Cloud Atlas

[distortthecode]

Loved this film, I think it was very well done and I think that most of the multiple roles worked for the themes of love they were trying to portray, but some felt far too forced.

If they'd had the budget though I would've loved to have seen it as a TV series so they could've done it in the same structure as the book

[schwim]

Saw this last night in Greenwich. The theatre was about 80% full which is the most full I've experienced.

I loved the film. I read some bad reviews about it before going so I went with very low expectations. I also read the synopsis that sff sent before the movie. I was able to follow the stories and I even understood the alternate language. I think the actors did a great job and the story was done well in the time they had. It's probably better placed as a tv series to get the full story line but for a movie it did a good job.

[midian]

Put me in the dislike camp.

I came out confused (like many others here it seems) but more disappointed. It reminded me of Memento in that the stories were all chopped up and the significance of the intersections only become clear by the end. If you like it you are rewarded on a second viewing. Someone once asked me that if Memento was told forward as a normal story would it have been as interesting? Could it be that the editing technique took precedence over the individual story? Coming out of Cloud Atlas I wondered if the single stories would have been as interesting. And to me, if they had been presented on, say, six nights on TV I know I wouldn't have made it past night 3.

Some of the single stories were rather mundane and not very interesting (Adam Ewing on the ship), funny but pointless (the publisher's story), boring and largely incomprehensible (post apoc story). The weaknesses in the stories were not hidden by the splicing them through the stronger arcs in the film (i liked the Sonmi 451 bit).

As for the (gasp) racebending. I thought Hugo Weaving and the other 'purebloods' were terrible. It is only by reading other reviews that I now know they were supposed to be ordinary Koreans. Their prosthetics seemed limited to just the eyes and this made them just look disturbingly wrong. I assumed 'pureblood' was some future term for new fangled hybrid European-Korean which was just very distracting. The intent was simply lost on me.

An interesting idea of a soul's arc across many lifetimes, but inadequately executed so only a 5.5/10 for me.
[spoiler]Poor Hugo Weaving gets to be a bad guy across many lifetimes and even gets to look awful in a dress[/spoiler]

[PeachyLollipop]

Put me in the dislike camp.

I came out confused (like many others here it seems) but more disappointed. It reminded me of Memento in that the stories were all chopped up and the significance of the intersections only become clear by the end. If you like it you are rewarded on a second viewing. Someone once asked me that if Memento was told forward as a normal story would it have been as interesting? Could it be that the editing technique took precedence over the individual story? Coming out of Cloud Atlas I wondered if the single stories would have been as interesting. And to me, if they had been presented on, say, six nights on TV I know I wouldn't have made it past night 3.

Some of the single stories were rather mundane and not very interesting (Adam Ewing on the ship), funny but pointless (the publisher's story), boring and largely incomprehensible (post apoc story). The weaknesses in the stories were not hidden by the splicing them through the stronger arcs in the film (i liked the Sonmi 451 bit).

As for the (gasp) racebending. I thought Hugo Weaving and the other 'purebloods' were terrible. It is only by reading other reviews that I now know they were supposed to be ordinary Koreans. Their prosthetics seemed limited to just the eyes and this made them just look disturbingly wrong. I assumed 'pureblood' was some future term for new fangled hybrid European-Korean which was just very distracting. The intent was simply lost on me.

An interesting idea of a soul's arc across many lifetimes, but inadequately executed so only a 5.5/10 for me.
[spoiler]Poor Hugo Weaving gets to be a bad guy across many lifetimes and even gets to look awful in a dress[/spoiler]

I too was reminded of Memento, the only difference is that I know I enjoyed Memento whereas with Cloud Atlas I don't know where I stand. I disagree with the comment that this is a marmite movie, I don't have any feelings towards this, good or bad.

The 6 minute trailer had left me with the impression that I would enjoy this but in reality I couldn't find a real connection with the characters or between the stories and usually I'm the first to put all the pieces together. I wonder if the movie would have benefited from having two less directors?

5/10 sums it up.

[Frank100]

I was expecting to hate this, and was a bit surprised when I enjoyed it. Some strands work better than others, and cutting between them can produce jarring shifts in tone (especially where the 2012 story is concerned). There's also the constant risk of being taken out of the story by a bit of distracting heavy make up. But I was engaged pretty much throughout, which is good going for a film this long.

I'm not sure that it added up to anything at all, mind you, or that there was any real point in trying to adapt the book other than for the sheer challenge of it. I was almost tempted to b*y the book to see how, or if, it brings the various strands together. But probably not tempted enough to actually do it.

[ilovethatfilm]

Just had my mind blown by this film. Was expecting pretentious, boring drivel but it really is a stunning achievement. Very impressed!

[margiee]

I also saw this flm last night. I'm not into futuristic films generally but if its a good one it will grab me. Unfortunately this film did not grab me. In my opinion, it started too slowly, there were too many stories being told in one film and it just was not believable. Im not sure whether it was the silly made up language or the casting or just the acting or all of it. It just was not 'tight' enough and it looked at times more like an amateur school play than a film. Definitely not one I would recommend if asked.

[SamKelpie]

It reminded me of Memento in that the stories were all chopped up and the significance of the intersections only become clear by the end. If you like it you are rewarded on a second viewing. Someone once asked me that if Memento was told forward as a normal story would it have been as interesting? Could it be that the editing technique took precedence over the individual story? Coming out of Cloud Atlas I wondered if the single stories would have been as interesting. And to me, if they had been presented on, say, six nights on TV I know I wouldn't have made it past night 3.

Saw this one last night, the cinema was about 90% full. Seemed to gain mixed reactions from the people around me. Initially I was unsure of what I made of this film. As it ended I thought "Hmm". However having had time to reflect on it I really enjoyed it. It was a beautiful film, the strands were interesting and varied enough to hold my attention. I was initially worried about how 6 story strands would play out however it worked very well and allowed the viewer to become immersed which was great news given how long the run time was! It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but feel it's probably worth a couple of viewings to appreciate all that it has to offer.

I also remarked that it had a similar feel to Memento. However having watched Memento in chronological order I can say that it was not as interesting as it prevented any twists and turns developing. I feel that Cloud Atlas would lose rather than gain if the stories were presented as single stories.

[tilly]

Free Cloud Atlas book
Pick up your free copy of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, with The Sunday Telegraph on February 17, now a major film, in cinemas February, 22.

To celebrate the release of must-see film Cloud Atlas, we are offering readers a free copy of the best-selling novel on which it is based, written by David Mitchell, with the The Sunday Telegraph on February 17.

From acclaimed filmmakers Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, comes a powerful and inspirational story of drama, mystery, action and enduring love which unfolds over a period of 500 years. As the entwined characters meet and reunite from one life to the next, they find that their actions have consequences which impact the past, present and distant future.

Throughout the epic tale, which takes the reader from the nineteenth century south Pacific to a post-apocalyptic future, everything is connected, as one act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

Presented by Warner Bros. Pictures, Cloud Atlas’s award-winning cast includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant and Hugo Weaving.

Cloud Atlas won the British Book Awards Literary Fiction Award, the Richard and Judy Book of the Year Award and was short-listed for the 2004 Booker Prize. Mitchell is also the author of Ghostwritten, number9dream and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.

How to claim

Take the voucher from The Sunday Telegraph on February 17, 2013 to your nearest Waitrose or One Stop store.

Offer valid Sunday only while stocks last. If you cannot get to a store, see in-paper voucher for details of how to claim by post

[elski]

Tilly, how much is The Sunday Telegraph these days?