Ambitious, gorgeous and utterly incomprehensible

Rating: 8/10 (16 August 2013)

I rate ambition over comprehension in many cases, and Cloud Atlas is no exception. The film is an extraordinary feat of creativity, while asking extraordinary patience from its viewers.
That said, I am glad it was made and that there are people in the world who aim to make films of this magnitude. It covers centuries in time, a multitude of characters, often played by the same actor, cutting back and forth so relentlessly between time periods, story lines and realities that at a certain point you have to sit back and either accept it, or reject it. If you reject it, you are in for a long haul, if you accept it, there are many layers of magic to be found beneath the surface. It warrants repeated viewings.
Sometimes the mixture feels like two different films battling for the same space, and indeed it was made by three filmmakers, all accomplished in their own right. An interesting experiment, and it yielded a mind bending film. But good luck explaining it to anyone unless they're prepared to sit over a cup of tea and a note pad.