This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 25, 2012 - "Cloud Atlas," which takes on the daunting challenge of adapting to film a narratively complex, densely written 528-page novel, spends almost three hours weaving together six stories spanning five centuries. In style, the stories range from historical drama to contemporary anti-corporate thriller to dystopian science fiction. At its best, the film is visually and viscerally exhilarating, a mind-bending triumph of style over substance. At its worst, it is maudlin melodrama times six.
In the ambitious David Mitchell novel on which the film is based, the stories were told in chronological order up to a halfway point, and then told the rest of the way in reverse. In the film, the stories are told in a straightforward way, but they are intercut with one another, so that we hop, say, from pioneer 19th century Australia to regimented 21st century "New Seoul" to left-leaning1970s San Francisco. All the stories, in one way or another, have to do with freedom and slavery, literal or figurative.
As the film progresses, the cutting between time periods tends to accelerate, providing a sense of forward motion and unity even when the stories themselves grow tiresomely talky and platitudinous.
To add to the richness of the narrative, or perhaps to save on movie-star salaries, the same actors appear in all the segments, playing different characters, sometimes wildly different ones. Tom Hanks, for example, is a villainous doctor in the 19th century episodes and a neo-caveman hero in the post-Apocalyptic 24th century sections. (In the latter, he talks a sometimes unfortunate pidgin English -- "Tell me true, true," he pleads.)
Superficially, at least, having actors reappear as different characters in different stories reflects Mitchell's theme of interconnectedness -- a theme that is stated directly by Madame Horrox, one of the characters played by Susan Sarandon:
"Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future."
Unfortunately, having the same actors, often in heavy makeup, appear as different characters in different stories almost forces the viewer to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to mentally pry loose the prosthetics and figure out who is playing whom. Oh, look, that demure Emily Dickenson-era New England wife is really Halle Berry! And that female martinet who is keeping modern-day editor Jim Broadbent institutionalized against his will is really Hugo Weaving of the "Matrix" movies!
"Cloud Atlas" boasts three directors, and their identity provides an insight into why the film is such a triumph on the visual and visceral level despite its narrative superficiality and often lame dialogue. The three filmmakers were the German Tom Twyker and the Chicago-born Wachowski siblings -- Andy and Lana, once Andy and Larry. Twyker's best known work is "Run, Lola, Run," a hyper-kinetic thriller that spins reality through notably clever camera tricks. And the Wachowskis, of course, are responsible for the dazzlingly psychedelic "Matrix" movies.
Together, almost predictably, the three have put together a film that is a feast for the eyes -- cinematography, editing and set design are all superb -- but that offers little of substance for the mind or the soul. You could call it "Run, Cloud Atlas, Run."
Opens Friday Oct. 26