I wouldn't call The Cloud Atlas pure cinema, but... the mix and mash trumps the balderdash. Good. Praise for Cloud Atlas “[David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. But, oh, what a film this is! by Joel D Amos at October 26, 2012 9:00 am. It's part sci-fi, part historical drama, part love story, part comedy. It explores how self-centered and bad people can be, but also how supportive and good people can be. To borrow Churchill's description of Russia, "it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Cloud Atlas is a set of six short stories that are interconnected. That the movie was inspired by the much-loved novel of the same name by David Mitchell. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! The stories span several centuries, beginning in the 19th century and ending with a post-apocalyptic future. Cloud Atlas Review: What Does it All Mean? The movie spans generations, continents and universes while its ensemble tackles a half dozen roles in six existentially connected storylines. That a repeated motif is that all lives are connected by a thirst for freedom. In 1931, a young musician (Ben Whishaw) goes to work for a legendary composer (Jim Broadbent). It's part sci-fi, part historical drama, part love story, part comedy. That in the novel, the stories were told in chronological order, and then circled back again from end to beginning. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy Themessagefound in the story of Cloud Atlas isone of the most beautiful messages I have ever seen in film: everyonedeserves toexperience love and freedom, and that everyone is connected. Cloud Atlas is a glorious reward for readers who've slogged through a brilliant but flawed novel, and the soundtrack is the cherry on top of the icing on the cake. It's like a treasure hunt to uncover the nuggets of brilliance hidden beneath the tangled mess of six interweaving storylines. Not long ago I saw a Swedish film, "Simon and the Oaks," about a day-dreaming boy who formed a bond with an oak tree. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Golden Tomato Awards: Best Movies & TV of 2020. In … I can tell you that it is a touching and clever novel about moral choices. First and foremost Cloud Atlas is the most ambitious film we've ever seen. Adapted from the novel of the same name by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas sometimes veers into eye-rolling territory with its grand statements -- but fortunately, it works more often than not. Based on David Mitchell's 2004 novel, Cloud Atlas spans some 500 years of human history, from a Pacific voyage in 1849 to the vaguely post … cloud atlas by David Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 24, 2004 Great Britain’s answer to Thomas Pynchon outdoes himself with this maddeningly intricate, improbably entertaining successor to Ghostwritten (2000) and Number9Dream (2002). It is three hours without actually getting anywhere near the place it should have got to. And then the wisdom of the old man staring into the flames makes perfect sense. Cloud Atlas i s a wonderful book that is hard to describe. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Cloud Atlas is a filmspeaking out for the unity of all. But it also fails. Cloud Atlas review. Cloud Atlas Review . That the movie finds its connections through the reappearances of the same actors in different roles and deliberately refers to one story from within another. I could tell you that the acting and makeup are so effective that often I had no idea if I was looking at Tom Hanks, Halle Berry or Jim Broadbent. I could tell you that, and what help is it? I was never, ever bored by "Cloud Atlas." Movie Reviews - 'Cloud Atlas' - 'Cloud Atlas' Is A Film In Need Of A Road Map David Mitchell's exquisite novel Cloud Atlas has been adapted for … They are simply a natural process at work. Tykwer and the Wachowskis clearly aimed for the stars, and while the final product ultimately falls short, there is still quite a bit to admire in the failure of their epic folly. Clouds do not really look like camels or sailing ships or castles in the sky. Forgot your password? Surely this is one of the most ambitious films ever made. Cloud Atlas is a truly unique reading experience, primarily due to its unusual structure. The Guardian stated "At 172 minutes, Cloud Atlas carries all the marks of a giant folly, and those unfamiliar with the book will be baffled" and awarded the film 2 out of 5 stars. Any explanation of a work of art must be found in it, not taken to it. This daring, mind-bending soul journey is a spell-binding extravaganza. "Cloud Atlas" is nearly three hours in length, but I wasn't bored for a minute. Now are you wiser? Yes, Cloud Atlas is massively ambitious, and impressive. Deep theories will be proposed. The film founders under the burden of its makers' various, perhaps contradictory ideological concerns. I'm treading water. " My standard reply was: Maybe it's simply the telling of itself. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Nick Pickerton, who reviewed the film for The Village Voice said "There is a great deal of humbug about art and love in Cloud Atlas , but it is decidedly unlovable, and if you want to learn something about feeling, you're at the … Yet "Cloud Atlas" cries out for an explanation, and surely you've noticed that I've been tap-dancing around one. In many ways, the film is brilliant--maybe it's too brilliant. A daring extravaganza of images and themes, a film that asserts itself as worthy of repeated viewings, not only for its quality, but its generously expansive scope. I could tell you that each segment is a refashioning of the story contained in the previous one. The most crowd-pleasing unfilmable novel ever made. Cloud Atlas is a tough sell, but a rewarding journey all the same. Sign up here. So too, perhaps, are our lives. Anywhere you go where movie people gather, it will be discussed. That is the shape the characters in "Cloud Atlas" take, and how they attempt to direct our thoughts. The six novellas that comprise Cloud Atlas are forgeries - and they are original. [Full review in Spanish]. And what an opportunity for the actors. As wild as a videogame, as mysterious as a Zen koan, Cloud Atlas is an unforgettable tour de force that, like its incomparable author, has transcended its cult classic status to become a worldwide phenomenon. Everyoneshares acommonality in life. I could tell you that it relates six stories taking place between the years 1849 and 2346. As he read a book about desert wanderers, the clouds seemed to take shape as a ghostly caravan of camels in procession across the sky. But as it labours to clarify its own confusion, mapping every last nook of narrative space, any sense of real mystery is obliterated by platitudes about freedom. The book consists of six intertwined stories that take place in six different time periods, from the nineteenth century to a post-apocalyptic future. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but all of the parts are superb. ''Cloud Atlas'' has already been published in England. This film is extraordinary. It's getting from one moment to the next that is tricky. We know that the title refers to early drawings of the shapes and behavior of clouds. On my second viewing, I gave up any attempt to work out the logical connections between the segments, stories and characters. The film alternates between six very different stories quite seamlessly, creating an exhilarating experience. In its limbs, he would lie reading books of imagination and then allow his eyes to rest on the clouds overhead. One of the best science fiction movies I have seen this year. With six interwoven stories, CLOUD ATLAS attempts to show how acts in one time period can resonate in another. While Cloud Atlas has its flaws, there are plenty of moments where I found myself seeing the big picture and fully realizing the weight of every storyline linking to one another throughout time. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. A messy, ambitious film that blends science fiction, philosophical rambling, and impressive narrative prowess, with stunning visuals, and engaging stories and characters. Don't have an account? In the 19th century, a notary (Jim Sturgess) receives mysterious treatments from a doctor (Tom Hanks) and befriends an escaped slave. [ This is a re-post of my review … Because we have minds and clouds do not, we desire freedom. Yet "Cloud Atlas" cries out for an explanation, and surely you've noticed that I've been tap-dancing around one. These narratives are nested within one another, arranged in an ABCDEFEDCBA pattern. Any concrete, factual attempt to nail the film down to cold fact, to tell you what it "means," is as pointless as trying to build a clockwork orange. I could tell you that Halle Berry's work as a mid-1970s investigative reporter works well for me, and the gnarly wisdom of Tom Hanks as an old man telling tales is the most impenetrable. Now that I've seen it the second time, I know I'd like to see it a third time — but I no longer believe repeated viewings will solve anything. The reviews have been messiah-worthy. Atlas Sneezed: Epic Sci-Fi Flick Spans Eons of Space and Time with Overbearing Message. Each adopts the voice of a distinct author. Directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer (of 'Run Lola Run' fame), the film is an absorbing and stimulating exploration of various themes concerning the human condition and Cartesian thought. I think you will want to see this daring and visionary film, directed by Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer and Andy Wachowski. Rated R and the Terms and Policies, What was important was that I set my mind free to play. As you probably know, Cloud Atlas tells six individual stories that take place across centuries, with around a dozen actors playing multiple leading roles-- … I despair. Cloud Atlas is a massive undertaking, and the directorial team manages to create six separate films that each feel like quality compositions all their own, but still function as a cohesive whole. I could tell you that it relates six stories taking place between the years 1849 and 2346. The stories are told in a nonlinear fashion, with the exception of “Sloosha’s Crossin’ and Ev’rythin’ After,” each stopping at a critical point only to be concluded later in the novel. But you would lose your way all the same, because many of the performances and disguises are so cunningly effective. Comments. (One critic wrote that the novel makes ''almost everything in contemporary fiction look like a … It is a shame that the forecast for this Cloud-y dramatization could not have coherently pieced together its pocket of inherent dullness among the intermittent sci-fi splash-and-dash. Sometimes the key to one movie can be suggested by another one. The film alternates between six very different stories quite seamlessly, creating an exhilarating experience. And now you expect me to unwrap the mystery from the enigma and present you with a nice shiny riddle? Cloud Atlas is one of the most shamelessly exciting books imaginable, exciting as much in its intellectual novelty as in its frequent resort to the tone of a sensational pot- boiler. Even as I was watching "Cloud Atlas" the first time, I knew I would need to see it again. Matt reviews The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer's Cloud Atlas starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, and Hugh Grant. I could tell you that the same actors appear in different roles, playing characters of different races, genders and ages. Someone will say, "I don't know what in the hell I saw." “Cloud Atlas” is a movie about migratory souls and wayward civilizations, loaded with soaring themes and flights of feeling, as vaporous and comprehensive as its title. It is an evocative, imperfect beast of a movie. Cloud Atlas manages to weave these stories into a thought provoking, beautiful and a boldly ambitious sci-fi film. As a film teacher, I was always being told by students that a film by David Lynch, say, or Warner Herzog, was "a retelling of the life of Christ, say, or 'Moby Dick.' In what has to be one of the most anticipated directorial pairings of 2012 is that of the Wachowski Siblings with German auteur Tom Tykwer for their adaptation of David Mitchell’s novel, Cloud Atlas, which is perhaps one of the best mainstream sci-fi films to be made in some time. A manifesto in the form of an enormously budgeted quasi-sci-fi epic, Cloud Atlas is evidently personal, defiantly sincere, totally lacking in self-awareness, and borderline offensive in its gleeful endorsement of revenge violence against anyone who gets in the way of a … It's a cold and distanced and, yes, rather boring experience during which we feel nothing for any of the characters. For all its wisdom and intelligence however, there's a great sense that the quirks and oddities of the stories are more valuable in the book. Some are not even human, but fabricants. "Cloud Atlas" is nearly three hours in length, but I wasn't bored for a minute. D ai Congrong's bestselling Chinese translation of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake and the film version of David Mitchell's 2004 Booker shortlisted … And what a demonstration of the magical, dreamlike qualities of the cinema. The single most ambitious film since Avatar is stunningly beautiful to look at, but an absolute pain to analyze and admire. Copyright © Fandango. As a work of art, Cloud Atlas is no success. And what a leap by the directors, who free themselves from the chains of narrative continuity. It’s an adventure into the very concept of storytelling: magical, enthralling and thrilling as much as bewildering, pompous and potty. The wachowskis get together a mega cast to tell a multi-tale spanning centuries. And now could follow a very long paragraph introducing and describing the different characters played by the actors. But in the midst of all this scope, I found it hard to completely invest. The little world of film criticism has been alive with interpretations of it, which propose to explain something that lies outside explanation. The names of Freud and Jung will come up. Cloud Atlas is a glorious reward for readers who've slogged through a brilliant but flawed novel, and the soundtrack is the cherry on top of the icing on the cake. All rights reserved. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. Any number of things could have gone wrong with the film. or violence, language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use, The Story of Who We Are: Gregory Nava Helps Celebrate Selena’s 50th Birthday, Thumbnails Special Edition: Gregory Nava's Selena, The Brilliance is in the Details of HBO’s Riveting Mare of Easttown. I could tell you that the same actors appear in different roles, playing characters of different races, genders and ages. It fascinates in the moment. Any … The Wachowskis, for their part, were always born in the wrong decade, maybe that's what made the displaced timeline motif of Cloud Atlas so appealing to them. 'Cloud Atlas' has been called "ambitious" and "visionary," and I suppose, those are fair and accurate assessments. That the same birthmark turns up in every period of time. Who’s Going to Win Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the 2021 Oscars? 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