A Fever-Dream to Treasure

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2013)

Cloud Atlas, much like a lucid dream, is a jumbled, confusing, puzzle that also makes sense in it's own mad way. One that you simply cannot take your eyes off of. Beautifully shot, directed and acted, it is an avant-Gard cinematic masterpiece that needs to be seen more than once. Special kudos to Doona Bae and Jim Sturgess, who almost steal the movie in their headliner roles. All of the actors do a wonderful job, however-Broadbent and Hanks are reliably excellent , and Weaving and Grant do a respectable job as villains throughout history. Halle Berry shines and showcases her immense talent. One flaw would be in the narration, where the point that we are all "interconnected" and that our actions impact what happen to us in future lives are drilled into the audience repeatedly. This karmic message throughout the film really goes without saying and the narration is a bit overkill. Cloud Atlas is a rare achievement - producing the same feeling as after one wakes from an epic, confusing, emotional, strange dream. One that makes you want to return.