As you may be aware from my previous blogs, I caught Cloud Atlas back in September during TIFF and it was one of my favourite films of the festival. There are definitely some imperfections but overall I loved it. In case you missed it, here is the review I wrote for I ♥ Movies TO when I initially saw it. Cloud Atlas is currently in theatres.
When I first heard Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski’s were
making a film a together my first reaction was “You can stop right there, I
will be seeing it.” In subsequent
conversations about Cloud Atlas, I would be asked “Is that the movie with Tom
Hanks and Halle Berry?” to which I replied “I don’t know who’s in it” for the
longest time. So now you have an idea
what angle I’ll be coming from in this review.
The Wachowski’s will forever be associated with the Matrix
Trilogy in my mind. Visually
spectacular, futuristic visions, pristine technologically enhanced settings
contrasted with dystopian landscapes. If
nothing else I know I will be in for some serious eye candy whenever I go to
one of their movies. When it comes to
their writing, I have utmost respect for their ideas, but lack confidence in
their ability to consistently convey them.
Tom Tykwer is really my true hero in this trio, since I
first saw Run Lola Run I’ve been in love with his work. He’s explored a number of different
storytelling and visual styles, ranging from Run Lola Run’s short frenetic tale
told over and over with varying outcomes, to linear gothic horror in
Perfume. My favourite is The Princess
and the Warrior, where characters’ individual stories, the events that bring
them together, and histories that shaped them are sewn in the editing. While Tykwer is definitely capable of telling
a straight-forward story with a beginning, middle, and end… it’s really the
alternative methods he employs that really makes him shine.
What I’m getting at here is a flowery defense for the
“story”, in its traditional sense, of Cloud Atlas. Though I have not read the book, friends
advise it takes a bit of effort to get into.
I can’t speak for the novel, but in the movie I can see why the story is
difficult to glean. However I feel the importance
of the movie isn’t the story (or stories) so much as it’s about an overall
idea. I believe Cloud Atlas is about the
idea that our lives our pre-destined, and that those whose lives are linked
with ours are entwined into our past, present, and future. Every aspect of the “story” beyond that only
serves to reinforce that point. It is in
this idea and concept that the Wachowski’s and Tykwer make their masterpiece.
(Well, that and the special fx make-up! I’m gonna be pretty annoyed if they
don’t win an Oscar for it.)
Fanaticism aside for a moment, I will readily admit I walked
out of that theatre after almost 3 hours not entirely sure of what had happened
but completely blown away by the visuals.
I only wish they could have shot this in IMAX. The Wachowski’s don’t disappoint with their
enthralling designs of the future, and Tykwer continues to contribute to the
musical side of things as he has done in his previous films. There are many layers and ways to approach
Cloud Atlas. The imdb synopsis describes
how “one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness
ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.” I don’t know if I even got
that far, I was too occupied with the production design, the matching shots as
the editing took us from one story to another, the music, random bursts of
comedy, and swells and ripples of action leading up to the finale.
Make sure you stick around for the credits, you’ll be truly
amazed by the make-up transformations. I
can’t wait to see this again when it opens in theatres October 26th.
4.5/5
It’s a nice way to spend 3 hours at the movies, but it’s also something that may not change your life, even though that’s obviously what the directors are going for here. Still, a great movie none the less. Good review Ada.
ReplyDeleteGood review Ada. It’s a long movie, but it still kept my interest and had me wondering just how all of these stories were going to converge at the end. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed even though I didn’t feel an emotional-connection to it whatsoever.
ReplyDeletesee it again :)
ReplyDeleteDan - I agree. There may be a level of disappointment if you're expecting something life-changing, but taking a detached view (and overlooking the Wachowski's tribute to Jar Jar Binks in their idea of "futuristic" dialogue) it really is quite stunning to look at.
ReplyDeleteAlex - I absolutely plan to see it again and received your offline inquiries about what I think could've been better. As for the "Yellowface" controversy, I personally didn't get the fuss. There were Asian actors cast in the film so it's not as if they were entirely excluded. As for those "made Asian" in some of the scenes by the modification of only their eyes, I saw it as an amalgamation of ethnicities in our future. There was nothing to my recollection that stated they were specifically Asian. The label "Yellowface" itself is a bit of a misnomer as I found all the "Asian-ized" characters, and those that are of Asian decent "whiter" than me. And I'm already very light-skinned for an Asian. I realize I'm coming at this with a somewhat skewed view, but really, it doesn't bother me.