A Modern Classic!!!

Rating: 10/10 (3 December 2013)

When you hear Cloud Atlas you ask: What is it? Is it a fantasy film? Is it a romance film? Is it a comedy film? Is it a Sci Fi Film? Is it an epic film that combines six stories into one? All of those answers are true.
Cloud Atlas is a mesmerizing three hour cinematic masterpiece written and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski (The Matrix) and German director Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run) and based on the novel by David Mitchell. The original novel is one of the most challenging books I've read in my life and if you want to enjoy the film entirely I suggest you read the novel first. But anyway, Cloud Atlas is a film that you can see either you've read the novel or not.
The film presents us six stories: An American notary who travels in a ship in the pacific islands in 1849, A British bisexual composer who starts working with his idol in 1936, An American journalist who is seeks answers against a nuclear reactor conspiracy in 1973, A British publisher who lives the ordeal of his life in 2012, A female clone who tells her story to an archivist in a futuristic Korea in 2144 and A Valleysman who tells or "yarns" his story during the final days of planet earth.
Now when you see this kind of plot or plots, you will be thinking: This does not make any sense. And that happens in the first hour of the film, you are completely lost but something keeps you watching the film. In the second hour everything will start making sense and in the final hour you will see how this masterful stories are masterfully ended.
I was never bored with Cloud Atlas. Despite its length, I always felt engaged with the film and here is the proof of why I was never bored with this picture:
1. The editing is perfect, you can almost sense that the events in the movie are happening simultaneously.
2. The make up is so well done that I couldn't recognize several of the actors, or I recognized some of them but they looked entirely different. One clear example is Hugh Grant's character the Kona chief or Jim Sturgess character of Hae Joo Chang. 3. The acting is impressive. The idea of several actors playing several characters is challenging, but the directors cast the right ones to do the job. The actors really impressed me, some of them play both men and women, Americans or Europeans or Koreans, young and old etc. Tom Hanks and Jim Broadbent are some of the greatest actors in the world, and although they are stars we can't just ignore the rest of the cast composed by: Halle Berry, Ben Whishaw, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, Doona Bae and so on... In my opinion, Doona Bae is a breakthrough character, her performance as Sonmi-451, (who I think is a futuristic representation of Jesus Christ), is flawless. 4. The Production Design and Effects are impressive, they are so great that you can see that Hollywood isn't the only one who can make big CGI in the industry. (Remember this is a German film). 5. The cinematography is incredible that easily adapts itself to each story. 6. And finally the music. The soundtrack composed by Tom Tykwer, Reinhold Himel and Johnny Klimek is in the lack of a better word: Perfect! When you thought each of the story would need its own music, what these three minds create is chamaleonic music that blends n perfectly with all of the stories. The Cloud Atlas Soundtrack is an album that you should have in your home.
Cloud Atlas is an impressive film. I am always angry because critics and moviegoers didn't appreciate this extraordinary film. I highly recommend Cloud Atlas, and like the great Roger Ebert, I call this one of the best films of 2012. Only 2012? I think this is one of the greatest films of the 2010's that someday will be deemed like Watchmen, Fight Club or Dark City as one of the greatest films ever made.
Cloud Atlas shows us that a good story in film is far from dead.