If Cloud Atlas represents one of the biggest filmmaking gambles ever, it’s largely because it is inherently difficult to sell in a tweet, a :30 spot, or a soundbite. This is a story about scale that relies on complexity to show us something about ourselves and our universe, and the track record of attendance for big-budget parallel-narrative beauty poems is not comforting. That said, there are enough faces and places of beauty in this trailer that I really hope mainstream audiences give it a shot. Cutting down the five-minute piece and adding a few new shots, this more traditional trailer sells the film on scale and inspiration, and relies heavily on match cuts to convey what it’s all about. I think it’s as solid an approach as any.

It’s beautiful, and I still can’t wait to see this film, now perhaps more than any other left for us in 2012.

Remember to check out the amazing New Yorker profile on The Wachowskis, and keep your calendars marked for October 26th.

via BAD