Why You Should See Cloud Atlas

By: Emily

Graphic by Emily

There has been a lot of buzz around the new film Cloud Atlas. Directed by three different people (The Matrix's Wachowski siblings and acclaimed German director Tom Tykwer), it follows six different story-lines, all spanning the course of millions of lifetimes and all connected in one way or another. While an incredibly big feat for a, granted, three-hour movie, these story lines are interwoven in ways one could not even imagine; from England during the Second World War to a futuristic Korean city, to a post-apocalyptic Earth, these stories are all connected through the characters. While these characters changed for each different story, the same cast of actors played multiple characters from the different stories. After watching this modern epic, I can confidently and happily declare that Cloud Atlas is unlike any movie I've ever seen.

While I have not read the book on which the movie is based, I can only assume the movie adaptation is fairly similar. This is a movie that easily could have been a huge joke, and quite possibly a terrible flop. But the solid story line and intriguing characters made it an interesting watch from beginning to end. There was never one moment in the almost three hours of the film where I felt bored or detached. Every story line was compelling, action-packed, and full of emotion and drama. From sci-fi to action to drama, there really is something for every movie-lover. Each vignette could have easily stood on its own as an independent movie (the strongest quite possibly being the story that takes place in England about composer and pianist Jim Broadbent and Ben Whishaw, respectively).

The only place where I found this movie lacking was the risky idea of having its actors play different roles and often different races. While it was necessary in order to get perhaps the most imporant theme of the movie across, some of the characters' makeup was just uncomfortable to look at. For example, Jim Sturgess and Hugo Weaving, two Caucasian English actors, were made to look like a mix of Caucasian and Korean. Similarly, South Korean actress Bae Doona was transformed into a Caucasian woman with freckles and red hair. While this is a risky idea, I just did not think it worked very convincingly. Now I know other people that had no problem with this and did not even recognize who the actors were at points, but I disagree. To me, it even felt a bit disrespectful.

If nothing else, Cloud Atlas is inspiring. At the end of my cinematic journey (and it was a journey) through thousands of years of life, I walked away with a new found sense of self-discovery. I felt like even though Cloud Atlas and the world are both bigger than I ever could imagine, I realized something. I realized that we are all connected, and that we, and Cloud Atlas, are capable of amazing things.