Flawed grand-scale story telling.

Rating: 7/10 (1 March 2013)

Six separate stories taking place in six vastly different time periods and six varying locations, yet thematically and spiritually linked; a group of actors playing a bunch of different characters regardless of age, race or sex; genres covered include futuristic sci-fi, journalistic thriller, slapstick comedy, period drama, apocalyptic adventure and poetic melodrama; 172 minutes long. It's safe to say that Cloud Atlas is not your usual mainstream epic. Adapted from David Mitchell's acclaimed novel by the Wachowski siblings (The Matrix) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) - all three of whom also direct - this is an ambitious, intriguing and commendable motion picture that is undoubtedly best to experience on the big screen. Visually sumptuous - whether stuck on a boat in the mid 1800's or flying around in Neo Seoul in the 22nd century - and boasting an amazing sound mix, a home viewing won't be able to do it justice. It's a shame then, that there are also glaring faults that are hard to shake off. Most notable is the choice to push the boundaries of which actors play which characters; whether it's purely because of bad make-up (Hugo Weaving and Hugh Grant portraying Asians just doesn't fly) or due to serious miscasting (Tom Hanks as a cockney thug), it's often distracting and a huge miscalculation on behalf of the creative team. The lack of a powerful ending also diminishes the overall oomph of Cloud Atlas, yet it remains a recommendable piece of grand-scale story telling that is rarely seen in cinemas today.