Cloud Atlas

5.7

It may be wrong to review this monstrosity after only one viewing. I'm still unsure of where exactly I stand. I had to make a valiant effort to be swept away by the filmmakers' vision. Its epic scope is daunting and uninviting. In fact, every facet of this film seems to be designed to alienate viewers. The otherworldly cheesy dialogue is, at times, laughable. The pace wavers and parts can be horrendously boring. Bits and pieces are humorous or engaging but by the conclusion the relevance of certain scenes, let alone entire stories is cloudy if not absent entirely.

The cross cutting between stories and overall editing was outstanding, especially considering the success of the film's message depended on it. I knew going in that the only connections to be had were purely thematic, but even then I am still not entirely convinced of the thesis. Sure, each character goes out of their way to explain how "everyone is connected" and "we are all one" but by the conclusion, this was lost in the jumble. The pieces fail to add up to a cohesive whole and aren't anything special on their own. The film's roller coaster of dramatic tension creates a unique emotional map that helps to differentiate the film from any other.

Technically, the film is no marvel. It feels overtly digital and cold. The signature effects gurus under-deliver here, partly due to a dialogue-heavy story. The music and cinematography are also unsensational, making a point to keep the performances at the forefront of the film. Each actor varies in quality and do what they can with the material. Tom Hanks does his best but can't help but look like an idiot spouting lines like, "That's the tru-tru." Still, its nothing compared to Hugo Weaving's female nurse or green goblin. Like I said, the film shoots both its feet before starting the race. Also its worth noting that the whole "everyone is connected, good and evil balance out" doesn't seem to apply to Weaving, who is a constant villain in every story.

The gimmick where a pool of actors play multiple roles occasionally works and helps with the theme but is mostly a distracting game of "spot that actor!" It is an interesting choice but wildly overdone. The make up is very impressive, especially compared to Prometheus' Guy Pierce. The film is ambitious and worth seeing a second time (preferably for free and with subtitles) to get a better grasp on it, but I highly doubt that will change my opinion. This is the first time I can say the trailer for a film perfectly captured the essence of its larger counterpart. Instead of answering the big questions presented in the trailer the characters simply ask them over and over. The ultimate truth at the end of the film is a cop out to the three hours of questioning proceeding it. In other words, Cloud Atlas fails where The Tree of Life succeeds. It isn't atrocious but for some indeterminate reason, the film falls remarkably short of what I imagined to be the Wachowskis' grandiose vision.