Disturbing and incredibly well made

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2007)

Children of Men was a wonderful film. Alfonso Cuaron delivers another intelligent thriller here. It's a movie that is disguised as an action film but contains science fiction elements as well.
It's the year 2027. For the past 18 years, mankind has been unable to reproduce. This of course has led to a lot of terrorism and violence. Only Britain has any kind of government left. The rest of the world is in chaos. This film reminded me a lot of V For Vendetta in creating what seems to be the final days that must be changed for the better. This time however we don't have a vigilante trying to get the people to step up against their corrupt government. Instead we have one Theo Faron (Clive Owen), who seems to be no real hero at first. He is given the assignment by his former lover (Julianne Moore) to help get the only pregnant girl left in the world to the safety of a sanctuary on a boat where scientists can study her pregnancy and find away to save mankind. Of course there are obstacles along the way, including betrayal that I won't discuss here, and that is the plot of the story. Will Theo, with the help of certain rebels, manage to get the pregnant girl to the boat safely, or will he fail. You have to watch it and see what happens.
The acting in this film was phenomenal. Clive Owen looks scrappy at first and not like somebody that can help get a pregnant girl to safety. He pulls his part off quite nicely. Michael Caine, as an old bearded friend of Theo's, and looking much like a 60s hippie here, also manages to steal every scene that he is in. The other actors were good as well.
Children of Men is a gritty looking film with some great editing sequences, and some terrifying images that will stay with you for awhile. It also contains some haunting images of a future that might be closer to the truth then we realize. A great film all around, with a pace that never becomes boring, Children Of Men is highly recommended. I would also consider it one of the best films of the year.