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Cloud Atlas

2012 2h 52m
Drama Science Fiction
MOVIEVIBE Rating
6.9/10
7,692 reviews
Your Rating
Cloud Atlas

A set of six nested stories spanning time between the 19th century and a distant post-apocalyptic future. Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. Based on the award winning novel by David Mitchell. Directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis.

"Everything is connected."

Top Billed Cast

Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Halle Berry
Halle Berry
Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym
Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent
Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving
Haskell Moore / Tadeusz Kesselring / Bill Smoke / Nurse Noakes / Boardman Mephi / Old Georgie
Jim Sturgess
Jim Sturgess
Adam Ewing / Poor Hotel Guest / Megan's Dad / Highlander / Hae-Joo Chang / Adam / Zachry Brother-in-Law
Bae Doona
Bae Doona
Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute
Ben Whishaw
Ben Whishaw
Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman
James D'Arcy
James D'Arcy
Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

A Andres Gomez Verified TMDB Critic
2013-05-13

Interesting film with an exceptional cast, fantastic performances and characterizations. The story, though, is a bit difficult to follow and, in the end, seems to not have a real point....

T Travis Bell Verified TMDB Critic
2013-08-13

Cloud Atlas was a very well made movie but unlike a lot of movies that try to tell simultaneous stories and then have them come together at the end, this one just didn't for me. I'm still unclear as to the point of it all.

Another issue I had was a general feeling of goofiness. Sure, the Cavendish story was pure comedy but the rest of the stories just didn't feel serious enough to me.

It carried my attention for the 172 minutes well enough and it was entertaining, I just expected more of a pay off at the end.

All in all, it's definitely worth seeing but I still haven't made up my mind...

V Vlad Mihalca Verified TMDB Critic
2022-01-13

A not-easy-to-follow film, we are presented with sub-plots from several times and places, both past and future - in which the same characters seem to be involved.

An interesting idea, good images but yu need to have a particular taste in movies in order to fully enjoy Cloud Atlas. I feel that the average audience may not be heavily impressed with they way it conveys its message - by going from one timeline to another and slowly building up all these sub-plots in parallel....

T Torsten Rüger Verified TMDB Critic
2025-08-23

The true legacy of the Wachowskis, so close to pulling off the impossible that it is not wholly understandable in one viewing.

The central theme is the idea of karma. Actions affecting our lives, not just in this life but through several incarnations. Thrown in is the idea of connectedness, no one really being independent but connected and dependant on others.
The format through which these themes are worked are i believe 6 different times over three centuries. The same actors are used in their "same" roles in different time lines to give this understanding of "same" person ie reincarnatio...