I've waited since 1979 to see a movie like this...

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2013)

The last time I was this shaken and moved by a movie was in 1979 when "Apocalypse Now" was released. I came away from "Apocalypse Now" stunned at seeing something I never expected, with depth of story and character development. And now again, 34 years later, "Cloud Atlas" takes your breath and mind away, how the heck did they do that??
This movie has accomplished something that I didn't expect...it was far superior to the book (a very hard novel to read) and Hollywood has accomplished something I never expected, to make a movie that goes beyond entertainment. It makes you think, it makes you cry, it makes you laugh and it fills you with wonder, wondering how in the heck each individual storyline relates. And it ties it all up with hope for humanity and love in the most unexpected ways and events.
I loved the birthmark "comet" and how Halle Berry said she has felt this way before. This is what a person should expect from a movie, brain food, not the usual junk that comes out of Hollywood these days.
The Wachowski's thrilled and made us think when The Matrix was released...a new/creative idea that made you think twice about it. And now they've done it again courtesy of David Mitchell's novel.
And of course the actors themselves, a tour de force and the makeup which should get an Oscar! The ending was more spectacular than that in the novel and it truly wrapped up the story lines even better than the novel did.
I felt I had watched a 90 minute movie, it went by so fast yet it was double that time. I can see how it could be confusing to some as in parts it switches from story to story rapidly but you just have to sit back and let it soak into your mind and try not to reason it out, just watch and listen and most importantly, feel it.
Be sure to stay at the end and watch the credits, they will show you who each actor's characters were...and notice even the name fonts change in a sort of way that perhaps matches the era that the character was in,very cool.
I hope this movies recoups its cost of production and I am sure it will be highly regarded in the long run. I can't wait for the Bluray edition to come out!
Watch it and be moved, Hollywood has created an event that is remarkable in so many ways.