Children of Men

Rating: 8/10 (9 June 2007)

Since there is no 1/2 point system, I'll go 8--but, more like a 7.5.
Having not read the novel on which it was based, "Children of Men" came to me as story that--like most before it, and countless yet to come--probably didn't succeed in the transfer to celluloid with much satisfaction to those who loved the book. But, as a film, with no prejudice on my part, I was sucked in--but, it wasn't instantaneous, and I did leave with as many unanswered questions.
This is the type of film that you've really got to stick with. I can remember saying out loud to those watching it with me, "I have no clue where this is going," but, with the words still in the air, it took shape.
Theo, the "hero," is sucked in to a radical group formed from England's decision to deport all non-Brits. Society on a pandemic scale has broken down, and jolly old England is the only "civilized" country left on earth. In order to preserve their empire, all immigrants out. Add into the equation that no child has been born in 20 years, and you've got the kind of chaos built for the year 2027. Kee, whom I gather was a black prostitute, has surfaced to the rebels as the lone fertile woman left on earth and she's great with child. They think the birth of her child will add to their cause. She wants none of it, so she and Theo with midwife Miriam in tow, set out to find the Human Project, and their ship "Tomorrow" to take them away from all this.
It was an exciting film that really heated up in the last third. Parallels are drawn to the concentration camps and genocide of wars in our history, current and past.
Like many here on this board, I, too was sort of curious as to what was the cause of the sterility, and exactly who was this Human Project--but, through the writing, I got the sense that the characters in the story didn't know themselves, so I figured, "Such is life. I don't have all the answers, neither do they. Typical." If you're a purist to the novel, odds are, like every other screen adaptation, you're probably going to scream, "Blaspahmy!" If you just want a thinking film where you leave with questions that lead to discussions, you'll probably like it. I did.