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Children Of Men (2-disc Special Edition) [2006]
ReviewsA medieval miracle tale set in the year 2027, with a fine performance by Clive Owen Review date: 2008-11-03 Rating: 8 out of 10 I suspect that if one agrees with what appears to be director Alfonso Cuaron's premise, that humankind's basest instincts for selfishness, fouling its own nest, violence toward each other and the acceptance of authoritarianism when faced with fear can be met by the redemptive power of hope and love, then one will accept Children of Men as a film of emotional power. For me, Children of Men is a movie in which Cuaron tries to stuff in far too many actions. He seems to aiming for the kind of allegory that can change the way we feel about our lives, but he winds up making many of the compromises that movies force upon some directors as they find themselves with big budgets to work with and the need to sell tickets to justify the investment. The story, as has been pointed out by others, is one big Macguffin. It's 2027 and civilization has fallen to its knees. The world is nothing but chaos, terrorism, a rotting environment and death. Britain has managed to survive as a nation state by becoming a horrendous dictatorship, needing immigrants for menial work and turning them into outcasts, periodically rounding them up along with the fugees, the refugees from the world's chaos who managed to slip past Britain's barriers. Concentration camps are filling up, laws are enforced with ferocity, there are no civil rights and the government has become the greatest killer of them all. In exchange, the British have order. And it has been 19 years since a baby was born, anywhere in the world. Humankind has mysteriously become sterile. The point of the movie is that a frightened young woman is discovered to be pregnant. In an instant she becomes the center of the movie...will she be used by rebels to try to undermine the government? Will she find a way to escape by sea to some almost mythical group of scientists who are searching for peace and an answer to humankind's infertility? Will she and her baby be killed? Will they survive? It seems her only hope will be a burned-out, used-up functionary who once tried to change things, years ago. From the time this man first meets this scared girl-child and realizes that she's pregnant, to the end of the movie in a small rowboat waiting to see if mankind has a future, we're on a medieval journey through the terrors of hell as the girl and her protector deal with hatred, avarice, brutality, imprisonment, death and war. The question for me was: Is all this Macguffining well done enough to be interesting? If it is, is the story itself worth it? You'll have to make up your own minds. Simply as a story, I think whatever success Children of Men has had has depended on Clive Owen. He's the protector and he's in just about every scene. Owen is a fine actor. Unlike many actors who have made it to the top, he is most effective reacting. He seldom indulges in flashy heroics in his movies and doesn't do so here. At first, he's uncertain, confused and cautious. When he commits himself to the journey, he doesn't have all the answers, just a willingness to take advantage of opportunities and to risk his life because he's come to believe in what he is doing. It's a first-rate performance. But then we have Julianne Moore as a rebel leader and Owen's former wife. In my view, she's too big a name for the size of the part, and the part is too large for the story. Michael Caine has a juicy role as Owen's older friend. He's gotten up to look like Brent Spiner in Independence Day. Caine does a nice job, but both he and Moore infect the movie with "star" presence. I think both roles would have been better for the movie if played by little known but good actors. Chiwetel Ejiofor is excellent as a dedicated and even ruthless rebel leader. But the movie only needs Owen, and he delivers. Cuaron, in this medieval miracle tale, has given us a great look at the hell humanity has made for itself. At times, for me, he lingers on and expands this view the better to sell tickets. The whole extended urban battle at the end of the movie seemed to go on and on for no great purpose than to show us how a well-crafted urban war can be presented. Most of the movie's horrors, in fact, are so carefully framed and photographed, so well and ingeniously lit, that I was always aware I was watching a movie. Most movie-ish of all was that heavenly voice wafting down on us as humanity's redemption is resolved by a young mother and her baby. This is one of those movies that, for me, needs to be taken seriously simply because a talented director with serious themes has made it. In this era of endless comic book movies and films with the old ultra violence, Cuaron deserves our respect. So does Clive Owen. Try Owen in Croupier. To see Julianne Moore at her finest, try Vanya on 42nd Street. And for a taste of near sighted ur-dystopia not to be missed, read David Macaulay's Motel of the Mysteries. Could have been better, but still good! Review date: 2008-10-24 Rating: 8 out of 10 Whilst I enjoyed this movie, I'd have preferred to have seen a lot more of the build up as to why the UK was in the state it was as portrayed in the film. The main body of the film felt stretched out a little too far, where a bit more build up could have given it a better pacing (IMHO!) Having said that there is no way it deserves some of the amazingly negative reviews it has received on here, as it's a decent little apocalyptic film, albeit with flaws. I far preferred it to the overhyped 'I Am Legend' An amazing apocalyptic film Review date: 2008-10-12 Rating: 10 out of 10 I felt the need to write this review after reading with confusion the negative review on this site. This is possibly one of my faveourite films viewed in 2006. It is most certainly a grim image of the future, which is understandable due to the films major themes, but who wants to view a film that is simply a feel good waste of time? Well i suppose if you're saying yes to this then you should most probably not purchase this film. The acting was, in my opinion, borderline perfect. The feeling of the end being in sight and hope being lost was perfectly conveyed by Owen's performance; he truly drew you into the film. The directing was great also, from the way the future london was shot to the adrenalin filled ending i couldn't ask for more. A poingnent film with a message, worth watching if you feeling like a serious film, if not i suggest pulling out the disney for some fun for all the family. Strong execution of a weak idea Review date: 2008-09-10 Rating: 6 out of 10 Alfonso Cuaron's beautifully shot, well acted depiction of a dystopian near future in which a xenophobic dictatorship has let slip all responsibility in favour of repression and in which the population's response is blanket infertility, feels uncomfortably plausible, yet it doesn't quite work. For all the subtlety of the cinematography, including intelligent use of the single long take and some truly fine set pieces by Clive Owen, the distillation of the world's problems down to xenophobia and Fascism and of the solution down to more new human life is unconvincing. The current fashion for allegory is overworked here ~ the pregnant woman is "Kee" ~ geddit? And the saviour (Clive Owen) is "Theo" ~ Greek for "God". The nod to the idea of a virgin birth takes us nowhere as it remains unclear how this child is going to save society. This is illustrated at the climax when Theo guides Kee through a set piece of urban warfare, complete with military police blasting away at resistance fighters and with "fugees" huddled in the crossfire. When the combatants realise a pregnant woman is in their midst, they stop firing briefly to stare at her in awe, but then go straight back into battle once she passes as though the idea of new life is merely a brief, irrelevant dream. This response inevitably undermines the possibility of redemption and makes the application of allegory to the problem look like a lazy attempt to solve it. The interest in this film lies in the set up of the idea of a world made barren by its own destructiveness. But the solution is unconvincing. Product Details/SpecificationsActor(s): Michael Caine Julianne Moore Clive Owen Pam Ferris Peter Mullan Creators: Clive Owen (Primary Contributor) Julianne Moore (Primary Contributor) Recording label: Universal Pictures UK Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK EAN: 5050582492491 Binding: DVD Number of items: 2 Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Release date: 2007-03-19 Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region code: 2 Running time: 105 minutes Theatrical release date: 2006 Language: English (Original Language)
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