What i liked about cloud atlas is that it brings this rather banal revelation to life through an inspired fusion of form and content. 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. Oct 26, 2012 cloud atlas is a movie about migratory souls and wayward civilizations, loaded with soaring themes and flights of feeling, as vaporous and comprehensive as its title. Read the cloud atlas movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. Now theyre back with cloud atlas, and critics are divided some say its an aweinspiring work of visual and emotional daring, while others say its muddled, pretentious, and overlong. Please refer to titling choices and the contributing. Adapted from the 2004 novel of the same name by david mitchell, the film has multiple plots set across six different eras, which mitchell described as a sort of pointillist mosaic.
Local critics travel different directions on cloud atlas local critics are all over the map with the multitier scifi drama cloud atlas, one of the new films opening in theaters this weekend. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading cloud atlas enhanced movie tiein edition. A manifesto in the form of an enormously budgeted quasiscifi epic, cloud atlas is evidently personal, defiantly sincere, totally lacking in selfawareness, and borderline offensive in its gleeful endorsement of revenge violence against anyone who gets in the way of a good persons selfactualization. Published in 2004, the fantastical speculative fiction book consists of six interconnected nested stories that take the reader from the remote south pacific in the nineteenth century to the island of hawaii in a distant postapocalyptic future. Best art direction uli hanisch production designer hugh bateup production designer peter walpole set decorator rebecca alleway set decorator young artist awards 20.
Lettrboxed cloud atlas is a film that the critic roger ebert had trouble getting, even after seeing it twice, and with good reason. Even as i was watching cloud atlas the first time, i knew i would need to see it again. 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. Cloud atlas in the time of coronavirus features roger. But cloud atlas is the sort of work where the big picture matters more than the details. The stories are different in genre with different characters but all of them are progressing simultaneously. The official synopsis describes it as an exploration of how the. A postmodern visionary who is also a master of styles of genres, david mitchell combines flatout adventure, a nabokovian lore of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mindbending philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of umberto eco, haruki murakami, and philip k. The author has said that the book is about reincarnation and the. Its an imperfect film of great daring and tremendous humanity, a work of. People often say that the book ruins the movie, that when we read a harry potter novel after seeing one of the movies we cant see hermione granger as. Cloud atlas sharply and kind of weirdly divides critics. Cloud atlas from lana and andy wachowski and tom tykwer.
Oct 26, 2012 cloud atlas has americas top critics united on one thing the sprawling adaptation of david mitchells novel is one ambitious ride. David mitchell entices his readers on to a rollercoaster, and at first they wonder if they want to get off. Based on the bestselling novel by david mitchell, cloud atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Ebert dives in to cloud atlas, other critics still watching. Movie critic david edelstein and book critic kathryn schulz engaged in a long conversation over the new film cloud atlas, based on the 2004 novel by david mitchell. Comet ison predictive programming in cloud atlas movie 20 tv episode mentioned.
Of the six stories in six time frames that are cut into small pieces and deftly dovetailed in cloud atlas, onethat of the present dayis like a shield to render the movie critic. Local critics travel different directions on cloud atlas. Theres a reason people say they devour books or are hungry for a good read. The new york times critics on cloud atlas, chasing mavericks and pusher. Drama, mystery, action and enduring love thread through a story that unfolds in multiple lifetimes as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and a single act of kindness.
Jul 14, 2017 cloud atlas is the most selfimportant movie that hollywood has made sincewell, the master, another movie that i hated and you loved. Cloud atlas is a beautiful film unfortunately, its also a very. Its an imperfect film of great daring and tremendous humanity, a work of many stories, but a singular achievement. Cloud atlas was directed by the wachowskis and tom tykwer. Cloud atlas is certainly out to be a visionary mindbender, but the films secret is that its a nimbly entertaining and lightonitsfeet hollywood contraption, with the actors cast in multiple roles as if playing a game of dressup. The wachowskis get together a mega cast to tell a multitale spanning centuries.
Mar 06, 2004 cloud atlas by david mitchell 544pp, sceptre. Revolution could open in more than 3000 theaters, but its buzz is pretty weak. Washington dc area film critics association awards 2012 winner wafca award. How else is one supposed to follow the six interwoven plot strands. Raevan lee hanan with tom hanks in the wachowskis cloud atlas.
Critics are mixed on cloud atlas, the new scifi timetravel drama, starring tom hanks and halle berry, along with jim sturgess, hugo weaving and susan sarandon. Cloud atlas critics consensus its sprawling, ambitious blend of thoughtprovoking narrative and eyecatching visuals will prove too unwieldy for some, but the sheer size and scope of cloud atlas. Cloud atlas an angry author throws a critic off the roof. Cloud atlas is a terry gilliam movie without the kinks, a wong karwai film without the smoky dreamscape, a timeandspace oddity that remains frustratingly earthbound. Cloud atlas in the time of coronavirus features roger ebert. Sep 06, 2012 the first full theatrical trailer for the wachowskis with tom tykwer cloud atlas has arrived and as much as it dazzles it confuses. Everyone is welcome to help improve cloud atlas wiki by adding new content or editing existing content. Its sprawling, ambitious blend of thoughtprovoking narrative and eyecatching visuals will prove too unwieldy for some, but the sheer size and scope of cloud atlas. Based on the bestselling novel by david mitchell, cloud atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Cloud atlas 06 aug most popular novels of today fall squarely into the category of genre fiction.
Cloud atlas is a film that the critic roger ebert had trouble getting, even after seeing it twice, and with good reason. The story, adapted from a novel by david mitchell, intertwines many story arcs that range from prehistoric times to millennia into the future all played by the same actors in differing but the same roles. Film critics were polarized, causing it to be included on various best film and worst film lists. 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. Oct 24, 2012 even as i was watching cloud atlas the first time, i knew i would need to see it again. Its sprawling, ambitious blend of thoughtprovoking narrative and eyecatching visuals will prove too unwieldy for some, but the sheer size and scope of cloud atlas are all but impossible to ignore. Oct 26, 2012 directed by tom tykwer, lana wachowski, lilly wachowski. Fun sizes theater count estimate is 2800 theaters, but it is a live action kids movie with a female lead and these rarely do well. Throughout hollywood history, size and scale have often triumphed over content, and, for many, the magnifying and inflating of these empty stories. The first full theatrical trailer for the wachowskis with tom tykwer cloud atlas has arrived and as much as it dazzles it confuses. The lana and andy wachowski siblings have teamed up with german director tom tykwer to film cloud atlas, a nearly threehour adaptation of the novel by david mitchell. Cloud atlas is a 2012 independent germanamerican science fiction film written and directed by the wachowskis and tom tykwer.
Cloud atlas is work of art, tugging at your soul in a way that few other movies ever will. It can be warm and nourishing like a homecooked meal, or sugary and exhilarating like washing down some darkchocolate raisinettes with an icecold glass of pepsi. David mitchells exquisite novel cloud atlas has been adapted for the screen by the wachowskis and tom tykwer. Yes, cloud atlas is massively ambitious, and impressive. Oct 26, 2012 the wachowskis get together a mega cast to tell a multitale spanning centuries. Welcome to cloud atlas wiki here, our goal is to compile the most complete cloud atlas reference site possible, always striving to improve and expand this novel and film knowledge base with the most accurate information available. A daring extravaganza of images and themes, a film that asserts itself as worthy of repeated viewings, not only for its quality, but its generously expansive scope.
Mar 25, 2020 released in october 2012, cloud atlas was a box office bomb that was derided by criticsnewsday wrote that the quasiprofound message of cosmic connectedness isnt worth all the trouble, while the new yorker questioned, even as we applaud the dramatic machinery, are we being kept emotionally at bay. Nov 01, 2012 of the six stories in six time frames that are cut into small pieces and deftly dovetailed in cloud atlas, onethat of the present dayis like a shield to render the movie criticproof. With tom hanks, halle berry, hugh grant, hugo weaving. Released in october 2012, cloud atlas was a box office bomb that was derided by critics newsday wrote that the quasiprofound message of cosmic connectedness isnt worth all the trouble, while the new yorker questioned, even as we applaud the dramatic machinery, are we being kept emotionally at bay. Cloud atlas is the third novel by british author david mitchell. Also opening is the new teen comedy fun size, which recently premiered at the mall of america. But i think the comparison works even if the subject.
Oct 25, 2012 the movies big idea is to wake us up to the ways that were all linked through time. This filmmaking super groups one movie feels like six bad movies. Sonmi awakens from a life of grim deprivation a condition of slavery that is horrible to contemplate and. Cloud atlas is a film directed by tom tykwer, lilly wachowski. The dream of one person passes to the next, finally erupting in revolution. To borrow churchills description of russia, it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Directed by tom tykwer, lana wachowski, lilly wachowski. But since cloud atlas is an epic folly like david lynchs dune, many audiences will find themselves swept away and perhaps even enchanted by the movie s mere efforts to be huge and impressive. Horrible, bloated, pointless fortune cookie philosophy thats about as deep as a stoned college freshman. Oct 26, 2012 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. Cloud atlas 2012 movie have six stories set in different generations and tries to convince the audience that everything is connected. It does not arrive as 99% of its film peers do, with a beginning, middle, and an end.
Feb 23, 20 d ai congrongs bestselling chinese translation of james joyces finnegans wake and the film version of david mitchells 2004 booker shortlisted novel, cloud atlas, both complex fictions about the. Six different stories spanning over 500 years of time are woven together and make your mind work overtime not only keeping them apart, which is its job while you watch the film, but afterwards, trying to connect larger and deeper themes to them. Oct 27, 2012 cloud atlas is an ambitious, intriguing film but its sprawling narrative feels at once too busy for three hours and overly long. But as it labours to clarify its own confusion, mapping every last nook of narrative space. Cloud atlas has americas top critics united on one thing the sprawling adaptation of david mitchells novel is one ambitious ride. Cloud atlas was the longest three hours ive spent in a movie theater in a long, long time. 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. Now that ive seen it the second time, i know id like to see it a third time but i no longer believe repeated viewings will solve anything. But as it labours to clarify its own confusion, mapping every last nook of narrative space, any sense of real mystery is obliterated by. It can be warm and nourishing like a homecooked meal, or sugary and exhilarating like washing down some darkchocolate raisinettes with an.
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