It premiered on 8 September 2012 at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival,[9] and was publicly released on 26 October 2012 in conventional and IMAX cinemas.

[11][12][13] It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for Tykwer (who co-scored the film), Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil.

[14] It received several nominations at the Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film, and won for Best Editing and Best Make-up.

Characters appear to recur in each era, but change relationships to each other, suggesting reincarnation or other connection between souls through the ages.

In San Francisco, Ewing and his wife Tilda denounce her father's complicity in slavery and leave for New York to join the abolition movement.

As the sextet nears completion, Ayrs demands credit for it and threatens to expose Frobisher's bisexuality if he refuses.

Sixsmith tips off Rey to a conspiracy to create a catastrophe at a nuclear reactor run by Lloyd Hooks, who secretly promotes oil-energy interests.

With help from the plant's head of security, Joe Napier, Rey evades another assassination attempt, and Smoke is killed.

In London, 2012, gangster Dermot Hoggins murders a critic after a harsh review of his memoir, generating huge sales.

Zachry Bailey's village is visited by Meronym, a member of an advanced, off-world society called the Prescients, who are dying from a plague.

Other cast members who appear in more than one segment include Robert Fyfe, Martin Wuttke, Brody Nicholas Lee, Alistair Petrie, and Sylvestra Le Touzel.

[15] In addition, author David Mitchell makes a cameo appearance as a double agent in the futuristic Korea section.

Filmmaker Tom Tykwer revealed in January 2009 his intent to adapt the novel and said he was working on a screenplay with the Wachowskis,[17] who optioned the novel.

[18] By June 2010, Tykwer had asked actors Natalie Portman, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, James McAvoy, and Ian McKellen to star in Cloud Atlas.

[20] In the following May, with Hanks and Berry confirmed in their roles, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, Susan Sarandon, and Jim Broadbent also joined the cast.

They specifically praised Tom Hanks's enthusiasm: "Warner Bros. calls and, through our agent, says they've looked at the math and decided that they don't like this deal.

[38] Other German locations include the city of Düsseldorf and the Saxon Switzerland landscape,[39] furthermore sets[40] in and near Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland,[41] and the Mediterranean island of Majorca, Spain.

[40] The opening scene, when Adam Ewing meets Dr. Henry Goose, was filmed at Sa Calobra beach.

"[44] Besides directing the film, Tykwer co-composed the score with his longtime collaborators, Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek.

[51] According to the Wachowskis, Summit Entertainment, who previously worked with Tykwer on Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, was originally going to distribute it internationally, but ultimately rejected it.

[52] It was released in cinemas in China on 31 January 2013 with 39 minutes of cuts, including removal of nudity, a sexual scene, and numerous conversations.

[53] A six-minute trailer, accompanied by a short introduction by the three directors describing the ideas behind the creation of the film, was released on 26 July 2012.

[57] The film garnered divided reactions by both critics and audiences, with many debating its length and editing of the interwoven stories, but praising other aspects such as the cinematography, score, visual style, ensemble cast, and ambition.

The site's critics' consensus is that "Its sprawling, ambitious blend of thought-provoking narrative and eye-catching visuals will prove too unwieldy for some, but the sheer size and scope of Cloud Atlas are all but impossible to ignore.

[63] Conversely, Slant Magazine's Calum Marsh called it a "unique and totally unparalleled disaster" and said "[its] badness is fundamental, an essential aspect of the concept and its execution that I suspect is impossible to remedy or rectify.

"[64] Henry Barnes writing in The Guardian said that "At 172 minutes, Cloud Atlas carries all the marks of a giant folly, and those unfamiliar with the book will be baffled"; he gave the film two out of five stars.

[3] Nick Pickerton, who reviewed the film for The Village Voice, said, "There is a great deal of humbug about art and love in Cloud Atlas, but it is decidedly unlovable, and if you want to learn something about feeling, you're at the wrong movie.

"[68] James Rocchi of MSN Movies stated, "It is so full of passion and heart and empathy that it feels completely unlike any other modern film in its range either measured through scope of budget or sweep of action.

When asked whether I mind the changes made during the adaptation of Cloud Atlas, my response is similar: The filmmakers speak fluent film language, and they've done what works.

[84] The portrayal of Moriori character Autua by a Black British man was subject to similar scrutiny; it was criticized by some as offensive and confusing for audiences.