Cloud Atlas

Based on David Mitchell's bestselling 2004 novel, this unconventional epic fantasy begins with an elderly tattooed tribesman squatting near a campfire and recalling adventures through many lifetimes. Adapted and directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, Cloud Atlas's multi-layered narrative is full of flashbacks and flash-forwards, meticulously cross-cut with the same actors playing a variety of roles in multiple stories, which are set in different time periods, spanning 500 years. On an 1849 South Pacific voyage, a malevolent doctor poisons an idealistic San Francisco attorney who helped an escaped slave. In Cambridge in 1936, an ambitious composer becomes a musical amanuensis to an aging master. In 1973, a San Francisco journalist investigates nuclear power corruption. In 2012, a London publisher faces unjust imprisonment. In 2144, a genetically-engineered Korean clone discovers the truth of her existence. And in the 24th century, following a planetary cataclysm, a goat-herder reluctantly trusts an alien emissary. Here, everything is connected, and the consequences of one person's choices and actions impact another's through past, present, and future. Some of the transitions and threads are more smoothly interwoven than others, just as some of the actors—Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving—demonstrate astonishing versatility in a challenging array of interlocking cultural identities. The costumes, hair, and makeup are astounding, as are the cinematography and production design in this gorgeous and glorious visual feast. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurette “A Film Like No Other” with the cast and crew. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are six additional “Focus Points” production segments, including “Everything is Connected” on the story, “The Bold Science Fiction of Cloud Atlas,” and “Spaceships, Slaves & Sextets” (55 min. total, including the previously mentioned featurette), trailers, and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a visually mesmerizing film.] (S. Granger)