Children of Men Review

"Children of Men" reviews

Movie

Children of Men

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2009-03-11 21:47:30

Rating

4/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

The futuristically bleak Children of Men combines non-stop, edge-of-your-seat action with deep, powerful societal messages. A genuine thrill ride with a soul.

Story

Based on British mystery writer P.D. James' rather downbeat novel, Men takes place in the not-too-distant future, where the world is definitely not right. In fact, society is facing extinction since the human race has lost the ability to reproduce; there hasn't been a new child born in 18 years. But as the tagline reads, "…all that can change in a heartbeat." While the rest of England is unraveling as civil unrest runs rampant, a young woman named Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) is found miraculously pregnant, and Theo (Clive Owen), a disillusioned government agent, agrees to help secretly transport her to a sanctuary at sea where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of mankind. So sets in motion a race against time, fraught with many horrific obstacles.

Acting

Children of Men collects a first-rate cast. Leading the pack is Owen, as yet another reluctant antihero. It's a good part for the somewhat depressive actor, who seems at ease when everything is going to hell around him (see Inside Man, Closer, etc.). Theo is initially drawn into the Kee conflict because his ex-wife, a terrorist/activist--played with brief but quiet determination by Julianne Moore—asks him to. See, they share their own personal tragedy, so saving Kee and the baby becomes even more important to them. Newcomer Ashitey shines as Kee, who really doesn't understand at all what is happening to her but has a fair amount of spunk anyway. Other standouts include Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots), as one of Moore's compadres with his own nefarious agenda, and Michael Caine, as an old friend of Theo--a throwback to a more peaceful time. Representing both old and new school, Ejiofor and Caine are actors you can simply put in any film and somehow they will make them that much better.

Direction

But Children of Men's true brilliance comes from its creator. Co-writer/director Alfonso Cuaron is simply one of the most exciting cinematic storytellers working today. No genre is out of his reach. He has done kiddie flicks (A Little Princess), sexy coming-of-age dramas (Y Tu Mama Tambien)—and even a splashy Harry Potter installment (Prisoner of Azkaban, probably the best one so far). And now Men, a futuristic thriller that he crafts with absolute bone-chilling effect. Cuaron's world is not a very happy place, with the skies consistently gray with pollution and violence, injustice and human cruelty around every corner. When Theo and Kee are on the run, you're expecting the worst at any moment, but that's not really where Cuaron's head is at. He wants us to have hope. As the director puts it in the film's production notes, "Humanity has an amazing talent for destruction. But also, we can show solidarity and an ability to come through problems together. In the end, Children of Men isn't so much about humanity being destructive—its more about ideologies coming between people's judgment and their actions that is at work in this story." I couldn't have said it any better.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 4 stars.

Movie

Children Of Men

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-09-21 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

When one hears the name P.D. James, it tends to bring images of dusty old paperbacks and thoughts of literary detective Adam Dalgliesh to mind. So it's slightly strange to think that she's behind this bleak, futuristic outing which sees one man fighting to bring hope to mankind. Set in 2027, the film stars Clive Owen stars as Theo Faron, a jaded ex-activist who seems resigned to living in a world where women have become infertile and an oppressive government is struggling to control an influx of refugees from around the world. But amid all this chaos Theo finds Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), an African 'fugee' who might just change the world. Now he has to try and keep her safe amid the madness and deliver her to a boat off the south coast but with permits needed to travel and a gang of extremists on his tail, it's not going to be easy.

Desperately bleak and disturbing, director Alfonso Cuaron ("Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban") has really made England a grey and depressing place here but he's also injected some sparks of hope - such as Michael Caine's aging hippie who does a fine line in strawberry flavoured weed. But where Cuaron has excelled himself is in the action, especially one drawn out sequence towards the end of the film which would not be out of place in "Full Metal Jacket" as Theo tries to rescue Kee in the middle of a huge gun battle. There's also a much need smattering of humour such as the worlds worst getaway in a car which needs a push start.

A fine thriller which certainly gives you something to think about, "Children Of Men" is one well worth seeing.

Movie

Children Of Men

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-09-15 15:00:42

Provider

Review

Alfonso Cuaron must have seen something he didn't like while in the UK filming Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. The Britain of 2027 is a neo-fascist nightmare of permanent surveillance, armed police, terrorism and uncontrolled immigration. Compared to the rest of the planet, though, it's a haven of peace and prosperity in a world where Islamic terrorism is driving a culture of fear and chaos and an unexplained epidemic of sterility has meant not a single child has been born anywhere since 2009 in this adaptation of PD James' untypically political sci-fi.

Clive Owen is Theo Faron, a former activist now comfortably ensconced in the government's huge bureaucracy. When he's almost killed by a terrorist bomb in the heart of the capital he decides it's time for a break, and sets off to visit his old friend Jasper, a pot-smoking political cartoonist played by Michael Caine. While Caine infuses every scene he appears in with a sense of playfulness sadly lacking in Owen's cold performance, but it's his reunion with ex-partner Julian (Julianne Moore) that proves most pivotal to the story. She's the leader of the Fishes, a terrorist group campaigning for the equal rights for immigrants, who kidnap Faron and force him to help Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), an immigrant who's also eight months pregnant.

When Kee and Faron go on the run together, Children Of Men becomes a more orthodox, slightly old-fashioned thriller. It's far happier as such (not surprisingly, perhaps, given James' own background as a crime writer) than it is in the sci-fi context, where it often seems laboured, failing to present adequate context of either the sterility or the terrorism epidemic. When Children Of Men stops grappling with issues beyond its grasp it delivers something well within its reach - an efficient and gripping thriller with enough intelligence to satisfy those who like some brain with their bang.