Simply amazing, but not for everyone.

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2012)

This movie was the single best experience I had had in a while. That's for starters.
I came out of the theater, full of thoughts, I put my music on. And then I turned it off, i wanted silence. As far as silence goes for a crowded town.
People who've seen The Matrix (a.k.a. almost everyone) and V for Vendetta, both of them, should know - Whachovskis show ugly, "harsh" scenes to give a meaning. This is just one of the reasons why this movie isn't for everyone. In the relatively short time that a movie can offer, you are presented with nearly all the troubles society has had over last 2 hundreds of years and, perhaps, a few ahead. Racism, homosexuality, stealing, ideals, religious guidelines, lack of knowledge about other parts of the world, the "what does make you a human" question and so on. Only to get rolled over fast. Cloud Atlas introduces you to all these... things... and what they cause. Never once giving an answer. And there is no time to do so, for that matter. Needless to say, people who are susceptible to these things, would either not want to deal with them or want the movie to expand on them. Neither one happens, some people are left with some emptiness.
And some people who claim themselves "intelligent" will work their negativity on these thoughts. I had no troubles with all the various ideas thrown at me. I was slowly getting drawn into the complex maze this story offered.
So - negative feedback is understandable. But I, like I said before, enjoyed this movie very, very much. Half to two thirds of the movie you are trying to grasp where the movie is going, only to realize that it is not linear, some stories hold little to no importance. And near the end you realize - it is good exactly the way it is.
I'd give the movie a solid 10, the first one in over 5 years. But I do see where the negativity can come from - and I can respect that. Also I do see a few things missing. Like, how did the journalist know of the composition when she wasn't there? Perhaps it was answered in the book. But I, while understood 99% of what the movie was trying to convey, didn't see the answer.
Overall - if you like to get yourself challenged, if you like a taste of sci-fi as far as "potential things" go, if you aren't easily offended by some... controversial, yet pretty simple ideas, you SHOULD watch this movie. Now.
But there isn't a 100% warranty that you will like it.