Cloud Atlas - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Cloud Atlas



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
For us ancient Elder millennials 1999 was a magical year. We had Star Wars: Episode One, Mystery Men, Entrapment, The Iron Giant….and of course, The Matrix. That was the year of Columbine (and the subsequent blaming of The Matrix for the shooting by some), the looming Y2K nightmare that was supposedly going to happen, and the year that the Watchowski siblings literally revolutionized the action/sci-fi genre overnight. The Matrix was the runaway hit that spawned two slightly lesser sequels, but made so much money that Warner Bros. executives were literally swimming in cash. But similarly to the fall of M. Knight Shamalamadingdong, the Wachowskis’ string of films post The Matrix trilogy have been veritable box office bombs, with the occasional glimpse of something interesting, ala Sense8. The biggest (and the one that almost got them cut off from Warner) was 2012’s Cloud Atlas. A movie that had amazingly huge potential, with a sweeping epic runtime of nearly 3 hours, and a massive star-studded ensemble cast that just screamed talent. But, sadly, the film didn’t turn a profit for Warner, raking in only $27 million off of a reported $146 million budget domestically (and roughly $100 million overseas). The film was run through the meat grinder by critics everywhere, and at the end of the day, I feel like I was one of the 2 dozen people on earth who actually really enjoyed the film. Now, after 12 years of the same transfer, Shout! Studios offers us a classy 3-disc collector’s edition set of the film, with a brand new remaster overseen by the Wachowskis themselves, in a classy 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo pack to enjoy.

In some way, I don’t really blame the Wachowskis for failing to reach the general population with Cloud Atlas. Based upon David Mitchell’s novel of the same name, it’s not surprising. The book is pretty much considered unfilmable, so the fact that this was independently financed to the tune of $100 million bucks, and turned out pretty decent, is a shocking feat in its own right. The film has an enormous cast of returning characters, with no less than SIX different timelines and stories being told simultaneously, and the fact that it actually came together in the end to make a cohesive story is something that needs a round of applause in my opinion. At the same time, I understand why a lot of people didn’t like it. The narrative is meandering, weaving elements of reincarnation, spiritual ascension, and thematic corollaries that take a lot of brain power to chew through. Something most people weren’t expecting when they saw the action like trailer.

It’s going to be nigh impossible to give this a simple synopsis like you would with any 3 arc story, but I’ll give a few teasers. When you first start watching the film, the six stories being told simultaneously seem to have very little in common with each other outside of the same few major characters appearing with prosthetics on and varying accents to differentiate themselves from the other timelines or narratives. But if you look closer, it's done intentionally. Yes, the stories are not really connected by anything other than prosthetics and differing accents, but that’s not the connection the Wachowskis were going for. Rather, the connection is thematic, showing the various themes of human survival and love across time, space, and even worlds. A love story to all of humanity, and the struggles that bind us and hold us together.

And at the same time, this is a VERY hard film to follow, even if you’re one of the people that “get it” (so to speak). I’ve watched the movie no less than 15 or so times over the last 13 years, and I still feel like I get something new every time I watch it. And every time I watch it, I feel just a little confused as well. It’s a strange dichotomy and something that makes the film entirely unique, yet strangely frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. The Wachowskis’ vision is massive, and the visuals are something that can not be understated. Much like Speed Racer, this is a wild visual treat, with glimpses of richly saturated futuristic sci-fi encounters, the rustic browns and blues of a Schooner, and bright greens and whites of a post-apocalyptic forest sometime in the future. It’s a nightmare, a dream, a vivid treat, and really one of the most visually striking films of the 2010s by a HUGE margin.

The performances are generally stunning, with Halle Berry turning in a solid performance, with Hanks and Ben Wishaw stealing the show in every character they inhabit. Sadly, I wished the film had been a bit more cohesive than it turned out, but this is still a film I feel no shame about loving, even though the vast majority of the populace shunned Cloud Atlas for being ...well… Cloud Atlas. And while I know I’m not in the norm for loving this, I still absolutely adore that the Wachowskis and Tykwer were able to make a book that is LITERALLY unfilmable, somehow filmable.




Rating:

Rated R for violence, language, sexuality/nudity, and some drug use




4K Video: Video:

Shot on film (man, I really miss good old-fashioned film stock as the norm) and remastered under the supervision of the Wachowskis, Cloud Atlas looks amazing in 4K (and the included Blu-ray, which was taken from the same 4K remaster). The old Blu-ray looked great at the time, but with modern remastering techniques and a healthier bitrate by pushing off all the extras onto a 3rd disc, this just looks much better. Right off the bat, I have to say that just like audio, the video runs the gamut of various colors and color grading due to having 6 different stories from 6 different locations being told at once. Ambers and wooden browns dominate some, while glossy black, sleek blues, and neon pinks dominate others. The timeline with the post-apocalyptic humanity ranges from bright whites of humanity who have retained technology, while the rest of humanity deals with dirty brown clothing, set in the luscious green forests. It’s an amazing array of colors and visual treats, making this one of my favorite films to watch, and the new 4K upgrade is worth it for sure. Details are stunning, ranging from the obvious makeup on Hanks' and Berry’s faces in said post-apocalyptic narrative, to richly designed hover crafts in the futuristic one. Black levels are jaw-dropping, and this time, that slightly hazy look I noticed on the ancient Blu-ray is completely gone. Film grain is fine and nuanced, still looking natural while never being obtrusive. There are a few times I noticed some crush in the shadows, but overall, this is a great-looking encode and a worthy upgrade over the aging Blu-ray.









Audio:

While I can’t be certain, I’m 99% sure that Shout! Studios is using the same 5.1 DTS-HD MA track that Warner used for the 2013 Blu-ray. And that’s not a bad thing, as that 5.1 mix was quite the treat almost 13 years ago. It’s a vivacious and encompassing mix, running the gamut from quiet and soft in certain timelines, while being loud and aggressive in others. Soft forest whispers can happen one moment, while we’re shooting laser guns at chasing soldiers in a sci-fi future. LFE is powerful and thundering at times, with waves slamming against the schooner’s side or the rumbling of a fighter jet blasting overhead. Likewise, surround channels are varied and effective, engaging you with a litany of various activities, ranging from the discrete to ambient, depending on what timeline we’re in at the moment. Would I have loved for Warner and Shout! to pony up for a new Atmos track? Sure, but at the end of the day, this is still a killer mix.







Extras:

• NEW "What Is An Ocean... Reconnecting The Cast And Crew Of Cloud Atlas" – A Unique Feature-Length Look Back At The Film, Hosted By Jon Donahue and Including Brand-New Interviews With Tom Tykwer and Lana And Lilly Wachowski; Author David Mitchell; Cast Members Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Keith David, James D'Arcy, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, And Hugh Grant; Co-Producer Roberto Malerba; Co-Director Of Photography Frank Griebe; Production Designers Hugh Bateup And Uli Hanisch; Costume Designers Kym Barrett And Pierre-Yves Gayraud; Make-Up Artists Jeremy Woodhead, Daniel Parker And Sian Richards; Visual Effects Supervisors Dan Glass And Stephane Ceretti; Dialogue Coach William Conacher; Composers Reinhold Heil And Johnny Klimek; Editor Alexander Berner; Stunt Coordinator Volkhart Buff; And Very Special Guest E.A. Hanks
• 7 Archival Featurettes: A Film Like No Other; Everything Is Connected; The Impossible Adaptation; The Essence Of Acting; Spaceships, Slaves & Sextets; The Bold Science Fiction Of Cloud Atlas; Eternal Recurrence: Love, Life And Longing In Cloud Atlas
• Extended Look Trailer

Final Score: ​

Once again, I feel that Cloud Atlas deserves a second chance from many people. It’s definitely not perfect, but visually, the film is a delight, and the intertwining tales are fascinating to watch in their disjointed narrative. Personally, I felt that the film got a bad rap, not because it was a HORRIBLE film, but because it wasn’t what people expected. And let's not forget that for fans of the flick, Shout! Studios have gone out of their way to make a great remastered 4K set, and put over 5 hours of special features on a 3rd disc instead of cramming it in with a 3-hour film like the Warner disc was. Knowing how divisive and controversial this film was, I can’t just give a rubber stamp of “go watch this! It’s Great!” on this review, but the fans will really love this upgrade, and I think a lot of people should at least recheck the film out again before writing it off completely.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Jim Sturgess, Ben Wishaw, Bae Doona, Keith David
Directed by: Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Written by: David Mitchell, Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Shout! Studios
Rated: R
Runtime: 172 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 23rd, 2025

Recommendation: Interesting Watch