Cloud Atlas (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'Cloud Atlas', based on a best-selling novel & written/directed by Lana Wachowski & Andy Wachowski (The Matrix), & Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run), is a 165 minute epic adventure/drama that spans over 500 yrs. & explores how the actions & consequences of 6 individual lives impact one another through the past, present & future. Some of the main characters struggle with their own inner demons; others must do battle with forces of prejudice, violence & hatred. And watching the journey of these 6 protagonists (who share the same soul) is something to behold. The 6 stories are as follows:
1) Adam Ewing (Jim Sturgess), an American attorney, is on a ship returning to San Francisco from the South Pacific in 1849 when he succumbs to a brain parasite & must be treated by a not-so-friendly ship doctor (Tom Hanks). Then this big-hearted attorney gets involved in helping a Maori slave (David Gyasi) who has stowed away on the same vessel. This story ends on a high note with Ewing deciding to join the abolitionist movement, much to the chagrin of his racist father-in-law (Hugo Weaving) who says: "No matter what you do, it will never amount to anything more than a drop of water in a limitless ocean." Ewing replies: "What is an ocean, but a multitude of drops?". That theme - that we are all part of a larger whole - is in other stories as well. So is the theme of the struggle against oppression.
2) In 1936, Ben Frobisher (Ben Whishaw), a young & ambitious composer, leaves behind his lover Rufus Sixsmith (James D'Arcy) to go on a quest for $$ & fame. In Belgium, he becomes a collaborator with Vyvyan Ayrs (Jim Broadbent), a famous - and famously arrogant - composer. Although Ben thinks he is using the elderly man for his own advancement, Vyvyan turns the table on him. This has tragic consequences for Frobisher & his composition, The Cloud Atlas Sextet.
3) San Francisco, 1973. Told in the style of a mystery/conspiracy story, it focuses on journalist Luisa Rey (Halle Berry) who is writing an article about possible corruption at a nuclear power plant. To stop her, the manager (Hugh Grant) hires a hit man (Weaving) to kill her. Luckily, 3 men are willing to help her get to the truth: Rufus Sixsmith, an aging physicist (Frobisher's lover); Isaac Sacks (Hanks), an employee at the nuclear power plant; & Napier (Keith David) who sees a chance to do good in the world. With this story, we see that those who want to speak the truth sometimes need other like-minded individuals for help along the way.
4) England, 2012. Publisher Timothy Cavendish (Broadbent) hits pay dirt when one of his authors, a murderous cockney goon (Hanks) makes headline news by tossing a critic over a balcony to a gruesome death. But before long Timothy has $$ troubles & turns to his brother (Hugh Grant) for a loan. But his response is to have Timothy committed to a bizarre, prison-like nursing home. The story culminates with the publisher joining 3 other older patients in a plot to escape.
5) The longest segment revolves around a totalitarian society in 2141, Neo-Seoul. Here, Sonmi (Doona Bae) is being interrogated for having independent thoughts as a genetically-engineered 'fabricant', or cloned servant. As she tells her story, we see how she was saved from death by a freedom fighter (Jim Sturgess) & their battles against the military. Sonmi's main message is that we are all connected. And her martyr-like mission, like some before her, is to reveal the "true" true.
And 6) this last tale (which opens & closes the film) takes place "After the Fall" in 24th century Hawaii. Zachry (Hanks), a primitive goat herder, has survived a post-Apocalyptic catastrophe & lives in a rural community that speaks in a dialect of simple phrases. Led by the mystic Abbess (Susan Sarandon), they worship a goddess named ... Sonmi. Zachry's life is upended when Meronymn (Halle Berry), an emissary from a more advanced civilization, asks him for help. To do so he must risk his life & face the taunts of a Mephistopheles-like demon (Hugo Weaving). As this storyteller, Zachry shares the dream of all the characters for a peaceful world without violence & oppression where people speak & live the truth.
I really admire the ambition of 'Cloud Atlas'. It's a monstrous epic that spans 5 centuries -- and I love me my monstrous epics. The editing/interweaving of the 6 stories is handled well enough. I liked the 1973 San Francisco thread (as a potboiler), & the Neo-Seoul thread in 2144 because of its emotional component. However, the decision to have the same actors in each of the 6 stories but with make-up/prosthetics/CGI-altering distracted me – in this 1st viewing of it - from being engrossed in several of those stories. Furthermore, some of the stories are inherently more interesting than others, anyway. I really couldn't get into the final thread (set in the 24th century) because the characters spoke in near-indecipherable gibberish. And I could have done without the story that takes place in 2012 with Timothy Cavendish breaking out of the nursing home.
I love Tom Hanks, but found the quality of his performance a bit inconsistent from role to role (profane thug, amoral doctor, whistleblower scientist, futuristic goat herder). Halle Berry is solid throughout. Jim Broadbent is humorous throughout. Hugo Weaving is relegated to being villain in each story; ditto Hugh Grant. And I was most impressed with Ben Whishaw (as the gay composer), Jim Sturgess (as both the attorney at sea & the Neo-Seoul freedom fighter) & Doona Bae, a beguiling South Korean actress who plays the all-important Sonmi. Her scenes with Sturgess (made to look Asian) lend a much needed sweet/tender side to the proceedings.
'Cloud Atlas' will be talked about for its intersecting themes of Connections (how they span centuries, sexes, genders & races), Compassion (the attorney to the slave; the composer to his male lover; the freedom fighter to 'fabricant' Sonmi; Meronymn to Zachry), Freedom (the slave story; the nursing home break-out; Somni breaking from her oppressors), Justice (the belief that it can be achieved - slave story; Luisa Rey's conspiracy expose; Sonmi's story), Risks (taking risks leads to spiritual growth - the attorney's risk for the slave; Luisa Rey's risk to uncover the conspiracy & the 3 men who risk their lives to help her; the freedom fighter's risk to save Sonmi; Zachry's risk to help Meronymn) & Death (the belief that as one door closes, perhaps another opens).
One of the lasting quotes from this movie is said by Sonmi: "Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others -- past & present. And by each crime, & every kindness, we birth our future.” -- I like that. Overall, 'Cloud Atlas' is an imperfect-if-daring film with awe-worthy sequences, a POWERFUL visual style, and the varied make-up work (swapping genders & races) is a huge talking point. For all the wondrous locales, visionary designs & cast gimmicks, Cloud Atlas' rambling structure left me a touch emotionally disconnected. But I'm positive I will get more out of it with repeat viewings, deeper meanings & a stronger sense of cosmic convergence.
1) Adam Ewing (Jim Sturgess), an American attorney, is on a ship returning to San Francisco from the South Pacific in 1849 when he succumbs to a brain parasite & must be treated by a not-so-friendly ship doctor (Tom Hanks). Then this big-hearted attorney gets involved in helping a Maori slave (David Gyasi) who has stowed away on the same vessel. This story ends on a high note with Ewing deciding to join the abolitionist movement, much to the chagrin of his racist father-in-law (Hugo Weaving) who says: "No matter what you do, it will never amount to anything more than a drop of water in a limitless ocean." Ewing replies: "What is an ocean, but a multitude of drops?". That theme - that we are all part of a larger whole - is in other stories as well. So is the theme of the struggle against oppression.
2) In 1936, Ben Frobisher (Ben Whishaw), a young & ambitious composer, leaves behind his lover Rufus Sixsmith (James D'Arcy) to go on a quest for $$ & fame. In Belgium, he becomes a collaborator with Vyvyan Ayrs (Jim Broadbent), a famous - and famously arrogant - composer. Although Ben thinks he is using the elderly man for his own advancement, Vyvyan turns the table on him. This has tragic consequences for Frobisher & his composition, The Cloud Atlas Sextet.
3) San Francisco, 1973. Told in the style of a mystery/conspiracy story, it focuses on journalist Luisa Rey (Halle Berry) who is writing an article about possible corruption at a nuclear power plant. To stop her, the manager (Hugh Grant) hires a hit man (Weaving) to kill her. Luckily, 3 men are willing to help her get to the truth: Rufus Sixsmith, an aging physicist (Frobisher's lover); Isaac Sacks (Hanks), an employee at the nuclear power plant; & Napier (Keith David) who sees a chance to do good in the world. With this story, we see that those who want to speak the truth sometimes need other like-minded individuals for help along the way.
4) England, 2012. Publisher Timothy Cavendish (Broadbent) hits pay dirt when one of his authors, a murderous cockney goon (Hanks) makes headline news by tossing a critic over a balcony to a gruesome death. But before long Timothy has $$ troubles & turns to his brother (Hugh Grant) for a loan. But his response is to have Timothy committed to a bizarre, prison-like nursing home. The story culminates with the publisher joining 3 other older patients in a plot to escape.
5) The longest segment revolves around a totalitarian society in 2141, Neo-Seoul. Here, Sonmi (Doona Bae) is being interrogated for having independent thoughts as a genetically-engineered 'fabricant', or cloned servant. As she tells her story, we see how she was saved from death by a freedom fighter (Jim Sturgess) & their battles against the military. Sonmi's main message is that we are all connected. And her martyr-like mission, like some before her, is to reveal the "true" true.
And 6) this last tale (which opens & closes the film) takes place "After the Fall" in 24th century Hawaii. Zachry (Hanks), a primitive goat herder, has survived a post-Apocalyptic catastrophe & lives in a rural community that speaks in a dialect of simple phrases. Led by the mystic Abbess (Susan Sarandon), they worship a goddess named ... Sonmi. Zachry's life is upended when Meronymn (Halle Berry), an emissary from a more advanced civilization, asks him for help. To do so he must risk his life & face the taunts of a Mephistopheles-like demon (Hugo Weaving). As this storyteller, Zachry shares the dream of all the characters for a peaceful world without violence & oppression where people speak & live the truth.
I really admire the ambition of 'Cloud Atlas'. It's a monstrous epic that spans 5 centuries -- and I love me my monstrous epics. The editing/interweaving of the 6 stories is handled well enough. I liked the 1973 San Francisco thread (as a potboiler), & the Neo-Seoul thread in 2144 because of its emotional component. However, the decision to have the same actors in each of the 6 stories but with make-up/prosthetics/CGI-altering distracted me – in this 1st viewing of it - from being engrossed in several of those stories. Furthermore, some of the stories are inherently more interesting than others, anyway. I really couldn't get into the final thread (set in the 24th century) because the characters spoke in near-indecipherable gibberish. And I could have done without the story that takes place in 2012 with Timothy Cavendish breaking out of the nursing home.
I love Tom Hanks, but found the quality of his performance a bit inconsistent from role to role (profane thug, amoral doctor, whistleblower scientist, futuristic goat herder). Halle Berry is solid throughout. Jim Broadbent is humorous throughout. Hugo Weaving is relegated to being villain in each story; ditto Hugh Grant. And I was most impressed with Ben Whishaw (as the gay composer), Jim Sturgess (as both the attorney at sea & the Neo-Seoul freedom fighter) & Doona Bae, a beguiling South Korean actress who plays the all-important Sonmi. Her scenes with Sturgess (made to look Asian) lend a much needed sweet/tender side to the proceedings.
'Cloud Atlas' will be talked about for its intersecting themes of Connections (how they span centuries, sexes, genders & races), Compassion (the attorney to the slave; the composer to his male lover; the freedom fighter to 'fabricant' Sonmi; Meronymn to Zachry), Freedom (the slave story; the nursing home break-out; Somni breaking from her oppressors), Justice (the belief that it can be achieved - slave story; Luisa Rey's conspiracy expose; Sonmi's story), Risks (taking risks leads to spiritual growth - the attorney's risk for the slave; Luisa Rey's risk to uncover the conspiracy & the 3 men who risk their lives to help her; the freedom fighter's risk to save Sonmi; Zachry's risk to help Meronymn) & Death (the belief that as one door closes, perhaps another opens).
One of the lasting quotes from this movie is said by Sonmi: "Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others -- past & present. And by each crime, & every kindness, we birth our future.” -- I like that. Overall, 'Cloud Atlas' is an imperfect-if-daring film with awe-worthy sequences, a POWERFUL visual style, and the varied make-up work (swapping genders & races) is a huge talking point. For all the wondrous locales, visionary designs & cast gimmicks, Cloud Atlas' rambling structure left me a touch emotionally disconnected. But I'm positive I will get more out of it with repeat viewings, deeper meanings & a stronger sense of cosmic convergence.