Cloud Atlas

[Batman55]

I just finished watching this movie on Blu-ray a night ago. It was a peculiar film released in the first half of 2013 that got a wide release initially but disappeared from your local neighborhood multiplex after barely a month, IIRC. It was that rare art-house film with a huge budget (100 million.) Highly ambitious. Such a difficult project, it took three directors, two different photographers, and many years to make.

..And yet. I was let down by it. One of the biggest problems was the inconsistent production value, esp. regarding the makeup and prosthetics. You go from one scene where a Caucasian actor is suddenly Asian, and you can't find a single flaw in the transformation, to another scene where all they had to was make the same person look older and the guy's face looks like rubber.

At other times, it's just.. what were they thinking? By far the worst and most cringeworthy story of the six was "The Elders Strike Back." You're telling me >6.0" tall Hugo Weaving as a woman is supposed to be believable..? I guess there's a political statement behind that, but it. just. doesn't. work.

Now, I won't say the movie is terrible. It has too much ambition to be terrible. But it is a disjointed, uneven mess of a movie.

Anyone else see it? Thoughts?

 

[Triple Bogey]

I just finished watching this movie on Blu-ray a night ago. It was a peculiar film released in the first half of 2013 that got a wide release initially but disappeared from your local neighborhood multiplex after barely a month, IIRC. It was that rare art-house film with a huge budget (100 million.) Highly ambitious. Such a difficult project, it took three directors, two different photographers, and many years to make.

..And yet. I was let down by it. One of the biggest problems was the inconsistent production value, esp. regarding the makeup and prosthetics. You go from one scene where a Caucasian actor is suddenly Asian, and you can't find a single flaw in the transformation, to another scene where all they had to was make the same person look older and the guy's face looks like rubber.

At other times, it's just.. what were they thinking? By far the worst and most cringeworthy story of the six was "The Elders Strike Back." You're telling me >6.0" tall Hugo Weaving as a woman is supposed to be believable..? I guess there's a political statement behind that, but it. just. doesn't. work.

Now, I won't say the movie is terrible. It has too much ambition to be terrible. But it is a disjointed, uneven mess of a movie.

Anyone else see it? Thoughts?

I thought it was brilliant !
The book is good but the film is better.
It moved me to tears first time watching it. Very original. The story you mention is a comedy story not to be taken seriously. The actors playing different genders ? - well probably got something to do with one of the directors. The acting is terrific, the individual stories are great, the way it links together is original. The music is fantastic ! It's a lot better second time watching it. My Dad doesn't like arty films but he thought it was 'great'

It's one of those films which is either awful or 'the best film ever' - It's in my top 10 of all time !

 

[9006]

Haha, never seen the film but I get that you have to express your disappointment.

 

[jaguarundi]

Gentlemen - you intrrrrrigue me. Hugo Weaving as a woman. In a dress? (well apart from in Lord of the Rings).

This I have to see.

 

[Some_Bloke72]

One of the best films or the best film I have ever seen in my almost 18 years of existence.

 

[thegreyman]

That's one of my personal favourite movies. I love the way it is structured and casting the same actors in multiple roles works to great effect, in my opinion, because it reinforces the theme of interconnectedness. Hugo Weaving was hilarious and spot on as the pantomime villain Nurse Noakes. The entire 'The Elders Strike Back' segment works is good comic relief.

I have a short attention span, and it is very seldom that I feel at ease sitting through a 3 hour movie. But when I glanced at my watch sporadically throughout The Cloud Atlas, it was because I didn't want it to finish so soon.

 

[Batman55]

There were a lot of good things about the film. The music, the neo-Seoul segment, visual effects, the interesting philosophy, some of the acting, (esp. Tom Hanks as street-thug writer, great scene!). But I must reiterate that on the whole, it does not work.

As far as the senior segment goes, I guess maybe it was intended as comedy, but it still felt out of place for me.

 

[edgecrusher]

I really liked it. I only saw it once though and want to give it another viewing now that I know certain things to see if I can piece stuff together a little better.