A giant sprawling novel that jumps between times and locations with multiple characters that don’t intersect often remains on the page as filmmakers decide that it’s too much for a cinema screen. How is an audience supposed to follow the film without constantly asking each other, “What’s going on now?” or “Where are we?” Filmmakers fear the final question a viewer might ask, “Do you want to sneak into another theater?” When the novel Cloud Atlas was published in 2004, author David Mitchell (number9dream) was praised for how he blended science fiction, historical fiction and even metafiction that brought together six stories into one giant tale. Critics used the work “complex” to describe the book. Which can easily become too complicated for a movie audience. Cloud Atlas found itself the being developed by a trio of filmmakers known for making complicated movies. Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski had created all the Matrix movies. They were joined by Tom Tykwer who blew away the art house audience with Run Lola Run. They embraced the complex structure of the book and added in a strange technique of having actors play different characters in the various stories. Cloud Atlas is a film for people who crave more than a simple storyline.
The six ages presented in the film cover 1849 to 2321. The earliest tale is about the ocean journey of American Adam Ewing (Across The Universe’s Jim Sturgess) who encounters the harsh reality of slavery when he witnesses Autua (Interstellar‘s David Gyasi) being beaten. In 1936 Great Britain, Robert Frobisher (Bright Star‘s Ben Whishaw) finds works assisting composer Vyvyan Ayrs (Time Bandits‘ Jim Broadbent) finish his “The Cloud Atlas Sextet.” The action in San Francisco in 1973 involves investigative reporter Luisa Rey (X-Men‘s Halle Berry) a nuclear reactor accident that might not have been an accident. She also finds herself dealing with numerous accidents that might not be accidents. In contemporary London of 2012, publisher Timothy Cavendish (also Jim Broadbent) has a mobster writer whose connections want a piece of his book. He needs a place to hide. His brother (Heretic‘s Hugh Grant) suggests a hotel that turns out to be something different. We blast into the future of Neo Seoul of 2144. Sonmi-451 (The Host‘s Doona Bae) is a clone that’s been programed to work in a restaurant with others. She her code and gets sick of customers treating her crudely. This goes against the system and gets her in major trouble. The last story takes place in 2321 Hawaii after an apocalypse. Tribal leader Zachry Bailey (Bachelor Party‘s Tom Hanks) helps Meronym (Halle Berry) find a communications station on his island that also has a cannibal tribe. She’s doesn’t live near Hawaii.
Cloud Atlas is one of those films that keeps you watching as it exposes connections between the different stories. A couple are easier in that connection since a character in the future actually watches a TV show that recreates what happened to a character in the past (although with different actors playing them). Having the same actors pop up in the different times without playing the same characters keeps things extremely interesting. This isn’t quite as confusing as sorting out the names in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s A Hundred Years of Solitude. Tom Hanks doesn’t play a bunch of Tom Hanks clones. In 2012, Hanks wearing a scarred-up face is the thuggish novel writer who tosses a critic off the top of a building. Sweet Tom Hanks pulls off the brutal street gangster. While they don’t headline any of the eras, Hugo Weaving (The Matrix), Keith David (The Thing) and Susan Sarandon (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) are supporting cast where needed. Writer-directors Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski & Tom Tykwer tap into what made the novel an engrossing read and not merely a series of short stories bundled together. The themes come together to unite all. This is a movie that has aged well since its release in 2012. The 4K UHD allows a chance to rewatch and notice even more common threads coming together over the nearly three-hour running time of Cloud Atlas.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The transfer is a restoration of the Digital Intermediate approved by Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski & Tom Tykwer. The feature is presented in Dolby Vision. Things look sharp on the 4K UHD disc. You’ll see how the actors changed for their various characters. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo. Pick the option that matches your speaker system. The movie is subtitled in English.
Blu-ray with the movie. A second Blu-ray has all the bonus features.
What Is An Ocean…Reconnecting the Cast and Crew of Cloud Atlas (123:04) is a massive remembrance of making the film and its impact on their lives and careers. The documentary is hosted by Jon Donahue who has been Tom Hanks’ stand-in for the last 23 years including on the set of Cloud Atlas. He conducts a series of facetime interview with cast and crew. This includes Tom Tykwer and Lana and Lilly Wachowski; Author David Mitchell; Cast Members Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Keith David, James D’Arcy, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant and more. Lana Wachowski found the book when Natalie Portman was reading Cloud Atlas on the set of V For Vendetta. David Mitchell says that the structure of the book came first when he was writing. The Wachowskis and Tykwer went to Costa Rica to start working on the script. Things got confusing since Mitchell made two versions of the book and the Wachowskis had the later edition. They did declare that if Mitchell didn’t like their script, they’d end the project. But he liked it. And then they went looking for actors wanting to do numerous characters. Tom Hanks really loved making the film. His daughter E.A. Hanks was a fan of the novel before her dad got the script.
7 Archival Featurettes:
A Film Like No Other (7:15) has the cast recall how they reacted to reading the script and learning the filmmakers wanted them for multiple parts. Best is when Tom Hanks declares that after reading it, he didn’t have any questions, but he didn’t know what it was all about. This was an experimental big budget movie.
Everything Is Connected (8:00) has the cast explain how things are linked.
The Impossible Adaptation (9:07) lets the filmmakers explain the method to bringing the book to screen. Author David Mitchell seems satisfied seeing his novel come alive.
The Essence of Acting (7:20) has the actors talk about playing six roles. Tom Hanks calls it a ridiculous amount of work. But exciting. We get to see Halle Berry’s male role.
Spaceships, Slaves & Sextets (8:08) has Tom Tykwer talk about how the movie puts time in a washing machine.
The Bold Science Fiction of Cloud Atlas (7:14) gets into inventing the futuristic elements from the book.
Eternal Recurrence: Love, Life and Longing in Cloud Atlas (7:39) dips into the love story aspects within the times.
Extended Look Trailer (5:42) give a sense of how epic the movie was and a sense of connections.
Shout! Studios presents Cloud Atlas: Collector’s Edition. Directed by Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski & Tom Tykwer. Screenplay by Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski & Tom Tykwer. Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Zhou Xun, Keith David, Susan Sarandon & Hugh Grant. Boxset Contents: 1 4K UHD disc and 2 Blu-ray discs. Running Time: 172 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: December 23, 2025.
