A movie for those in search of answers.

Rating: 9/10 (18 November 2012)

Cloud Atlas is a wonderful gift that the Wachowskis have given us, albeit a bit preachy; but let's be honest, it's a movie about karma, what else did you expect?
The film features a sprawl of characters, each spanning numerous lifetimes from the 1800s to the incalculable future. With these characters we feel the longing for love, the search for truth, and the fight for freedom. All very generic quests, yes, but engaging nonetheless.
In the blink of an eye: The last bastion of free men goes out in a blaze of futuristic laser fire, an old fart escapes the captivity of a nursing home, and an African slave gains his freedom on the open sea. Tom Hanks' character spends his early lifetimes as a greedy, murderous pig, then occupies the rest of his eternity fighting tooth and nail to climb out from under the terrible karma he's brought down upon himself. It's a moving journey to say the least.
The real connective tissue across the many stories in this film is its score. The main theme carries a beautifully simple melody that softly plays then echoes itself, just as the actions of each character reverberate throughout the film. It's good music, well applied.
Cloud Atlas is not without fault. For all the boundaries the film breaks, it makes the battle between good and evil all too clear cut. No good deed goes unrewarded, no villain is left standing. Cloud Atlas is a universe in which you can count on the heroes prevailing at every step of infinity.
Ambitious is the word most use to describe this piece of cinema. If you can get past the countless dollar signs being projected on the screen, a few heavy-handed lessons in morality, and some extremely rough cross- racial make-up jobs; you will be hard pressed to find a film that compares. We haven't seen many films like this one, and we won't see many more.
Cloud Atlas: A movie for those in search of answers.
1/3 Cup "The Fountain" 1/2 Cup "Crash" 1 Tbsp "Magnolia" A dash of "Star Wars"