Saw the new Tom Hangs, Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks, and Tom Hanks movie Cloud Atlas – the 2 hr 50 min 6 interwoven story movie (each with similar themes, each from different time periods, each largely with the same cast). This is a very smart, very earnest movie that I think it thinks is more wise than I ultimately found it.

Which isn’t to say it isn’t completely watchable and interesting for its full run. I just wish the 6 stories thematically worked better – I kind of came away thinking some of it was trite or confused.

But the acting is great and the makeup work is impressive – the many versions of each actor are interesting and include some of them playing different races and genders… a lot of Caucasian actors wind up with Korean faces, some black actors end up white, some men are unconvincingly huge women, etc. Stick around for the credits to see how many different characters each person played.

Anyhow, solid movie, always interesting, not as good as it thinks it is…. but I don’t want to fault too much a movie this ambitious AND well-made just because it doesn’t all work. The attempt to make it and the fact it somehow got made is impressive itself.

Score: 85