Future. Present. Past. Everything is connected. An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.The story is a time-shifting weave of six interlinking narratives, with diverse settings from the savagery of a Pacific Island in the 1850s to a dystopian Korea of the near future. Based on the New York Times best-selling novel "Cloud Atlas" written by David Mitchell.
The Wachowski's and Director Tom Tykwer have created a brilliant tapestry of a movie that visits every genre of the film medium and had me engaged for it's near 3 hour running time. The film tells 6 different tales interwoven with hints dispersed throughout that we are all connected and perhaps have lived past lives as someone completely different whether it's age ,race or gender. The cast includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving and several more outstanding artists. The makeup work done on the actors was a sight to behold. There was never a dull moment in the film and it is well paced. I don't want to spoil any major plot points or revelations with the characters, all I can do is let you know that you should take the time to watch this original and spellbinding cinematic achievement. 10/10
Cloud Atlas arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 2.40:1. A great film gets the home video presentation it deserves. Colors were sumptuously warm with perfect skin tones. Blacks are inky and deep. I found shadow delineation to be excellent. Fine detail was quite striking with every fabric of clothing and masterful makeup work on the multiple characters looking lifelike and crisp. There were no noticeable signs of compression artifacts despite the films running time. 9.5/10
Audio is provided by a DTS -HD Master Audio 5.1 track. - This was a perfectly balanced track with dialogue being crisp and clear throughout and when the action on screen intensifies the sound ramps up and throttles you with tight and deep LFE response. Surrounds exhibited smooth pans and subtle environmental effects. A very pleasing listen. 9/10
**FOCUS POINTS** (1080p, 55min) - We get 7 total "Focus Points" here that includes some nice insight from cast and crew as well as the book's author David Mitchell. Behind-the-scenes footage is interspersed with the interviews as well as clips from the film. There was a bit of overlapping in some featurettes and I did find it a shame that we don't a commentary track at all. The 7 featuerettes include:
* A Film Like No Other
* Everything is Connected
* The Impossible Adaptation
* The Essence of Acting
* Spaceships, Slaves & Sextets
* The Bold Science Fiction of Cloud Atlas
* Eternal Recurrence: Love, Life and Longing in Cloud Atlas
