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Cloud Atlas

Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, James D'Arcy, Hugh Grant, and Susan Sarandon
Directed by: Tom Tykwer, Lana and Andy Wachowski
Screenplay by: Tom Tykwer, Lana and Andy Wachowski
Based on the novel by David Mitchell

      When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was blown away by many things and started to have high expectations for this film.  Were they met?
      The story of Cloud Atlas takes us through the lives of two souls who are reincarnated again and again throughout the ages as different people.  These people seem to meet each other and share a very special bond in all of these time periods.  And they will take audiences on a wild ride in each of these different time periods.
      This is a film that must be seen more than once in order to fully understand the story.  Each subplot  is vastly different from the others and each is told in a different way as well.  Sadly, the book does not help much to clear things up when it gets confusing.  I do recommend the book as well as the film, but it does not matter the order in which you do either.
      If there are filmmakers who can truly make you wonder if the world you live in is in reality like the world you see in the film, Lana and Andy Wachowski do it best.  They did this to us once with The Matrix (1999) and they have done it again with Cloud Atlas.  
      The acting in this film is exceptional.  We truly see just how dynamic all of the actors are in this film because almost all of them play multiple roles throughout the story.  And while the story often flips back and forth between the parallel story lines, one can easily become attached to these characters, even the more peripheral ones, simply because the actors are fantastic in each of their respective roles.
      The visual effects are quite striking as well.  They create a film that seems almost larger than life.  The makeup is fantastic on the actors as well because there are roles that many of them play that one may not recognize easily.
      This film is the rare film that left me speechless after leaving the theater.  I fear it will be under-appreciated and will not do so well at the box office.  I will say this though: I have completed my top 5 films of 2012.  Cloud Atlas currently stands at #2 (the full list at the bottom).
      As a warning:  This is an incredibly long film.  It runs 2 hours and 43 minutes.  But it feels as though it is much longer than that.  You will feel like you've been in the theater for an eternity, but you will also feel like you've been on a visual and emotional roller coaster.
      I cannot recommend this film enough.  While it is a lengthy film, it is absolutely worth the time and the money.
      We shall meet again soon when you read my next review of whichever movie that may be.  But until then, I give Cloud Atlas the grade of A+.

My Top 5 films of 2012 as of 10/27:
#5: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
#4: Argo
#3: The Avengers
#2: Cloud Atlas
#1: The Dark Knight Rises

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