will see us transported to a future post apocalyptic condition with similar oppression. The beauty lies within seeing the similarities of each generation that they pass on to the next, which saddens and intrigues at the same time. It certainly does take perhaps a few seconds to realise that the film has shifted in time, and for you to draw the necessary parallels between characters that make up the story, though once you fit these puzzle pieces into place, you see the utter genius and appreciate the film for all of its gloriousness.
This could quite possibly be the worst film for attempting to leave your seat for a restroom break or to purchase refreshments. I would recommend holding it in/refraining from wasting your money. Missing a second of Cloud Atlas (not that you would want to) results in becoming more lost than skipping an episode of, well...LOST. Every single second of the 172 minute feature is imperative to comprehending the narrative as a whole. The film certainly requires your absolute attention, though that is no issue as there is no other way to feel about Cloud Atlas in its entirety, than intrigued. In fact, you are so intrigued that watching the film for a second time would probably be as useful to grasping all of the aspects to the plot, as much as it would be for your reinforced enjoyment.
After an incredible first hour of primarily exposition, there is a brief inkling that the film will suffer from an inevitable decadence because of the inconceivable strength it has exhibited so far. Surely, it cannot endure additional weight to the narrative and take the pressure of our developed expectations? Well it does, and in spectacular fashion! Cloud Atlas actually gets better as we progress through the modified three-act structure. It climbs to a beautiful climax (plural?) and its two main overarching stories draw themselves to such a satisfactory conclusion that you want to stand and applaud before running to tell every human being that if they have the opportunity, to go and experience Cloud Atlas. Those that believe Cloud Atlas is just another drop in an ocean of insignificant and forgettable modern cinema, I say "What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?" and this is in an instance when this particular film has the stature of a rogue wave when up against the majority of other theatrical releases that drop into our cinemas.