10 Unfilmable Properties That Should've Stayed That Way

9. Cloud Atlas

Few other movie adaptations have so polarized movie critics as Cloud Atlas. Adapted from the novel by David Mitchell and directed by the Andy and Lana Wachowski along with Tom Tykwer, opinions range from "daring and visionary" to "unique and totally unparalleled disaster." The truth perhaps lies somewhere in between - the directors have undoubtedly delivered a visual spectacle, with each of the six timelines over which the movie is set looking ravishing, production designed to the n-th degree. The trouble lies in the splicing of the individual narratives and the heavy-handed manner in which this outlines the unity between the various characters and storylines - something of this substance would clearly have worked much better as a six part TV series (perhaps with a hefty dose of HBO-style budgeting to ensure a slick look), rather than being scattered around the screen via the editing room. Still, it was another opportunity for the Wachowskis to demonstrate their pretentious leanings - in an interview they likened their mission to Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo and Herman Melville, comparisons which are both lofty and unwarranted.