Cloud Atlas

2012
R
2h 52m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

378K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,897

Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Bae Doona, Jim Sturgess, and Ben Whishaw in Cloud Atlas (2012)

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.

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Dystopian Sci-Fi Psychological Drama Sci-Fi Epic Drama Mystery Sci-Fi Thriller

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 acro... Read allAn 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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

378K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,897

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 15 wins & 79 nominations

Photos256

+ 251

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In 2005, while on the London set of V for Vendetta (2005), Natalie Portman gave a copy of the original novel to Lana Wachowski, who became deeply interested in it. A year later, both Wachowski siblings wrote a first draft of the screenplay. Tom Tykwer, a friend of the Wachowskis, was invited to co-author several subsequent drafts with them in the following two years, constantly keeping in mind observations by the book's author himself, David Mitchell, while looking for international investors. In all those years, Portman was promised the role of Sonmi-451, but had to turn down the role at the last minute after becoming pregnant in 2010; however, she is given a special thanks in the closing credits.

Goofs
The 1849 slave trade contract that Ewing was bringing back to his Father in the states was unenforceable. The slave trade had been outlawed in the United States on January 1, 1808, the first date permitted by the Constitution. The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves of 1807 (2 Stat. 426, enacted March 2, 1807). Slaves could no longer be imported into the United States. The slave trade was dead. Likewise, California was a "free state" where owning slaves was outlawed in 1849.

Quotes
Sonmi-451: Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.

Crazy credits
When a montage is shown of all the characters the actors play, the font of the names changes with each time period.

Connections
Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.21 (2012)

Soundtracks
Looking For Freedom
Music by Jack White
Lyrics by Gary Cowtan
Performed by David Hasselhoff
© by Radiomusic - International (50% for Germany/Austria/Switzerland) / Young Music Publishing (Remaining World)
Courtesy of Universal Music Publishing Group (Germany)
Mit Freundlicher Genehmigung von Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH

User reviews1.1K

Review

Featured review

The Wachowskis join forces with Tom Tykwer and overhaul the meaning of the word Epic!

Kudos to all the filmmakers for adapting this famously "unfilmable" novel in such an inventive way. There are SIX separate timelines that switch after every scene, but instead of the plot, the narrative continuity follows the theme of the film. Once you clue in to that overall theme, it is no longer confusing when the story jumps from a runaway slave in the 1800s to a post apocalyptic future battle between some of the last humans remaining on earth.

All this audacious style and structure makes Cloud Atlas a curiosity to say the least, but the film is lifted to the realm of "Masterpiece" by the all-star ensemble cast. This impressive collection of actors fires off amazing performances like the Expendables 2 fires off high caliber bullets. I mean this will long be considered one of the greatest acting clinics ever filmed, and a high point in some already outstanding careers, as the end credits alone are astonishing to watch.

Overall this is a movie that transcends the simple elements of stars and plots and special effects, and boldly assumes to take the cinema to another level of storytelling, much like Avatar took film to a new level of technology a few years ago. The ambition, the technical brilliance and the passion that was put into this film makes it one of the great epics of our time.