Inspired and Inspiring

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 2013)

I honestly don't know if "Cloud Atlas" is one of the greatest movies ever made, but it's easily one of the greatest movies I've ever seen.
There's not much more for me to write here, because it either speaks to you or it doesn't. Most critics and several viewers have lambasted it (Ebert excluded - it was one of the last movies he gave 4 stars before his passing, and his review is spot on, IMHO). It tanked at the box office, it was nominated for no Oscars (not even Visual Effects or Music!) and it generally made barely a blip on the cinema landscape. It is a challenging movie - intellectually, structurally, and emotionally. You might be up to the challenge, and you might not. Maybe a dull action machine like one of the "Man" movies is more up your alley. Or a turgid melodrama period piece, or a cheesy Rom-Com that holds your hand and tells you what to feel. Maybe a film that almost demands repeat viewings to fully appreciate doesn't appeal to you. And that's fine, I suppose.
But if you like to think, and to feel, and are generally capable of appreciating a work of art, watch "Cloud Atlas". You might not love it, but if you're capable of even moderately complex inquiry, I guarantee you will always be engaged. And maybe, like me, you'll find yourself enthralled.
Isn't that why we watch anything?