Cloud Atlas: Everything Is Connected

Watching this edit makes you wonder: why didn’t the filmmakers themselves do it this way? Why make it so hard on themselves with that quick and hard-to-follow edit? With this fanedit at least one can invest in the characters and the stories, and really being moved by them. I even noticed some details I always missed when watching the theatrical cut.

Having read the book before I saw the movie, I expected this fanedit to be exactly like the book. The editor however chose to start (and end) the movie in the same way as the theatrical version, which is actually way better than sticking 100% to the book, because this way the viewer is better prepared for what’s to come.
I think it would have further improved the storytelling to repeat the prologue-shots of the 1973 story during the actual 1973 story, and one or two slow-motion shots during that part of the movie were perhaps a little too slow to be convincing.

But those are very minor details. Seeing this fanedit was almost like seeing the movie for the first time, and it brought back happy memories of reading the book. So here’s a big thankyou to Avid 4D. And to everyone else: skip the theatrical version - you only need this one.

Really enjoyed the original film and am fairly surprised that a cut of this kind was not at least provided as a special feature on home media releases. With the source footage of the six stories being so fragmented I am amazed that it could have been rearranged so seamlessly.

Have nothing more to say, video and audio quality was excellent throughout (saw it not long after viewing the original on blu-ray and nothing untoward caught my eye) as were the edits, all I need to do now is read the book!

As a fan of the book first, then the movie, thank you so much Avid4D for doing this edit! It was fascinating to see the stories unfold the way they do in the book. Stellar editing! I didn't think it would be possible but you made it work.

Have you seen the theatrical cut of Cloud Atlas? Did you enjoy it? No matter the answers to these questions, this is an edit worth seeking out. I, for one, did see the original and felt kind of "meh" about it. I like a lot of things about it, I dislike some things, but ultimately I feel like it doesn't earn its profundities. The new structure in this edit certainly makes it easier to follow, and spending more time with these characters instead of jumping away just as we get a handle on what's going on gives us more time to consider the meaning of what we're seeing. Unfortunately, it also wreaks havoc with the pacing, meaning you really feel the runtime. Also, in compartmentalizing the stories, it breaks up what was an unclassifiable meditation on life and humanity into a series of vignettes with wildly disparate tones. You'll be watching a romantic tragedy for a few minutes, then a comedy, then a sci-fi actioner, and so on. I like all of those things, but if you're not digging a particular story or style, you're going to be stuck watching it for a bit anyway, twice.

Aside from all of this, though, Cloud Atlas: Everything is Connected is a fascinating exercise in editing! When you consider that the film started life with a mosaic structure and a (gorgeous) ever-present soundtrack tying everything together, watching these bits and pieces reorganized into larger chunks that work on their own while still retaining much of the (gorgeous, truly) soundtrack is astounding. There are a (very) few moments where you can sense the edits or hear a bit of dialed-down soundtrack in the background, but they are few and far between and don't even come close to ruining the experience. This is an impressive edit, make no mistake.

I still don't think the movie is very successful in what it set out to do, but I believe it's still worth watching. Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski's shot the hell out of this movie, the production design is terrific, the cast all really went for it (Tom Hanks especially is a blast), the makeup while frequently distracting is still really interesting, and did I mention the score? So even if it's all a bunch of hooey, it's nonsense made by pros. Oh, and the HD MP4 looked great, no complaints.

This is a fantastic edit. At no point would somebody who has not seen the original realize that this is an edit. Others have commented that they did not like the fade to black between stories but I did not mind it at all. They are not jolting or distracting to me at all. There were no awkward audio transitions either and it all works extremely well.

A/V is excellent.

I highly recommend this edit and really don't have any complaints to mention.