Six weeks into its release, I finally caught up with Cloud Atlas, the epic multi-story film directed by the collaboration of Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) and Andy and Lana Wachowski (The Matrix). The film is based on the novel of the same name by David Mitchell and features a large ensemble cast that includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, James D’Arcy, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant. The film consists of six semi-interconnected stories that take place in different time periods, ranging the 1800s all the way to a post-apocalyptic primitive civilisation. The film moves back and forth between the different stories and compares and contrasts the events happening within them. All the cast members have roles in each of the stories, ranging from main characters to mere cameos. Through the use of make-up and prosthetics, much of the cast is seen playing characters of different races and genders (to represent the characters of being the same individuals in different lives). It was definitely interesting seeing the actors play against type in some cases, such as Tom Hanks playing a cockney British gangster or Hugo Weaving playing the head nurse of a retirement home. You get to see each character that the actors played during the end credits and, even though I managed to guess a good chunk of them, there are still many surprises concerning who played what. Even though Cloud Atlas has a running time of nearly three hours, I never really found myself bothered by the length. It helps that each of the stories have their own pace, genre, and style. At one moment you will be watching a period drama about a gay composer, while the next moment will see you watching a full-on sci-fi epic about a clone in a futuristic Korea, who helps start a revolution. It was definitely interesting watching how different each of the stories are, while also noticing how they are also the same. Overall, I will say that I ended up quite liking Cloud Atlas. It’s a very ambitious movie that tries to tell us that everything is connected and that, even though the time period and situations may change, the human race is destined to make the same decision, for better or for worse. 9 | REALLY LIKED IT
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