Cloud Atlas (2012)
Everything is connected.
Director: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer · Writers: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Lilly Wachowski
A set of six nested stories spanning time between the 19th century and a distant post-apocalyptic future. Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. Based on the award winning novel by David Mitchell. Directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis.
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Trailer
Director
Lilly Wachowski
Lana Wachowski
Tom Tykwer
Cast
Tom Hanks
Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry 
Halle Berry
Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym 
Jim Broadbent
Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2 
Hugo Weaving
Haskell Moore / Tadeusz Kesselring / Bill Smoke / Nurse Noakes / Boardman Mephi / Old Georgie 
Jim Sturgess
Adam Ewing / Poor Hotel Guest / Megan's Dad / Highlander / Hae-Joo Chang / Adam / Zachry Brother-in-Law 
Bae Doona
Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute 
Ben Whishaw
Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman 
James D'Arcy
Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist 
Zhou Xun
Talbot / Hotel Manager / Yoona-939 / Rose 
Keith David
Kupaka / Joe Napier / An-kor Apis / Prescient 
Susan Sarandon
Madame Horrox / Older Ursula / Yusouf Suleiman / Abbess 
Hugh Grant
Rev. Giles Horrox / Hotel Heavy / Lloyd Hooks / Denholme Cavendish / Seer Rhee / Kona Chief User Reviews (4)
Interesting film with an exceptional cast, fantastic performances and characterizations. The story, though, is a bit difficult to follow and, in the end, seems to not have a real point.
Cloud Atlas was a very well made movie but unlike a lot of movies that try to tell simultaneous stories and then have them come together at the end, this one just didn't for me. I'm still unclear as to the point of it all. Another issue I had was a general feeling of goofiness. Sure, the Cavendish story was pure comedy but the rest of the stories just didn't feel serious enough to me. It carried my attention for the 172 minutes well enough and it was entertaining, I just expected more of a pay off at the end. All in all, it's definitely worth seeing but I still haven't made up my mind if I truly liked it or not. What did you think?
A not-easy-to-follow film, we are presented with sub-plots from several times and places, both past and future - in which the same characters seem to be involved. An interesting idea, good images but yu need to have a particular taste in movies in order to fully enjoy Cloud Atlas. I feel that the average audience may not be heavily impressed with they way it conveys its message - by going from one timeline to another and slowly building up all these sub-plots in parallel.
The true legacy of the Wachowskis, so close to pulling off the impossible that it is not wholly understandable in one viewing. The central theme is the idea of karma. Actions affecting our lives, not just in this life but through several incarnations. Thrown in is the idea of connectedness, no one really being independent but connected and dependant on others. The format through which these themes are worked are i believe 6 different times over three centuries. The same actors are used in their "same" roles in different time lines to give this understanding of "same" person ie reincarnation, the idea of a continuous soul. While this same actor trick works, ie helps us in understanding the roles, the immutable characters, each story is cut up and interwoven with the others. Thus the film follows six stories unfolding in parallel, all working the same themes, following similar arche…
