This will be my first movie review, but hopefully not my last. Have been writing unpublished movie reviews for quite some time. Still in awe of Cloud Atlas so feeling inspired and brave enough to post it.
Here goes!
We live in a world today where the creative energy of Hollywood seems to be slowly subsiding, which is a shame. We live in a world of reboots, remakes and badly thought out sequels. Yet once in a while, not very often, something truly special comes to the forefront. Something spectacularly beautiful. Something that feels like it came from a more perfect and beautiful world. Something that subtly changes your perception, even the person you were in such a way that you know you will never truly be the same ever again. In other words, it betters you.
Cloud Atlas is such a film. Following in the footsteps of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Forrest Gump, Remember the Titans, the Shawshank Redemption, What Dreams May Come, it is the most beautiful thing I have seen this entire year and after close thought beats out both Avengers and Dark Knight Rises for my top film of 2012.
Cloud Atlas is a film about how the lives of individual, ordinary everyday people can reach out and change the lifes of others over time. It follows multiple storylines stretching from the 19th Century to deep into the future. The characters therein are all richly portrayed and one would have to search very far to find another film on par with the fine acting. The main cast includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and Susan Sarandon. Many of them play up to as many as six characters. In this huge ensamble cast everyone is an absolute gem. Yet Jim Broadbent delivers his finest performance up to date in this film, indeed his comedic capers had me in stitches and provides the film with the one thing it lacks....humour. Not that this is neccesarily a bad thing.
Everything about this film is big, the storyline is enormous and one cannot afford to lose a moment's concentration. The running time is likewise enormous at 172 minutes. Not that it bothered me, I generally like really long movies, but Cloud Atlas if anything felt like it could run for another hour, so enamored was I with the story. Not once did I feel the movie was taking too long or that it lagged.
The images and sets are incredibly vivid and beautifully done. Whether it's 19th century London, a futuristic city, or a stone age like post apocalyptic world. It's sweeps you off your feet and transports you to another world much the same way Avatar did in an Imax theatre. The Watchowski brothers really showed what they have learnt over the years in this department.
The only shortcoming in this entire film is the racial jump they try to make. As stated before the cast play multiple characters in multiple timelines, crossing gender and race (by the way female nurse Hugo Weaving is in itself worth it). Some characters do not work as Asians, and others do not work as Europeans, simple as that. But it's a minor complaint.
A word of advice, when watching the film do not look for a logical way to connect these characters, rather look for emotional themes that connect these characters. It is here that the directors really shine through, many films try to base their entire story on an emotional concept or idea, Cloud Atlas does it with several. Yet not once does it fall short, the emotions playing out on the screen connect and come together to touch you in such a way that even this one who does not cry felt a welling up of tears behind his eyes. It is a commentary on the human spirit in all its glory but also in all its shortcomings. It is not their story, it's ours, for within these characters I am sure you will at some point find and see yourself in a different way. Indeed it rewards you with an ending that is nothing short of breathtaking.
A warning though, this is not a film for everyone and much like the New World, I expect many will find it tedious and confusing. Yet if you keep your head, you will discover something truly special. Is this something different? Definetly and on an experimental level. Does it work? Absolutely! My verdict is to go and watch it, I award it a perfect score of 10/10.
Some memorable quotes that touched me:
"A half finished book is afterall a half finished love afair."
"We cross and recross our old tracks like figure skaters."
"Yesterday my life was heading in one direction, today it is headed in another. Yesterday I believe I would never have done what I did today. I feel like something important has happened to me."
"What is any ocean but a multitude of drops?"
"
__________________
AS private parts we are to the gods, they play with us for their sport.
give me some time Aegon!!! I hope it´s based on what I think it is.
__________________
"I´d not prolongued the chewing up, Doc. Nor the being spat out. Not go out a cunt. It´s the dispatch I find inglorious. The whole delusory fucking self importance.". Al Swedgin ;).
This sounds amazing! Thanks for the review Aegon, my brother says it's excellent, so I want to watch it before it stops showing on the big screen. I am a firm believer in the immortality of the soul and that the soul takes multiple journeys, whether in this plane or the next, in order to discover or yet even better, REMEMBER what it is.
You are inspiring me to write more too!
__________________
“You take a mortal man, put him in control. Watch him become a god, see heads roll."
I especially enjoyed the recurring theme of "eating" others, whether on the Pacific islands or in consumer society. My favourite line is one taken from philosophy: "To be is to be perceived". You can only know yourself through others.
__________________
“You take a mortal man, put him in control. Watch him become a god, see heads roll."
19th century London? If you're referring to Frobisher's storyline, that one is set in the 30s, I think. The movie was ok for me. It was different and I appreciate that, but it felt way too ambitious at times. I loved their idea of having the same actors portraying different characters, no matter their ethnicity. Then again, some actors had no place there, and I'm looking at you - Halle Berry. I can't like that woman's work no matter what. Also, Susan Sarandon was there for no reason whatsoever. She had nothing to work with. And it pains me to say this but Tom Hanks wasn't in his best shape, and I used to adore that man. To me it seemed he was playing the same thing over and over again, and overacted a lot. Some scenes were beautiful tho, but if I were to go on instinct I'd put that on Tom Tykwer, not so much the Wachowskis. Jim Broadbent does a fantastic job in every film he's in, you should check him out in Any Human Heart.
I just watched it. I have to say the movie is a bit of a puzzle at the beginning but as soon as you figure out the pieces, and how they fit together it's quite fascinating.
I love how each story had it's own tone and how one heroic character in one story can be the villain in the other, oh and I loved the score...had to download it after.
It's not perfect by any means, and I think this would've worked better as a mini series on Tv instead of a single film. I agree however that it is a brave endevour and one that should be applauded.
__________________
"Robert was never the same after he put on that crown. Some men are like swords, made for fighting. Hang them up and they go to rust.” -DN
Well me and the Badger have finally got round to seeing this ... and um... I had high hopes , but really it was ... well ... shit! quite frankly ... it took hours of jumping back and forth to think , there is a point here , and when it yawn finally did .. who freaking cares?! No just no ..." how much latex was used?" was really all I was left wondering ... looking back at comments i think i agree most with Macha .. why was Susan even there? .. Hanks played the same person in each incarnation even the desk clerk . I don't know ... maybe I was missing something that Aegon saw but I watched Kick Ass the other day and enjoyed that way more !!! H aha! Ho hum
