MovieChat Forums > Cloud Atlas (2012) Discussion > Watching for the 2nd time this weekend

Watching for the 2nd time this weekend

posted 9 years ago by xsomanymoviessolittletimex
1 reply | jump to latest

I didn't see this when it was originally released. It's been on SYFY this weekend. I have a short attention span and like to do many things at once (like watch a movie, knit and surf the internet at the same time!) and so today when it came on I decided to try to give it more attention.

I've read a lot of the comments on here and I think I get the general concept of the movie. The problem I have is with Tom Hanks. IMO, I feel he was terribly miscast in this. I like him as an actor, but I just can't take him seriously in any of the characters he's portraying here. He comes off as a caricature each time. I keep expecting him to say something grand like "I have made fire" like he did in Castaway. He mumbles his lines in the post-apocalyptic story (which is the only character I feel he was ok in) making the modified "English" language used (like Waterworld or Mad Max) even more difficult to understand. If this movie had a been a comedy - he'd have been perfect. I think the rest of the cast does a great job - even Hugh Grant's marginal abilities was passable.

I haven't read the book, but I understand having a set group of actors play different roles through time. It helps to be able to follow the stories, since they flip back and forth throughout the movie. The makeup to change their race or sex doesn't bother me. I didn't find it offensive.

I think it's a movie that takes several viewings to really understand the stories and connections.

I believe every person is born with a unique soul, so I don't believe in reincarnation. But I do believe in karma, in the sense that what we put out in the world (good or bad) will come back to us in kind - eventually.

[–] Farshnoshket 9 years ago

On Tom Hanks...When I was much younger I used to love watching Benny Hill. Now Benny and his pals had some pretty tough English accents, so it seemed every time I'd watch an episode I would learn more and more, but the fact was Benny and his chaps weren't doing anything wrong. It was just up to me to learn their accent to enjoy the show more, and I did. Same deal with Hanks character Zachary. Every single word Zachary says is audible, but it does take a little patience. Considering that the language is a bit different such as using the word 'cog', which I believe meant 'understood', so there are really 2 things to tackle. Also, Tom Hanks has had just as many serious roles in his life as comical, which is what makes Tom such a great actor; Philadelphia, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Cast Away, Road to Perdition, Catch Me if You Can, The Da Vinci Code, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Bridge of Spies, so Hanks is no stranger to playing it straight. You're not alone commenting on Hanks, but from where I'm standing I thought he did a great job with all the multiple roles, as well as all the other actors playing so many roles. I really think that's what gelled the entire film together; always feeling comfortable with the characters.

Keep in mind when you watch the film the order of the scenes are extremely precise and there's a very good reason for that. Try to relate one scene to the next. Most do have precise relationships and when I say that I mean one scene to the very next, which will most certainly be another time period.

Have fun watching!