Cloud Atlas

[Rowsdower!]

I'd also add that the "Asian" characters in the Sonmi storyline may not be meant to be interpreted literally as such; certainly there are enough regular Asian people in and about New Seoul to make it abundantly clear that these other men don't look Asian at all.

Considering that this is far, far into the future (when we have offworld colonies) and that genetic engineering is so prevalent, I interpreted the characters like Hae-Joo, the archivist and Boardman Mephi as being from a genetically engineered caste. Maybe like a separate sub-species made for military or law enforcement, which explains Hae-Joo's unparalleled fighting abilities. The fact that they all speak like Star Wars Imperial Officers makes it clear to me that they're not supposed to be "normal Asians." Jim Sturgess' character has a Korean name, but possibly the same way that River Tam in Firefly has a Chinese name.

Actually, if they are following the book (and they did deviate from it quite a bit at certain points but I don't think they did in this regard) Hae-Joo, the Archivist and the majority of characters are "purebloods" or normal humans. There are sub-species or are engineered for various other purposes (fighting, cleaning up toxic waste, etc.) but the movie doesn't rally go into that. But characters like the Archivist cannot even comprehend that a clone like Somni could be capable of becoming the key figure in a revolution.

But like many things in the movie, they unfortunately didn't have time to go into the finer details. Its really is a shame. The Somni story is probably the best one of the lot and could have easily been a great book and movie all by itself; the others (except maybe for the Luisa Rey story) really aren't as compelling and it becomes glaring when they go back and forth from story to story like they do in the film.

 

[redhawk23]

Personally with such a large metropolitan area and it being the future, I at least partially assumed that they weren't all even purely ethnically Asian characters. Keith David's apparently half Asian character certainly pointed to that.

 

[Motown Marvel]

just saw the movie and thought it was fantastic.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Actually, if they are following the book (and they did deviate from it quite a bit at certain points but I don't think they did in this regard) Hae-Joo, the Archivist and the majority of characters are "purebloods" or normal humans. There are sub-species or are engineered for various other purposes (fighting, cleaning up toxic waste, etc.) but the movie doesn't rally go into that. But characters like the Archivist cannot even comprehend that a clone like Somni could be capable of becoming the key figure in a revolution.

But like many things in the movie, they unfortunately didn't have time to go into the finer details. Its really is a shame. The Somni story is probably the best one of the lot and could have easily been a great book and movie all by itself; the others (except maybe for the Luisa Rey story) really aren't as compelling and it becomes glaring when they go back and forth from story to story like they do in the film.

Fair enough, I haven't read the book, but it's good to know, thanks.

 

[Sentinel X]

^ You're acting as if the choice to have everyone in every story was necessary or even made sense ultimately.

They made the choice to have as many people in as many stories as possible, even if it was just for minor roles, and often those roles didn't make any sense according to their whole "echoing through time" thing. There's no real reason why Halle Barrey's 70s News Reporter is connected to a futuristic surgeon. There's no real artistic reason to have Halle Barrey in Asian makeup other than their choice to force in as many actors as they could. I personally didn't have a problem with that choice other than the low quality of some of the makeup ( which unfortunately takes away from some of the stellar work that they do elsewhere), but for other people it seemed even more unnecessary and invoked other trends in western filmmaking and they found it ultimately distasteful.

They have an opinion that is different from yours or mine...that is ok.

Actually no, I'm not saying its necessary. I'm saying it was their artistic choice to make those random connections in each of the stories. You claiming there is no artistic reason various characters are connected is well....your opinion. To me it suggest that each of those minor cameos had a story of their own that ultimately helped shape their future lives or the future lives of other main characters (and in the same respect were shaped by the past lives of previous incarnations). Thats the point of it (to me), so of course it would be random. And of course its not logical. Reincarnation is not a science.

But that aside, I am countering the accussations that some people think the film was being racist when there is evidence that shows this wasn't the intention of the filmmakers at all. Regardless of people's opinions of the film, if you take time to look at the decisions the filmmakers make we can clearly see it was not their intention to be racist. They were preaching quite the opposite actually and I am quite a supporter of bringing diversity to the film world. Fom the getgo I refused to watch The Last airbender film (my favorite show) because I felt they were clearly whitewashing. And I know everyone has a different opinion. Everyone has their right to defend,talk,and express their opinions like I am doing now...and that is okay too.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Fair enough, I haven't read the book, but it's good to know, thanks.

It's worth a read, especially for the Somni story because it's so much more complex than the movie let on. His concept of the future is brilliant and really not that far-fetched when you consider how much corporate interest influence politics; a world where corporations literally govern the people could be what we're all eventually headed for.

 

[redhawk23]

Yes, the Wachoski's made an "artistic choice" and the film preaches a connective and anti racist message, but a major theme of the film is also that our choices have consequences and effect other people in ways that we may never know. Just because a choice is "artistic" does not absolve them from other people believing their choice was in bad taste and those choices, as well as their execution can have positive or negative effects on people's perception and opinion of the film.

 

[Motown Marvel]

i didnt mind so much the neo-seoul make-up, because in my head i didnt really consider them asian, rather i figured far in the future there will be no different races, just one homogenous human race thats kind of a mix of everything from hundreds of years of cross breeding.

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

This movie was so underexposed. It's almost already off most theatres in my area. This was by far, one of the best movies of the year, better than Life of Pi, IMO.

 

[bubbadoom]

Some of the make-ups were pretty impressive - most were okay - but a few [and that's too many] were amazingly bad!

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

I hope this movies comes out on Blu-Ray soon since it is a flop in the theatres. I hear there was a 4 hour version made...I would watch it

 

[BuddhaWasABat]

This was one of my most anticipated films of the year and I'm so let down I missed my chance to see it. I can't wait for the blu ray, but I'll never be able to experience this in cinema.

 

[A Necessary Evil]

I purchased this movie out of curiosity, as I meant to see it in theaters, but never did. I thought it was quite awesome, and didn't really understand the mixed reception. Also, the score was amazing, and Neo-Soul looked gorgeous. Everyone was awesome in this movie, and it's a shame it bombed at the Box Office.

 

[antsman41]

Does the Bluray have an extended version?

 

[A Necessary Evil]

I don't think so, was the original cut 2h 51 minutes? It never says extended cut, but I could be wrong.

 

[Schlosser85]

Finally watched this today.

The closing summation of my review:

At the end of the day, despite its undeniable ambition, its aiming high with weighty philosophical statements—sometimes spelled out for us in overly heavyhanded, pretentious dialogue—and its obvious aiming for profundity and greatness, Cloud Atlas is less than the sum of its parts, and not as deep or profound as it likes to think it is. That said, the movie is, far more often than not, both entertaining and interesting. A movie that dares to take an ambitious, unconventional path and has things it’s trying to say, even if it doesn’t always entirely chew what it has bitten off, is far more laudable than the dime a dozen generic action shootouts or romantic comedies that are content to dwell in a highly-populated middle ground of mediocrity. Cloud Atlas is a flawed experiment, but it cannot be accused of being generic.

I really liked Luisa Rey's story and I thought Cavendish's was hilarious. I liked Ewing's too, but I thought the post-apocalyptic one was really tedious. I really like Frobisher. His and Sonmi's deaths were the saddest scenes, IMO.

Tom Hanks was obviously really enjoying himself and Hugo Weaving was good in all of his roles. Nurse Noakes was hilarious.

Some of the makeup was ridiculous-looking though, especially Doona Bae as Ewing's wife. Halle Berry as a white woman and Hugo Weaving as a Korean weren't the greatest either. It really detracted from the scenes at times.

I liked all the little touches like Frobisher reading Ewing's journal, Ben Whishaw who played Frobisher also playing the music store clerk in Luisa Rey's story who can't stop listening to the Cloud Atlas Sextet, Sonmi watching the movie about Cavendish, Ayers having the dream about the fabricant cafe, Tom Hanks always feeling connected to Halle Berry, etc.

I found it interesting that Hanks always has aspects of greed and cowardice but rises above them when he interacts with Berry.

Also that Jim Sturgess was always someone standing up for others' freedom--Ewing, Chang, the Highlander who defends Cavendish from Noakes--while Hugo Weaving was always the polar opposite, and Hugh Grant was always a corrupt soul.

I was a little lost on one thing, and I'm curious about others' interpretations of it...what was the significance of first Robert Frobisher, and then Luisa Rey having the same birthmark? Did it mean they were connected in some way?

Full review:

http://www.jestersreviews.com/reviews/1833

 

[Tron Bonne]

I was a little lost on one thing, and I'm curious about others' interpretations of it...what was the significance of first Robert Frobisher, and then Luisa Rey having the same birthmark? Did it mean they were connected in some way?

All of the main characters have that birthmark (you're talking about the comet-shaped one, right?). They're reincarnations, which is hinted out quite a bit in the dialogue, even more so in the book (it's even expressed more literally in Rey's story in the novel). The author confirmed that was his intentions at some point, I believe.

 

[zeroapoc]

I enjoyed this movie immensely. I tried to talk as many people as I could into seeing it when it was in theaters. I admit it's probably not for everyone though.

 

[L.A.]

Finally saw it and i loved it

 

[dark_b]

i rewatched Cloud Atlas. the last time 9/10. now 10/10. i found new connections between all the stories. yes.

haha i didnt know that Halle Berry was playing the old asian man

 

[dark_b]

 

[dark_b]

 

[Eddie Dean]

Hugh Grant as Roger Daltrey was my favorite.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

I love Hugo weaving as ol' Georgie boy. In fact I think that finale segment was favorite.

 

[Maximus One]

I've had this movie for so damn long and have still never sat down and actually watched it.