Not that I've talked to a lot of people about this movie, but all of those that I have mentioned needing to watch it more than once so that they could understand just exactly what was going on. It's kind of like before I saw Fight Club and everyone was saying things like, "I didn't figure it out until the end" or "I knew during the breast exam" (trust me that makes sense in the context of Fight Club). So, I went into it knowing that there was a puzzle to be aware of, and since I knew this, it revealed itself nearly immediately - it has to for the flashback, "ah-ha!" scenes toward the end of the film. The same thing had happened with my viewing of The Sixth Sense. No one actually spoiled it for me in the sense that they told me the twist was, but they (you know, 'them') kept telling me it was going to be such a surprise and that I never would guess what the twist was, and then I watched it and thought it was obvious from the very beginning - but because I was hyper-aware of some twist. I went into this screening the same way, mind like a steel trap, ready to tuck away any clue. But, um, it's just a movie with it's story being told through glimpses of stories that reflect each other.
I didn't find the film confusing in the least. There. I said it. All of the six stories are structured the same way so that all six climax at the same time. Try some Magic Realism if you want to get confused, or follow any popular comic book hero, as their story gets told across multiple titles each by a different author, usually more than one, and then they get rebooted at times. Or hell, just try reading a George R. R. Martin book or perhaps some Robert Jordan. Perhaps my previous media choices have prepared me for a story told like this better than theirs had?
While I enjoyed all of the stories, I particularly like the Ordeal of Cavendish storyline and the Neo Seoul storyline. The Ordeal of Cavendish starts of hilariously with Tom Hanks playing an in your face author, Dermot Hoggins who while being a total animal lives' out many a writer's fantasy by throwing his main critic over the balcony of an apartment that is a couple of dozen stories up. Hugo Weaving in drag as Nurse Noakes later in this one is priceless and looks like he must have had a fun time playing her. The Neo Seoul story is the most straight sf of the lot and is the most noble of the six. IN all of them, people do things for the people they love, but in this one, the main character Son Me sacrifices herself so that others might love, which is a pretty romantic ideal.
My only complaint about this movie is that not all of the prosthetics were created equally. I don't mind seeing this actor or that looking nothing like themselves, I just should see the seams between the real them and the rubberized them. It's not all of the many heavily made-up characters, just a couple of really obvious ones. I won't tell you which actor or which character, I've just set you up to be a super sleuth like I was. It's a vicious cycle apparently.
Cloud Atlas at IMDb
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