CLIPS MOVIE REVIEWS

by Roger Tennis

On CLIPS In November, 2012

CLOUD ATLAS

A journey back and forth in time explores how individuals' actions impact others in this drama starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in multiple roles.

TRIVIA: Who wrote the novel upon which this movie is based?

ROG'S VIEWPOINT
  (4 CAMS)        RATED R

Many lives are connected in this journey back and forth in time that depicts six stories. Included are: a mid-1800s diary of an ocean voyage across the Pacific; a composer's letters to his lover/friend; a mystery surrounding an unsafe nuclear power plant; a publisher's adventures when he's confined against his will in a nursing home; a female clone who rebels in futuristic Korea; and the tribulations of a tribe living on a post-apocalyptic island in the future. "Cloud Atlas" is a mesmerizing and ultimately fulfilling big screen extravaganza. It is a movie that requires concentration and possibly more than one viewing to catch everything that unfolds in front of the audience. At nearly three hours in length, the stories range from good to brilliant - letting emotions run the gamut. It has taken three directors to accomplish this monumental feat. Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer masterfully guide a stellar cast through this immersive puzzle where all of the pieces fit by film's end. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David and James D'Arcy are among the actors playing multiple roles. Part of the fun is in discovering who's who. All is revealed during the closing credits. It's best to savor this experience without knowing the details, so none will be divulged here. A stratospheric triumph, "Cloud Atlas" connects on many levels.