Customer Ratings & Reviews

This was probably one of the crappiest Tom Hanks movies I've ever seen!

has a lot of big names, thought it would be interesting...wron!

With such big name actors was expecting more. Not impressed.

I don't liked at all. Nice photography but is a crazy plot

This has got to be the worst Tom Hanks movie I have ever seen.

very confusing and long, do not recomend this movie...

Waste of time and money. Don't purchase this movie.

Who among us doesn’t want to be remembered? To make an impact that will last lifetimes? It turns out everyone’s life does, just not necessarily the way you might like or to the degree you might hope, or so says this latest offering from the creators of The Matrix trilogy based on a novel of the same name by David Mitchell. Chronologically, the first character we’re introduced to is Adam Ewing. Ewing (played by Jim Sturgess) is an American lawyer travelling to the South Pacific to conduct business on behalf of his father-in-law. He witnesses the enslavement of the native islanders, offers passage to one who stows away on the ship, Autua (played by David Gyasi) and falls ill as a result of exposure to a parasite. Once incapacitated by his illness, Ewing is “cared for” by the maniacal Dr. Henry Goose (played by Tom Hanks). Eighty-seven years later, we’re taken to the UK and introduced to a young man whose wealthy father sees him as an embarrassment and has disowned him. That man, Robert Frobisher (played by Ben Whishaw), dreams of being a composer. While hoping to achieve that, he takes a job dictating for a man whose already achieved fame of his own, Vyvyan Ayrs (played by Jim Broadbent), whose eyes are failing him. Despite Ayrs unpleasant demeanor, Frobisher proves up to the job and it allows him time to further his own ambitions. Flash forward another thirty-seven years, we meet Luisa Rey. Rey (played by Halle Berry who also portrays relatively minor characters in the previous storylines) is a second-generation journalist writing a story about a nuclear power plant that is opening in her hometown of San Francisco. Unexpectedly, she meets Rufus Sixsmith (former lover of the now-deceased Frobisher played by James D’Arcy). Sixsmith (D’Arcy) is a nuclear physicist who knows that the plant is unsafe and hopes to relay his knowledge to Rey and provide evidence to substantiate it. What neither Ray, Sixsmith, or Dr. Isaac Sachs (another whistleblower played by Tom Hanks) are aware of however, is that they are all being hunted by a man whose employers wish to see the plant open, no matter the risk to the environment or local residents. Once again, we jump ahead. This time, thirty-nine years to the present. There we meet Timothy Cavendish (played by Broadbent). Cavendish is a publisher at a publicity event for an author named Dermot Hoggins (Hanks). During the event, Hoggins sees a critic who panned his work and throws him off the balcony. While he is sent to jail for his actions, his book begins flying off the shelves resulting in a financial windfall for Cavendish. Members of the Hoggins family wish to take the proceeds Cavendish is receiving from the sales as a result of Dermot signing away his rights to them before going to jail. Cavendish goes on the run and his brother Denholme (played by Hugh Grant who, like the others, played roles of varied significance in the previous stories) sends him to an establishment that he mistakes for a hotel but that is, in fact, a secure home for the elderly. Rather than capitulate, Cavendish plots his escape with help from other unhappy residents, one of whom only says two words over and over during the planning of the escape and the escape itself. There are two more storylines which, together, span a time of two-hundred nine years into the future. Rather than describe them both, I’ll simply conclude here with my thoughts on the film as a whole. Cloud Atlas, while not as brilliant as the hype made it out to be, is a great film. Hanks and company play all of their roles expertly. And though the connective tissue between them strains credulity at times, they each leave the viewer with a sense of hope and optimism that, in the end, things will work out somehow. That’s not a large part of my particular worldview, but it’s beautifully depicted and highly entertaining, nonetheless. See it.

This is a truly ambitious film by the Wachowski siblings (The Matrix) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). It's a multiple story line, multiple genre film that encompasses a few centures. Actors portray various characters as the film showcases the power of reincarnation and the impact that someone's past life could have on his or her present or future life. Despite your own feelings about whether reincarnation is true or not, just watch the film for what it is and keep your religious and spiritual beliefs out of it. My only real critique is that in some cases, the makeup looks ridiculous. For instance, when a White actor is given makeup to appear more Asian in the future timelines. I completely understand why they did it, I just think they could have done a better job makeup wise. Personally, I don't like to see a film in which the makeup is so obvious. Other than that, it's a great film.

There are several very-well-presented reviews written in essay format within this forum, so I will try to summarize my thoughts. At the end of the film, I had no emotional attachment to what I had just watched, which I think was my only desire going into it. Nonetheless, it was a nice movie to watch, and I'm sure there are certain sorts of people who will enjoy discussing and debating the film's content and messages. People who consider themselves to be "enlightened" or "free thinkers" will probably be very drawn in to this movie. If you take a more objective approach and just watch it without an agenda, you will probably enjoy it to some extent but you won't walk away feeling like you just experienced something special. I watched it in its entirety and I thought it was a fascinating idea, although not entirely original I'm sure. The action was moderate - this is not an action film, nor is it a film of revelation i.e. nobody at the end says, "Ah ha! I knew I had met you in a previous life!" This is a movie that involves different people in different time periods (and different planets, apparently) that are connected by their past. There are a multitude of human condition related ideas that are touched on and/or questioned, ranging from lifestyle to philosophy to spirituality. None of these things are really developed within the stories but rather they are merely touched-on, as if ideas passing briefly in the minds of the characters. If you are overtly turned off by homosexuality then you will likely turn this movie off within the first fifteen minutes. If movies involving Susan Sarandon turn your stomach, rest assured she does not play a leading role and you will probably be okay. If you manage to get past anything that doesn't agree with your personal tastes or ideas, then you might enjoy this movie. I was not blown away by the scenery, the cast, the story/stories, or the messages. But, it was a good movie to watch.

the convoluted story and amazing actors gave me curiosity to see if it would hold up to other amazing movies. to my surprice i was satisfied to the end. some huge confusing moments that are all worth watching gets undercoated over the amzing ending.

This was visually entertaining. You have to stick with the story and not try to make too much sense of it because it won't make full sense until you watch the full movie. Once I finish the full movie I enjoyed it very much.

Excellent movie. The picture quality is top notch as well. The movie itself is one that had me thinking about it for days after watching. The acting was tremendous and it has genre elements for all types: action, sci fi, romance, comedy, drama, etc. Great movie to add to any blu ray collection and Best Buy had the cheapest price available as well.

Can't go wrong with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. Good Sci-Fi flick.

Truly great film with multiple actors playing multiple roles that are interwoven beautifully. The changes in plot lines happen abruptly, so your attention is needed. Not one of those movies you can sit down in the middle of and just catch up with. It is WELL worth viewing, multiple times, to catch all the things you may have missed, and to savor the developing storyline. Great film. Great acting. Great writing. And the cinematography is amazing.

Interesting movie with some quality actors. It keeps you paying attention.

This is one of my favorite films. It's one I can easily watch over again and catch something I didn't catch the before. The cast is great If you're a fan of unique films like eternal sunshine of the spotless mind or the science of sleep then look no Further.

The film may not be for everyone, but it looks good on the Blu-ray! There are also lots of interesting extras included on the disc.

Excellent movie, wonderful plot keeps you intrigued until the end. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a great movie!

This movie is like journey to different places in different eras. Visually stunning with captivating story line