When Babel connected its cast in 4 interlocking stories spread across the globe it was nominated for 7 Oscars, 1 of which it won.

Cloud Atlas goes one up, squeezing in 6 tales that not only traverse space but time, taking us from a sea-faring 1800s, to London today, and fast forward to surreal worlds like a futuristic South Korea.

In the process, the directors, the Wachowski siblings (Lana and Andy) and German filmmaker Tom Tykwer, clock in almost 30 minutes more of screen time, and blow a budget of US$100 million (S$123.7 million), 4 times as much as Babel.

Critics are less than unanimous about loving this visual feast, which has a star-studded cast the likes of Academy Award winners Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Jim Broadbent, as well as South Korean starlet Doona Bae,Hugo Weaving (of The Matrix fame) and Hugh Grant, who each take on a different character in each storyline.

In the space of 172 mins, Tom Hanks is a violent author followed by a fearful Hawaiian native, Doona Bae a fiery American wife and a soul-searching clone in another, while Hugo Weaving is a cold-blooded assassin and then a sadistic nurse. Given the actors’ credentials, it is no wonder they execute their roles, even those at the opposite ends of the spectrum, brilliantly.

You might be tempted to focus on each detail, but David Mitchell (who wrote the eponymous novel on which this movie is based) described it to the Wall Street Journal as a “sort of a pointillist mosaic”, as it “darts from world to world at the speed of a plate-spinner, revisiting each narrative for long enough to propel it forward”. In other words, stare too hard, and the illusion of cohesion disappears.

Go along and with the Wachowskis, the creators of The Matrix, at the helm, you can expect to be hooked to a complex story right from the opening scene of a man’s apparent suicide. As the story progresses, questions about the plot are answered while even more are raised.

Cloud Atlas also tackles several thought-provoking themes, such as truth, revolution and equality, which are revealed through a gritty and poetic script akin to those heard in films like V for Vendetta. As you hear Jim Sturgess recite thought-provoking phrases like “What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?” and Doona Bae talk about how “In each crime and every kindness, we birth our future”, you are sure to get a mix of emotions.           

Quite interestingly, every story adopts a different genre, such as drama, romance, sci-fi, comedy and even horror. So, UrbanWire warns that you may be laughing in one scene, tearing up in another, and then biting your fingernails at the next.

While you will be fully emotionally engaged, with such an unorthodox plot structure, there’s bound to be plenty of confusion. You’ll be dropping in and out of 6 different storylines, which is frustrating because it’s crucial to understand the significance of each scene, to connect the bits and pieces.

It doesn’t help that whenever a new plotline is introduced, you’re literally thrown in. There’s no introduction, or explanation as to what happened before. This can be an annoyance, especially for the stories set in the future, as you struggle to comprehend why Tom Hanks is muttering words such as “true-true” or why he fears an “Old Georgie”.  While a quick visit to Wikipedia will solve this problem, you can’t, and shouldn’t be doing that in a theatre.

The film’s also guilty of over-promising, and doesn’t accomplish the same mind-bending effect as, say, Inception. Which is a shame because there’s plenty of potential for a jaw-dropping revelation as to how each story links. However, it fails to effectively deliver the final blow, and instead, leaves you thinking, “That’s it?”. The idea may be commendable, but the execution, not as good.

What wins it cookie points is that the film banks heavily on winning aesthetics, with stunning portrayals of a dystopian cyber-punk city of “Neo-Seoul”, and accurate recreations of the hippie-era California in the 1970s Every inch of detail, from the actors’ clothing to the era’s dialogue such as accents are paid attention to. The scenery and CGI of each setting are amazing too, and to put it simply, it’s a piece of moving art.

So in all, Cloud Atlas fulfils the requirements of a memorable movie: Stunning visuals, an A-star cast, a decent plot and an effort to break the norm by using a unique story-telling structure. That said, confusion’s abundant in this movie, so only if you can get past the messy web of plot points, will you have a decent cinematic experience.

  • Movie name: Cloud Atlas
  • Rating: 3.5/5
  • Release date: Jan 17
  • Runtime: 172 mins
  • Language: English
  • Censorship Rating: M18
  • Genre: Mystery, Sci Fi, Drama
  • Directors: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski
  • Main Actors: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Doona Bae, Jim Sturgess