Cloud Atlas is kind of fun, in a shallow, drawn-out sort of way. Its general message of individual acts of love overcoming institutionalized violence and hatred is a good one, certainly. The film is not subtle and it is not deep. It’s not even that complicated or difficult to follow – the six parallel stories are each very simple and straightforward, and it is always very clear what time period you are in. The only complication is that you are invited to ponder the significance of the fact that all the actors provocatively appear in each time-period (heavily disguised,) coupled with a strange, inscrutable message about everyone being connected to each other, all throughout time.

I don’t really buy the idea that we are all connected to each other throughout time, but let’s set that side for the moment. What matters is the case the film made for it. I could discern relatively little connection between the characters and actions in the different segments (there is some, but it’s not very impressive) despite the fact that all the characters kept talking about it. In fact, if the same actors were not used over and over in the different segments, I don’t think anyone would give this idea a second thought. And when that futuristic chick finally gives her big speech that sets her world free, a speech which clearly seeks to put forth the film’s official philosophical stance on this matter, I must confess that nothing she said made any sense to me.

But nevertheless, Cloud Atlas is still fun for two reasons. First, most of the stories are diverting and pretty well-told, and because the film never sits long on any one segment, you almost always feel continuously connected to all six stories. I should add that I thought they maintained the pace of the parallel narratives pretty well, even though the downside of this approach is that you are eventually subjected to 90 straight minutes of denouement, which is undeniably tiring. Second, it’s surprisingly fun to watch all these actors playing multiple, very different roles throughout history – I thought it would seem like a gimmick, but somehow it didn’t.

My wife did not see the movie with me, and the first thing she wanted to know is if the Tom Hanks “cave-man” part was as hokey as it looks in the preview. The answer is no – in fact, that section was actually my favorite, and I thought Tom Hanks was really good in it. Tom Hanks is quite good in all his various roles, and I have an extremely low tolerance for Tom Hanks. It was also nice to see the wonderful Jim Broadbent get to play a variety of different leading roles, only one of which was his usual goofy type-casting. Halley Barry was pretty bad in all her parts, but not bad enough to seriously drag the movie down. Everyone else was solid, including Hugh Grant, who I’m happy to see is finally making a comeback after Sarah Jessica Parker destroyed his career three years ago.

I would recommend Cloud Atlas. Just don’t go in there thinking you’re going to come out with a bunch of deep metaphysical ideas about the human condition. This is simple, Hollywood good vs. evil stuff, with a structural twist – enjoy it for what it is.