On to my review. Children of Men is a fabulous movie. I have loved Clive Owen since King Arthur and he once again steals the entire movie.
In 2009, human women become infertile. For 20 years no new babies are born. Mankind breaks down. No infrastructure. Many wars. Religious fervor. Britain is the only remaining superpower, but in order to remain strong, they have become a police state and are deporting all non-British citizens.
Well, Clive Owen, an every man, runs into his ex-girlfriend, Julianne Moore. Moore is the leader of a rebellion against the oppressive British tyranny. Moore has found a Fijian woman who has become pregnant. This is the breakthrough of the century. Moore has arranged for this pregnant woman to meet with a group of scientists who will hopefully figure out the whole infertility thing. She needs Owen’s help to get her to the scientists ship.
Well, on the way Moore gets killed. The new leader of the rebellion wants to exploit the pregnancy to get all mankind to rise up against their oppressors. The government is also looking for Clive and the pregnant girl. So, Clive’s world has gone to shit as he tries to get this girl to the coast.
This film is amazing. The acting is superb. Every character has real human emotions and you feel every single one of them. Clive plays this everyday day guy in extraordinary situations with class and ease. The villain, Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity), is once again a perfect heavy. He plays the leader of the rebellion so well, because he has reasons to be the way he is. He’s not bad for the sake of being bad. He wants mankind to be better off, but he’s going about getting humankind riled up the wrong way.
But not only is he acting wonderful, the cinematography in the film is amazing. Alfonso Cuaron, director of Y Tu Mama Tambien and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban( by far the best HP movie), had a vision for how he wanted this film to be shit, and he hit the nail on the head. He felt that in order for the audience to really feel like they are emerged in the near future, he wanted the action sequences to be filmed in one continuous shot. He did it. You feel it. I was at the edge of my fuckin’ seat for this whole film.
Not only that, but the set design is spot on. The English cities look slightly rundown and beat up as if mankind has given up hope on making the world beautiful. It looks dreary and hopeless. This emerges the audience even more into the film.
Here is my favorite screenshot:
At one point in the film, the baby the pregnant woman is carrying is born. Then a massive scale urban battle breaks out. Once again, Clive and the pregnant woman and now a baby must survive this attack. But midway through the battle things quiet down for a moment and the baby is crying. Not having heard or seen a baby for 20 years everything stops. No music. No talking. No nothing. Just everyone frozen and looking at the baby in awe. It’s beautiful. It’s touching. It’s makes the audience feel. That’s what a movie is supposed to do and too few movies ever accomplish that.
On the DVD:
The featurettes about the making of the film are great. There is one regarding the set design and one regarding the single shot action scenes. Both are really interesting to watch.
There are also two featurettes about the psychological and sociological aspects of the film. Don’t watch these. Avoid them at all costs. The guy who narrates these things is a pretentious, smug, bullshit artist. Trust me. You don’t want to watch these.
Final analysis:
This is what a movie should be. Educational without brow beating the audience. Great acting. Great action. Great cinematography. This movie kicks ass.
BUY THIS MOVIE!
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