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Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2013)

Very.. opening, for lack of words. Let me first start off by saying I have not read the novel or had any insight to the story whatsoever prior to watching this film adaptation, and it was neither confusing nor a pain to watch even though it is complex in nature and it has a long running time of a little under 3 hours. I would say that if you were to watch this, wait until it hits DVD/Blu-ray and see it in the comforts of your own home, on a relaxing Friday night or weekend evening, with noise cancelling headphones or something to mute the world outside. This type of narrative, I feel, requires solitude and some time alone to become completely immersed in. I imagine if anyone had done so for their very first viewing, it would have had a stronger or more lasting impression on them.
I love movies like this, despite what some professional film critics may say. I just love them. Why? A lot of elements in the film and the film itself is open to interpretation. I feel like movies these days should be like this, and they should impose upon the viewer a sense of mystery, an air of brilliance, and a feeling of opportunity. To leave with a greater understanding of anything, of everything, and a willingness to understand—that is what great films allow.
As far as the story is concerned, the several interconnected story lines which the film seamlessly transitions between succeeds in piquing your intelligence, not by serving the plot to you on a silver platter, as most films do these days, but by making you work for and think about it. Technicalities aside, I can only describe Cloud Atlas as a new type of film which bridges many issues in our world in present day and brings together the entire spectrum of cultural, geographical, and social differences, from sexuality to corporate corruption to discrimination to religion to segregation and more, all throughout multiple eras and periods of time in history and showcased as individual and separate, and yet at the same time, as one totally interconnected universe. It may be cliché but it is a necessary reminder and encouragement for all which has progressed and changed up to this day in our society. There is comedy, there is suspense, there is action, there is mystery, there is romance; there is a little bit of something in every genre that's been funneled into this one act and shaken up for someone to experience the combination of it all. The dialogue, especially the accents and dialects, can sometimes be hard to follow along, but it was done so to create the atmosphere of the story by giving off that feeling of foreignness. The landscapes, whether digitalized or filmed in real life, were plentiful and pleasant to admire. The actors are incredible in the way they manage to pull off several entirely different characters with distinct personalities. And oh, the piano, the music. The story wound itself around the centre piece "Cloud Atlas Sextet", which ended off as a nice touch as a tribute to the whole movie. And while all this is perfect talk, this movie was just an adaptation of a novel I assume to be equally as impressive. But the medium in question is film, and films succeed in conveying stories and enticing audiences. And to that, I say, "Cloud Atlas" does one hell of a fine job.
A film which is a must-see, whether you end up liking it or not.