Excellent film that surprised me by its quality and shocked me with its intelligence.

Rating: 10/10 (7 September 2013)

I had no knowledge of Cloud Atlas until the winter of 2013 when I read a story in The New Yorker magazine about the film. The article piqued my interest but since it was an older issue I had already missed the release date and the movie was no longer playing in theaters. While at the beach this summer and with nothing else to do on a rainy day, I watched it out of boredom. Words that described how I felt when it was over included amazement,joy,and utter fascination. I can't remember when I last saw such a compelling and thought-provoking movie. I was mesmerized for the near 3 hour running time and watched it again the next day just to hear the incredible lines and experience again the flow of the stories. This is movie-making at its best and will transport you to other times and places. Great story (ies), superb acting, wonderful music, amazing make-up and sets, etc., etc. Cloud Atlas has it all. The mark of a good film, in my humble opinion, is its ability to stick with the viewer when it's over and make them think about the story. However, a great film induces thoughts that go beyond the story. Great films will motivate the viewer to extrapolate themes and characterizations embedded in the film to other aspects of their life. They'll make you apply those themes to your own existence. Cloud Atlas did that for me. I'll never forget it!