Cloud Atlas (15)
Directed by Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer
Thursday 21 February 2013
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EmailAfter almost three hours I emerged somewhat stumped as to what to make of the epic mindbender that is Cloud Atlas.
The Wachowski siblings (The Matrix Trilogy) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) have delivered a bold and audacious adaptation of David Mitchell's best-selling novel.
It recounts six stories spanning almost 500 years - from 1849 to 2346 - which explore reincarnation and how everything and everyone is connected. Characters meet and reunite from one life to the next, experiencing deja vu.
The array of characters are played by a stellar cast which includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant.
They pop up in each timeline in a different guise and are almost unrecognisable as they appear as different genders and races. Grant seems to have had the most fun playing totally against type, from a reverend in one narrative to a cannibal chief in another.
It is a terribly ambitious film and beautifully crafted but one which requires very close attention. Trying to connect all the dots and keeping track of the A-listers' varying incarnations is exhausting and distracting.
Like The Matrix you may have to see it more than once to understand it fully but I don't fancy going down that particular rabbit hole again.
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