Cloud Atlas

October 28, 2012

Jays Rating:
Actors: / /

David Mitchell’s novel revolving around human nature is adapted into the sci-fi, drama film, Cloud Atlas. This movie begins in post-apocalyptic Hawaii with a tribesman named Zachery (Tom Hanks) narrating a story about the past, present, future, and six different time lines spanning the centuries. The first story begins in the Pacific islands in 1849 with Jim Sturgess as a ship’s sailor and Tom Hanks as a doctor. Story two takes place in Britain in the 1930’s with Jim Broaddent as a composer separated from his lover. Story three takes place in 1972 in San Francisco, with Halle Berry as a reporter investigating a nuclear power chief played by Hugh Grant. The next story has Jim Broaddent as a critic who is being held captive by a mean nurse played by Hugo Weaving in London, 2012. The fifth is 100 years later in Seoul, 2144, where Jim Sturgess tries to free an indentured slave. Finally, the big jump to the end of the world with Tom Hanks as a tribesman being chased by cannibals in 2346. In all time periods, this all-star cast plays multiple roles that include other races and even the opposite sex. All six stories are somehow intertwined revolving around reincarnation, discrimination, obsession, prejudice and redemption. This film is very well made, but with six different storylines, I think it is a little too ambitious. It was so confusing I needed a guidedog to help me find my way through the plot. On second thought, there was no plot, just an overall theme about how people really don’t change over time. The film was hard to follow despite the fact that there were three directors working on it at the same time. The acting was fantastic and the editing had to be close to perfect to intertwine six completely different stories. My wife said the costumes and makeup were fantastic most of the time, but when it was bad, it was really bad. By the way, this film is almost three hours long, which is too long for a blind guy to sit after drinking a large soda. I’m giving this profound film a B+ rating.

This movie has been given a PG13 rating by the MPAA

Although I am blind, I can appreciate a good movie as well as sighted individuals.
I rely more on a good story line than special effects.