One of the best science fiction films in recent times!

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2007)

Happy New Year! I'm hoping 2007 will give us all some great cinema. Not too much though, because I still have not seen all must see movies from 2006. I guess I will have to try and catch up on them now, because man I'm glad I saw Children of Men!
Indeed a hard film to describe but I will do my best. The story takes place in the post apocalyptic future of 2027. Post apocalyptic because for nearly 30 years women have been unable to reproduce and absolutely no one can figure out why. People of the world have lost all hope and civil wars have broken out across the globe. Our protagonist is Theo (Clive Owen) a bitter depressed man with a dark past. He has accepted humanities impending doom and seems content to rot away with the rest of the world. That is until his ex-lover (Julianne Moore) gets him involved with a group of revolutionaries led by Luke whose girlfriend happens to be very pregnant. Obviously this is a huge deal and Theo has plans to escort her to the safety of a top secret scientific facility where research could supply the right people with the answers to save humanity. Unfortunately this task is made much more difficult when the whole worlds a battlefield and few people can be trusted. It sounds depressing, but "Children of Men" is really a hopeful and human story of triumph and sacrifice.
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter & the Prizoner of Azkaban), here he establishes himself as a master of his craft. The world he has created here is one of the bleakest, realistic, and fully realized universes in the medium of science fiction. He lets the action unfold using some of the most incredible camera-work I have ever seen. There is a section near the end which has Clive Owen racing through a bullet-ridden battlefield and into a bombed out building to rescue the girl. The 9 minute sequence is done without any takes and it blows my mind how Cuaron pulled it off. The action scenes are as intense and exciting as anything I have seen from a legend like Spielberg (which says a lot, he is me and Mike's favorite director.) "Children of Men" is a tour de force of direction.
I know what the skeptics must be thinking know. "Don't be stupid, I only care about the story!" Well you are in luck because Children of Men tells it really good. Clive Owen is excellent as Theo, a man who instantly gained my curiosity and sympathy. His transformation from hardened cynic to noble hero is completely believable. Julianne Moore is one of my favorite actresses and I wish she was in this more. There is also the great British actor Sir Michel Caine as Theo's old mentor. He manages to steal all the scenes he is in. The rest of the cast is very effective as well, though I have not seen many of them in other films. No problem though, it is easier to suspend disbelief and be caught up in the story that way. The acting keeps the films emotional center in place saving it from becoming a mere technical exercise. Some viewers may complain about the lack of closure involved in the end but it did not bother me at all. By the time the credits rolled I felt emotionally satisfied while still having much to think about. Like many great works of hard sci-fi, and indeed great films, ambiguity is one of its greatest strengths.
That aside, "Children of Men" still remains a heartfelt, unique, and thrilling cinematic experience. Bottom line: One of the best science fiction films in recent times.