Cloud Atlas (2012)
An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution
Cast and Information
Directed By: Tom Tykwer, Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Written By: Tom Tykwer, Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell
Starring: Keith David, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent, Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, James D'Arcy, Ben Whishaw, Xun Zhou, Doona Bae, David Gyasi
Genres: Drama, Sci-fi, Action, Mystery
Country: Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA
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Cloud Atlas belongs to 76 collections
1. Favorite Film of Every Criticker Member (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 97 stars)
2. Female Directors (collaborative: moderated by djross - 90 stars)
3. boobs (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 51 stars)
4. Passed the Bechdel Test (collaborative: moderated by geohawk - 30 stars)
5. Based on a Book (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)
6. Non-linear (collaborative: moderated by djross - 19 stars)
7. Intellectual Sci-Fi (collaborative: moderated by BeeDub - 16 stars)
8. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
9. Future (collaborative: moderated by djross - 12 stars)
10. Based On Novel (collaborative: moderated by tathiel - 7 stars)
11. Big-time Hollywood science fiction (public: djross - 7 stars)
12. Hyperlink Cinema / Interconnected Stories (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 6 stars)
13. Orange & Teal (collaborative: moderated by shalev - 5 stars)
14. Triumvirate of Oscar Winning Actors/Actresses in the Cast (3 or more) (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx - 5 stars)
15. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)
16. Wikipedia's list of dystopian films (collaborative: moderated by ND Geek - 4 stars)
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Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 9 |  |
KasperL | 80 86th |
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Impressively ambitious, it aims to be a transcendent allegory; parallelisms ensure that the polyphonic tale adds up to something more. I found it a rewarding experience. What impressed me most was the editing. The cuts are meaningful rather than jarring, the pacing kept me entertained. The segments are vastly different (tonally and generically), connected by a common theme: For those who have the courage to set an example, it is, in a very real way, possible to send ripples forward through time.
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| 8 |  |
walkabout | 50 18th |
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Yes, it is ambitious. We get it. But many of its storylines are underdeveloped or feel uncompleted. The politics are quite naive. And uneven makeup job is extremely distracting. Doesn't really work as something more than a huge cross-cutting experiment. A disappointment for me.
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| 7 |  |
KMcNeil | 3 24th |
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I'm sure, I'd be crying out "masterpiece!". If I was 8 or 9.
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| 7 |  |
Barthalen | 65 45th |
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Seems to aim for something really profound, or make us think it's doing so, while never really going beyond 'people influence people and also reincarnation might be a thing I guess'. Editing and music were impressive, most sets looked great and it was surprisingly enjoyable to switch between time periods. A shame the content never managed to wow me and the make-up was so goofy at times. Hugo Weaving dressed up as an imaginary Tim Burton-esque post-apocalyptic anger-goblin? Hoooly balls.
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| 6 |  |
Obdurate | 80 66th |
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While there were moments where I was less entertained by certain parts of the narrative, all in all, I was interested in all of the six stories. I'm also a big fan of genre bending and tone shifting, and CA does that in spades. I thought the acting was solid, the music was beautiful, the visuals were gorgeous. Yes, it has that heavy-handedness that might turn off some but some movies have it, and some are more subtle, I appreciate both styles. It all comes together with an emotional payoff.
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| 6 |  |
Optimus_mike | 90 90th |
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Cloud Atlas is a movie that demands multiple viewings and an open mind. Simply sit down and experience the movie and embrace what's perfect and flawed in the film. For me personally I found so much to enjoy in this movie that it's almost impossible to communicate the impact it had on me in the theater. All I can say is I'm going to watch it as many times as I can in the theater and that I completely agree with Roger Eberts review.
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| 6 |  |
kevinjoseph | 72 79th |
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Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Cloud Atlas is tremendously entertaining. The 164 min run time felt like 90, tops. Not earth-shattering, but refreshingly philosophical. The film's six stories are wildly different in tone and substance, and I can't tell whether those drastic shifts were a weakness or a strength (probably both. It varied). It was sometimes shallow / heavy-handed, but all in all, I love me some nonlinear storytelling, and Cloud Atlas scratched that itch six times over.
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| 5 |  |
Space Pope | 95 98th |
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This movie is gorgeous and earnest and so wonderfully humanistic and loving that it's given me a new respect for the Wachowskis as both filmmakers and people. The thematic bridging of the stories and eras through countless little character moments and events was stellar, and done well enough that it made me at least a bit less uncomfortable with white people being cast in minority roles. I wish this film was more successful to encourage more risks on such ambitious filmmaking.
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| 5 |  |
bakcheia | 60 46th |
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I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it, even though I fully expected not to. The visuals were lush and enriching, and each story seemed to hold some sort of charm to it, though some stories (like the Neo-Seoul tale and the 1936 one) tended to be more potent than others. This was a highly ambitious movie to film, and it was done well and in a rewarding manner. The film felt heavy-handed and flawed, yet genuine and profound. All-in-all I liked it. Gorgeous soundtrack, by the way.
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| 4 |  |
Pickpocket | 9 93rd |
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Definitely will be a polarizing film but I found it highly entertaining and engaging. Considering it's long run time this was an accomplishment in and of itself. The casting agents and make up people deserve to be hired on movies until they die, very impressive. Visually you can't get much better and it got me excited to dive into the novels of David Mitchell. 2012's most overlooked accomplishment
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| 3 |  |
cagedwisdom | 100 90th |
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Absolutely brilliant; An outstanding, spectacular narrative. Mesmerizing & beautiful, Cloud Atlas is a home run that will take root in your heart.
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| 3 |  |
Derekstar | 60 36th |
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I read a book called The Years of Rice and Salt, which is kind of similar to Cloud Atlas. It's about reincarnation, and the group that keeps on bumping into each other throughout lifetimes. The key difference is that The Years of Rice and Salt is told sequentially. We see that entire lifetimes are only incremental steps in a larger project to improve society. There is a similar idea found in the slavery/freedom narrative in Cloud Atlas, but it's presented in the form of a clusterfuck.
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| 3 |  |
emtilt | 83 86th |
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There's no need to interpret this the same way as the book, or to take it as being solely about reincarnation or anything like that. This film works quite well as a call to action for the sake of the collective unconscious. In many ways, it is a self-conscious meta-fiction about media's role in shaping history. If one does view the story as one of reincarnation, there is no reason not to take it symbolically. I think many people are missing the mark in terms of understanding how this film works.
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| 3 | bharath | 80 88th |
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The basic premise of the movie being what you sow is what you reap, may be not in the current life but possibly in the future. The movie is visually brilliant and is well paced. The way they cut from one story to another is really well done. The story is complex but overall well adapted for the big screen. A must watch for one and all.
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| 3 |  |
Langelund (CinemaZone.dk) | 55 40th |
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You want the true-true? Besides from the sheer presence of Halle Berry, cheesy morals, tacky lines and hilarious make-up (can't decide whether Weaving as a modern Nurse Ratched or Hanks as a wannabe-badass writer with an epic British accent is the most awkward fun), I actually liked most of it. Especially the editing, pacing and the glimpses of beauty here and there.
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| 3 |  |
oldgoat | 30 3rd |
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A beautifully shot total pile of shit. Patronizing, stupid. To call it pretentious would imply it came close to achieving it's overly obvious and ham handed execution. To claim someone didn't 'get' it would be to imply they are borderline retarded as the movie beat it's message in over and over. It was as subtle as a smack in the face. Also, it has to be noted how terrible the acting was, particularly from tom hanks and halle berry.
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| 3 | lunheur | 100 99th |
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Ups and downs abound, destinies fulfilled, souls grow and stay the same over 600 years. It tells the story of an entire planet in such a personal way that you almost don't realize the "political" importance of their actions. You're just so engrossed in the different ways everybody searches/finds true love that it doesn't matter.
It was visual, emotional, informational overload. Some people will want to shut off after 45 minutes of confusion. And some, like me, will bask in it. Music was awesome
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| 3 |  |
Zio | 100 94th |
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If there is one thing the Wachowski's know how to do (along with Tom Tykwer), it is how to make a visually appealing movie: Cloud Atlas is one of the most gorgeous movies I've seen. With some amazing uses of make-up, the actors are able to take on multiple roles throughout the six expertly told inter-weaving stories. To top off the cinematic experience, the music is top notch. While not everyone's cup of tea, Cloud Atlas should be experienced once. The Wachowski's have their magnum opus.
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| 3 |  |
Bunken | 80 88th |
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Highly ambitious project from Tykwer and the Wachowski's which turns out great in most of the almost 3 hour duration. Once the initial confusion of jumping back and forth between the different ages settles, you start to put together the pieces. And once it finishes you will sit back with a feeling that you have to watch it again since you most likely have missed something. Cloud Atlas will part waters. I know which side I'm on...
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| 3 |  |
Matthew Parkinson (CineMarter) | 100 99th |
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Cloud Atlas is a wonderful film easily worth the time commitment. It tells six interesting stories that, in their own right, would be worth watching. Together, they create something magical, and the way they unfold is one of many reasons that this is, so far, the best theatrical release of the year. Adding in the gorgeous aesthetics, tight pacing, emotional peaks and valleys, strong acting and a wonderful score, and you have a film of a quality rarely seen coming from anyone or anywhere.
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| 3 | DougieD | 90 81st |
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It is difficult to form an opinion after one viewing as there is so much going on that it's hard to know what it is really about. It is a technical marvel and a huge feat of filmmaking. - After seeing it a second time I appreciate the film even more. It benefits from repeat viewings and is easier to follow, although two of the storylines are still weaker than the others. A stunning film with some flaws.
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| 2 |  |
djross | 65 70th |
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Though I was unable to finish the novel, and despite having a young-adult-fiction, transcend-all-boundaries, triumph-of-the-oppressed, slightly heavy-handed air about it, nevertheless this combines music, imagery, costume and makeup in an indubitably very impressive way to tell a story that should appeal to young-adult, boundary-transcending, oppressed types, and possibly some others. Coincidentally viewed directly after SNAKES ON A PLANE, in which the dog also dies.
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| 2 |  |
supergloo | 6 26th |
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A strong feeling of déjà vu will overcome you as you relive old plots of sci-fi movies, spy flicks, and Twilight Zone episodes.
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| 2 |  |
AFlickering | 1 4th |
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i need a fucking drink.
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| 2 |  |
MJVmovieMan | 50 20th |
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This movie couldn't be more self-important. For all its grand visuals and opulent, magnificent scale, its gargantuan cast slathered and hidden under makeup and prosthestics, the Wachowskis and Tykwer never answer 'why.' I kept wondering what the 'why' was throughout this film, and none of the vignettes could provide a supreme-enough connection to twine the stories together. To what purpose is this film that is 'Crash' or 'Babel' on a biblical scale? Why so much to say so little?
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| 2 |  |
frederic_g54 | 4 14th |
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The scope and look save this film from total oblivion, removing my concerns about the creative limitations of contemporary filmmaking. Yet, in its ambitious attempt of deviating from traditional narrative and aesthetic forms, CA somehow misplaces the thread that would've woven every story together with narrative clarity. I believe there's heart to be found in each of them, but the constant shift in timelines and moods left me feeling disoriented, indifferent and annoyed.
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| 2 |  |
Wiche | 81 82nd |
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A kaleidoscopic story which you have to watch more than once to fully understand and appreciate it. This story is so complex due to all the little details, all the little events that influence on another that a second watch won't do any harm, but however this entanglement is so extreme and fast, the story is comprehensible and beautiful. A must see.
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| 2 |  |
Stradivarius | 40 11th |
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I would give points for ambition if only the film actually aspired to anything. The connections it makes are tenuous and the themes simplistic. Every individual story is short changed in one act or another, it features one character after another achieving little and pontificating much.
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| 2 |  |
moraesfelipe | 54 40th |
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Didn't the Wachowskis already shoot this huge existential tale about chosen ones, authorities being questioned and sacrifices for freedom (and love) in The Matrix? And didn't Tykwer already make this intertwining collection of stories (or of versions of the truth) in Lola or Three? Cloud Atlas is highly enjoyable, but also a bloated attempt to visualize, let's say, the narrative of humankind.
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| 2 |  |
SirStuckey | 80 78th |
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I liked it. It never did anything to really move me (although you could tell it was trying) or to make me think it was a great movie but I was entertained throughout. That's a nice accomplishment considering the runtime.
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| 2 |  |
FrankHowley | 85 90th |
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It took a while to grow on me, but once I was able to connect all its sprawling plots I was really struck by it and am surprised to say that it was intensely life-affirming. Its structure and reach is wildly ambitious, but it definitely has moments of great effectiveness and its themes on humanity put me in a mood of positive reflectiveness. It's long but moves fast, and worth-seeing alone for Bae Doona's stellar neo-Korean plotline.
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| 2 |  |
teckgecko | 68 40th |
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Surprisingly fast-paced w/ some decent stories, though the lack of any truly fantastic, grandly-unifying element was disappointing (w/o this, actors portraying multiple characters seems gimmicky & pretentious). Sci-fi sections were fairly pedestrian. Weaving's serpentine character was annoyingly unexplained. Treatments of politics & philosophy aren't particularly deep, but (excepting the voice-overs) managed not to detract much. The humor, while not terrible, does often feel out of place though.
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| 2 |  |
auhasarderik | 6 40th |
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Expansive, untidy effects extravaganza of New Ageish sentiment, keeps an interest for about three hours and stimulates the intellect, but there's little if any merit to all its grandiosity. Bold but juvenile.
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| 2 |  |
o_rety | 75 56th |
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A decent adaptation of a great book. Would be better served being a series - the base material is just too extensive to cover in a single feature film (even as lengthy one). Using only one actor for several roles, the astoundingly successful efforts (mainly due to great makeup and acting) notwithstanding, was overused and amounted to breaching the fourth wall on numerous occasions.
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| 1 |  |
TheDenizen | 80 84th |
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It's an epic, genre bending film that simultaneously tells six stories separated by a span of several centuries, with most of the actors playing different roles in each time period. The cast is really good (esp. Jim Broadbent and Tom Hanks), and the audacious ambitiousness of the project deserves to be lauded even if parts of the script come across as a little hokey. There's enough ideas, action and impressive visual compositions to consistently entertain for almost 3 hours.
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| 1 |  |
Ytadel | 4 43rd |
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I found myself envying my screening's many walkouts by the time this thing finally groaned to its laborious conclusion. Of the six stories, the only one that's particularly enjoyable is the Jim Broadbent publisher one. Other than that, just hope you can enjoy the cinematography and crazy makeup they stick the actors in, because man is it a struggle to enjoy anything else.
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| 1 |  |
nutcrackr | 80 79th |
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Intrigued by many of the sub stories, impressed with Hugo weaving's many characters and satiated with the make-up.
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| 1 | mlightle3 | 95 91st |
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Breathtaking, beautiful, sad, hopeful, enigmatic, romantic, creative, ambitious, stunning, and transcending.
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| 1 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 56 10th |
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An ambitious mess. I appreciate what it's trying to do narratively and thematically, and it's a very well photographed film, but it's a chore to watch. There's so much jumping around from story to story, sometimes with clear thematic links but often with seeming randomness, and the writing is all over the place, at times insanely dense at others ridiculously obvious and only occasionally somewhat subtle. I almost gave up on it at various points, but it improves some in the second half.
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| 1 |  |
td888 | 70 76th |
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It took a long time to grab me, but when it did, I really started to enjoy it. Besides some stunning visuals (like Neo-Seoul), it has an intriguing philosophical story line. For now I'll file this as a low T9, but I like to re-watch it for sure some time later on. Don't understand some of the low rankings here, maybe they have the attention span of a chicken.
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| 1 |  |
andayb | 40 15th |
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Six barely connected storylines wallow in mediocrity and come together in an epic 3 hour magnum opus of boredom.
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| 1 |  |
purgatos | 73 56th |
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There are a lot of good ideas, the acting is very solid and there are quite a few very impressive setpieces. However, I didn't much care for the editing as the massive number of cuts between story lines meant I kept losing interest and there were a number of scenes where I thought "that doesn't need to be here". I left confused as to what it was trying to accomplish with the reincarnation theme, but that may be the cinema's fault. I was so uncomfortable for the last hour I just wanted to go home
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| 1 |  |
Luna6ix | 80 74th |
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The Wachowski's have always had vision, I'll give them that. They can also create a hell of a sci-fi universe on a grand scale, but something always goes a little bit funny with it. It never really plays out the way it should. "Cloud Atlas" was the closest they came to something majestic and awesome, but it's a convoluted bloated sci-fi movie with parts that are downright annoying, and that the true true.
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| 1 |  |
Zealot185 | 85 81st |
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The quick-cut editing of six connected stories - each of a different genre - as well as the incredible music and visuals, are what make this 3-hour ambitious film so entertaining. It's the timeless message of progress and the spread of ideas through civilization that make it so enduring. The criticism against the make-up is more distracting than the make-up itself; the story is meant to transcend gender and racial boundaries.
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| 1 |  |
neurophate | 86 88th |
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One of the greatest ideas for a movie plus very good scenario. Every story could make different film. Which would be something definitely big.
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| 1 |  |
constantine | 83 84th |
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Could someone please explain to me how this movie is "pretentious"? Yes the story is complex, and hard to follow time to time; and yes, there is a lot of free will, determinism, theology shit going on, but if it was pretentious, we would probably leave theater with empty symbols, metaphors and stupid, meaningless images. It needs a second viewing, please watch it again in a few years.
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| 1 |  |
jetboy | 93 99th |
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The book was amazing, the movie did the best it could. I would have gladly watched a 9hr version in order to get everything from the book into the movie. Look beyond makeup and vernacular and you will see the masterpiece.
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| 1 | ewalters | 81 82nd |
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My first reaction at the end of the movie was "ok now I know what's going on I want to watch it again". No masterpiece but no slouch either. Recommended.
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| 1 |  |
astrakhan | 70 17th |
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Yuck. This film is outstanding on a visual level (costumes, set design, makeup, effects) and has an intricate, supposedly intellectual or deep story. But despite all that, I realised 45 minutes in that I simply wasn't invested - or interested - in any of the characters or their 6 timelines. Where there should be concrete plot details there is just smoke and mirrors, vagueness and elision. Don't even get me started on that "stunt casting" - what a distracting gimmick. Not for me, this Oscar-turd.
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| 1 |  |
Karakand | 40 56th |
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Doona Bae is a shoo-in for a starring role in White Chicks 2.
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| 1 |  |
FrederikA | 75 77th |
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Based on the bloated 7 minute trailer I expected a cluster-fuck of epic proportions, so color me dumbstruck at how coherent and enjoyable this turned out. It's musings on the human condition may be a bit on the fluffy side, and the (novel but ultimately misjudged) use of makeup ranges from "That's quite funny" to "Blackface!" but none the less I was entertained throughout.
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| 1 |  |
Duco | 82 78th |
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A movie trying to comprehend an effect known as deja-vu, and partially succeeding at that. Individual stories aren't really ideal in their own (lots of plot holes, etc.), but the way they are stitched together to form a (seemingly unique and single) movie in a way that's fresh and grabbing, is remarkable! The three hours basically just fly past you. Also - movie's suitable for those people that regularly don't watch Sci-Fi.
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| 1 |  |
billkerwin | 83 56th |
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It's not profound like it pretends to be, but it is not ponderous either. It is well-acted, exciting, big-hearted, and is filled with enough action and excitement to juggle six plots for three hours and still keep the viewer's interest.
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| 1 |  |
Cinema_Asia | 75 71st |
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It's an ambitious film but i'm afraid the material is just too dense for a standalone film. Maybe the problem is that the Wachowskis have reached their creative upper limit and can't abridge a complex philosophical story into something that feels natural without it becoming a stylistic and narrative mess. They absolutely needed a better make up department because some of the ethnic switches were goofy looking. It's hard to hate this attempt though especially with several view worthy scenes.
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| 1 |  |
tinysausage | 40 1st |
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This film suffers from the Wachowskis' choice of replacing the palindromic structure of the book with a constantly cross-cutting narrative, which never gives you a chance to invest with the storylines. The use of the same actors in multiple roles to emphasise our common humanity is also a failure, and when combined with the terrible prosthetics is just laughable. The acting is very patchy, the tone uneven, and it's as subtle as a sledgehammer in its message.
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| 1 |  |
DaWolfey | 55 73rd |
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While watching, I found myself drifting to the ideas of Dada and the compulsion of humans to construct a narrative for everything that we watch, even when knowingly watching something that deliberately doesn't have one. The "past and future lives influence each other" is one of the messages of the film, and the editing style tries to demonstrate that message by using that narrative constructing compulsion to let us see these hidden influences between stories. But is it actually happening?
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| 1 |  |
AAAutin | 52 52nd |
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Tom Hanks is the fluffiest cloud.
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| 1 |  |
homosuperior | 70 23rd |
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Three-hour messy mash-up of 6 interlocking stories joined by a kind of pan-religious liberation theology. I haven't read the book but it seems an awful lot like Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt. The movie emphasizes the metaphysical over the material, however, which means I liked it a lot less. Most of the actors, except for Broadbent - who seems to be in a different movie - and sometimes Bae, come off as rather silly.
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| 1 |  |
Wezzo | 91 83rd |
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Cloud Atlas takes a concept as difficult to film as can be imagined - a look at the effects of revenge and freedom have on disparate generations spanning hundreds of years, a subject as sprawling and vast as the entirety of humanity. And somehow it delivers a three-hour movie on the subject that simultaneously thoroughly entertains and delivers a fantastically thought-provoking treatise on human connection, right up there with The Tree of Life. A definite win.
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| 1 |  |
hellboy76 | 70 79th |
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Daring piece of film making makes this watchable on a level of art if nothing else. It ultimately fails to become a great movie, but it is a good one. It doesn't feel like it is 3 hours long. Although the jumps can be jarring, the cast holds it together rather well.
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SlantMag | 25 61st |
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"Its ideas are paralleled, its themes twinned, sometimes breathlessly, sometimes fatuously, into what may be described as a 164-minute pop song of seemingly infinite verses, choruses, and bridges. Perhaps expectedly, it soars as often as it thuds." - Ed Gonzalez
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Ununnilium | 87 87th |
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Works very well. The beginning of the story is a bit predictable, but as they take off and begin leaping and crossing, the great structure becomes more than the individual parts - obviously, right? Manages to sell the links between eras, and each story manages to both feel complete and contribute to everything else.
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natebarrios | 85 94th |
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I love you, Bae Doona
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Andyviews | 50 42nd |
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I liked the future Korea and the Retirement home parts of the movie, the 70's thriller and Cast Away segments was meh and holy balls did I fall asleep for the other two. Simple messages: "Slaves/Gays/Reporters/Old People/Clones/Tom Hanks speaking pidgin are people too!!" Cloud Atlas? More like Cloud Agenda. But yeah I really like Korea cause it's a bunch of sci-fi cliches in one package and the retirement home comedy was good. Fuck the rest.
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Aureliusz | 85 71st |
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,,Nigdy nie przyszlo Ci do glowy ze wszechswiat jest Twoim wrogiem?'' Co moge powiedziec, polecam ta podroz po Atlasie Chmur.
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| 1 | xacviant | 82 58th |
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Great in length and scope, CLOUD ATLAS is a mightily impressive film in many ways: the production design, makeup, and editing are excellent, and the large cast all do fine work, leaping across the boundaries of space, time, gender, and race. And, despite a few blunt moments, the film is refreshingly restrained--but, ultimately, at the cost of the emotional punch it may have sought. Still, it's constantly engaging throughout, with the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer distinguishing themselves.
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TheDailyNathan | 8 0th |
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Count me in the camp that cannot make sense of this movie whatsoever. The premise that "everything is connected" is an utter sham - these are 6 short films that are extremely weak stories on their own, and bear no connection or effect on each other, other than happening to feature the same actors with at times god-awful makeup, and the occasional isolated deja vu "I feel like I know you from somewhere" remark. And it lasts for THREE solid hours.
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LiQuid3600 | 3 11th |
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Three hours of amazing raceface!
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Hofschneider | 76 49th |
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Banal and beautiful.
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chmul_cr0n | 84 95th |
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the way this is structured is genius.
also brilliantly performed.
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Läuft. | 93 97th |
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It s fascinating that a movie with that many potlines kept me interested throughout the whole film. The last hour is pure brilliance.
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comepelicula | 80 87th |
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I really liked the stories and how they connected; it was very interesting to watch. I like the courage they had to make a very ambitious project like this one.
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| 1 | side0000 | 10 2nd |
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So bad
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Ag0stoMesmer | 3 73rd |
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Familiar -and particularly unsubtle this time- W. sibling themes. Early it seemed an attempt at a sci-fi 1001 nights. I had my drink on so couldn't really tell if the eternal recurrence/karma/destiny/samsara stuff added up -suspect it didn't. Surprisingly the final act became melodramatic comedy. Still, it looked and sounded really good, an enjoyable ride.
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amirmovie | 83 70th |
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a movie to cherish the love, truth and humanity.
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Pursus | 60 27th |
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I was expecting everything to come together for some big WOW moment at the end that never really happened. The effort I had to put in to keep all of the threads straight in my own head felt ultimately wasted. None of the six stories were spectacularly compelling by themselves, and shuffling them together and calling them connected didn't really do anything for me. And yes, I understand the movie perfectly: souls reincarnating across time blah blah, little man vs. the status quo hurf durf
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juntakinte99 | 100 97th |
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Impactful stories often take existential concerns about the past or future and present them as great allegories. This picture does that, all while bouncing between historical drama and dystopian sci-fi. The Wachowskis continue a thematic trend of characters escaping the confines of their bodies, but expand it by illustrating the interconnectedness of all struggles against dehumanization. And technically it's their most stunning film yet--especially in the editing and special fx. A classic.
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lisa- | 3 30th |
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undoubtedly extremely impressive visuals and general construction, but it's all a bit too silly for me. huge props to the editors; no props to the scripters. i mean, its political philosophy really is ridiculous, not to mention ruthlessly condescending in that all too familiar progressive way, and generally becomes almost unbearable by the end. i found it especially amusing that amongst all its themes of love and interconnectedness was a battle cry for vengeance. nonetheless, it was gripping.
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deep_green | 70 62nd |
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Certainly an impressive achievement, yet I expect it will be a footnote. The inter-connected tableaux thing really makes things fun and interesting. Tykwer and the Wachowskis have dabbled in this before, and I think the script is a little more nuanced in this edition. Philosophically, can't help but feel this movie is fundamentally dated, but is ambitious and captivating if you take it on as movie candy. Watching at home I did take smoke breaks, or may have been with AF on that.
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nilooravaei | 72 18th |
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i think maybe at some very early stage of development, there was some genuine ambition attached to this project, which was promptly abandoned once the writers realized they couldn't tell six grand-scope stories in a single film. instead of sizing down, however, they opted for cramming as many big names, special effects and generically inspirational tumblr quotes into a 3 hour fiasco that apart from being dreadfully boring, failed to deliver on basic elements of plot.
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philamental | 82 85th |
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Definitely flawed, but it was so ambitious it gets a lot of credit for trying. Some of the makeup was stellar, some of it not so much. Some of the performances are a little dodgy, but overall the film succeeds and is truly epic in scope and delivery
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| 1 | BadFurDay | 9 95th |
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Remarkable cinematography. The plot is not that special, but the Wachowski siblings managed to somehow make the movie special. The rapid fire transitions between the scenes and plotlines make this a unique experience, and the three hour length of the movie is barely bothersome. The end credits are a total mindfuck, as you are shown what improbable role each actor played, and end up in awe at the quality of the transformations and the variety of their acting skills. Almost a masterpiece.
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joel-w-m | 5 25th |
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Its central conceit ("From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present") and thesis ("by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future") resonate, but marring the former's clever edits and easter eggs are some discomforting cross-racial transformations and one can't help but wonder if the thrust of the latter would've been stronger with a chronological narrative. As it is, some stories sit better than others (Ewing's white saviour arc underwhelms; Cavendish's caper is a hoot).
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Greyscale | 100 91st |
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This is an almost unbelievably brilliant cinematic achievement. By that I mean I almost can't believe that they managed to translate such a complex combination of stories into a film and have it turn out so perfectly. Like all of the greatest works of art, it will not only entertain but will inspire people to change the way they live. It has a few weak spots (Tom Hanks as a cockney ruffian doesn't quite jive), but they aren't important enough to cause me to lower my ranking of the film.
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kito1 | 90 97th |
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Great epic beyond time. Insane effort by the actors and a complex story line; still I could follow every subplot very well and there were almost no filler scenes, as it cuts to a different time when a point has been made.
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| 1 | mwestcott | 100 95th |
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The incredibly complex and diverse novel by David Mitchell gets a truly powerful adaptation from the three directors. It will polarize due to the enormous size of the ideas and story lines. Those who dislike the film will have every right to do so. Cloud Atlas has all the makings of an eventual cult film that will be re-examined as a sweeping character study and Sci-Fi epic classic for the ages to remember.
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| 1 | DaemonRunner | 100 99th |
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Favorite movie
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| Average Percentile 54.51% from 4961 Ratings |  |