six twisted plots of twisted fates

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2014)

Quite a marvel to look at. The first thirty minutes of Cloud Atlas are confusing as it introduces six different story lines to you. Adding to the confusion is that the story lines all use the same actors (but in different makeup) and that the stories are all in different eras.
After piecing together the various story arcs I found myself following and getting interested in it and then suddenly they cut away and it's off to the other story. It's a bit jarring and disorienting and doesn't really work until the end when all the various story climaxes are about to meet at the same time.
The acting was quite good all around. Kudos to Hugh Grant for taking on a few roles you'd never see him normally do - without an English accent to boot. Tom Hanks looks like he had fun with his short but memorable role as the author of "Knuckle Sandwich". The role of the young musician was very well acted and was a standout for me.
Part of the fun and the distraction was trying to recognize the various actors in different costume/makeup in the various scenes.
Definitely not a perfect movie by any means but if you can put in the effort in the beginning, the payoff at the end is worth it.
8/10