Hands Down Best Film of the Year So Far

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2006)

"Children of Men" opened here in Britain today, and I've just got back from seeing it this afternoon. It's easily best film I've seen at the cinema so far this year, and probably one of the best sf movies for a hell of a long time (maybe one of the best ever). Obviously I loved it - here's why: the depiction of Britain in the future is absolutely spot on - there are so many little references (Bexhill as a refugee camp is a terrific injoke for anyone who's ever been there - I live down the road) and locations shown to the point of decay that look and feel just right (it's now, just more so). The detail in the film is meticulous to the extreme, locations that I've walked around have been revamped and everything is completely realistic. There is no fake looking CGI in this film - it's like walking around the real world, and sucks you in completely. The camera-work is truly extraordinary - incredibly long hand held shots that follow Clive Owen through increasingly large and scarily real battle scenes (particularly a scene in a car getting ambushed and another run through a full scale battle zone are jawdroppingly good - outdoing anything in Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" or "Saving Private Ryan" - the only two films where I' ve seen anything that comes close to this). Alfonso Cuaron's best film so far. It's got the heavyweight message and performances of a great drama with the tension, excitement and spectacle of a big time action movie. Clive Owen is perfectly cast - it really is his film - everyone else (as good as they are) are just there for support. I've often found him a little wooden before - but his cynical, grizzled character here is one he was born to play. It's really knocked me for six, and I honestly can't recommend this enough - it's got the truth and integrity of an indie film with the sheer verve and emotion of great Hollywood cinema. A future classic.