“Cloud Atlas” is a movie that offers a grandiose and a disappointing experience at the same time. It flirts with greatness and has much to admire, including exceptional performances from Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent and Hugo Weaving. Their work is reason enough to recommend the film, yet when the movie ended I didn’t know what to make of it. That’s because this audacious, original piece of work is less than fully satisfying. I would never dismiss the film out of hand; it has too many unforgettable passages but I think its reach exceeds its grasp. One can applaud The Wachowski siblings for attempting something as bold as “Cloud Atlas”. But even an ambitious artist has to be judged on results, not intentions. Like David Mitchell’s 2004 novel, the movie has 6 different stories to tell that range across continents from the 19th century to the post-apocalyptic future. The idea is to show that we’re all connected in one way or another. That’s a lot to squeeze into one film if you ask me, even for a movie that runs nearly three hours.”Cloud Atlas” is truly a film in which the parts are greater than the whole. It provides a challenging, alternately rewarding and frustrating experience unlike any other I’ve encountered this year. I’m sorry I couldn’t fully embrace it. But if you’re a curious and adventurous filmgoer, I would still encourage you to see it. But you must know, going in, that you may or may not respond to the movie as a whole.
Rating: 2.5/4
Share this:
Categories: 2.5/4, drama, The Twenty-First Century
Let's talk about movies 
Sure, the movie was strange and it is somewhat hard for it to embrace “Cloud Atlas”‘s plot, but I think they did a rather good job with this production. Casting good and well known actors, the producers did attract some attention. To tell you the truth, I watched this movie because of the actors but I wasn’t disappointed at all from the way the movie was presented.. It might get frustrating for some at some point since the viewer is left with little information about what is happening with the characters at times, but I found that rather interesting, the directors didn’t just throw stuff at you to take for granted, they made you think, put the pieces together and make your own conclusion. I find this approach better because at the end of the movie you feel like you’ve accomplished, even gained something out of this story. Anyway, if the viewers did or didn’t receive that, the movie gives them a good excuse to read the book and compensate for what the movie was lacking.
Still, i like your review and what you do, so I am looking forward to see what your opinion on other movies is.
As for “Cloud atlas”, I find something attractive in this concept, so I plan to even read the, hopefully that can give me more insight about the movie.
There is something very attractive in the concept and like I said some of the passages are beautiful, but overall I was less than satisfied. I felt the same way when I watched Tree of Life last year.
I saw the 6 stories flowing together in a perfect harmony! the 6 stories go through the same phases at the same time in the film, but in the end… I felt that this cannot be the ending, there must be something more! it’s a brilliant movie, I would give it 3.5 on your scale.