Marvellous and extraordinary piece of Gold

Rating: 10/10 (18 March 2013)

Cloud Atlas is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's a bold cinematic treasure from a brave collaborative filmmaking collective. Mad geniuses Tom Tykwer (Perfume) and the Wachowski siblings (The Matrix) boldly take on David Mitchell's layered epic novel, which connects six generations through the power of storytelling. While not everyone will embrace the overarching theme of spirituality and reincarnation that links the threads of Cloud Atlas together, there is still so much rich material within the tapestry to offer something to just about everyone - regardless of who they are, where they're from, or what their personal beliefs and values are. As stated at the start: this is a unique blockbuster experience and is the type of bold choice in filmmaking that (in my opinion) deserves to be applauded – if for no other reason than the ambitious intent to say something greater about life and experience. Best of all, the journey to that destination touches upon just about every emotion possible – while at the same time challenging both the mind and the eye with big ideas and small (but important) brush strokes of detail. If there was ever a movie that truly engaged the viewer, this is it. At nearly three hours, it does begin to wear on you as it comes down the final stretch, but the payoff at the end is worthwhile – and, dare I say, even beautiful.