Don’t be surprised if the first thing you say after seeing “Cloud Atlas” is, “What the hell just happened?”

The film takes nearly three hours to showcase six unique stories from different time periods and explain how these stories intertwine.

The stories range from a dying man on a ship home from the Pacific Islands in the 1800s to a clone worker who starts a revolution in the distant future. Members of an A-list cast, which includes Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, play multiple roles to help tie together the unique plots. Although the scene changes are confusing, the plots on their own are riveting. By the end of the film, the way in which the actions of the characters in other stories affect each other is clear in the final setting, a post-apocalyptic world.

Even if you can watch “Cloud Atlas” with the attention it demands, you probably won’t know what’s going on. There is not enough time with any of the characters for viewers to fully understand the connections, and the rapid scene changes are impossible to keep up with.

All I have to say is that if you do decide to see this film, good luck.