A classic that should not be overlooked

Rating: 8/10 (15 April 2007)

There are two things that Harry Potter 3 and Children of Men have in common: odd nature scenes and director Alfonso Cuaron. As you can tell if you've seen both of those movies, they are very different. That goes to show how Cuaron can differ his style to suit the movies best. He goes from fun, fast-paced storytelling action in Harry Potter 3, then delves into serious, unentertaining drama for Children of Men. That's not to say that Children of Men wasn't entertaining; it was, but it wasn't necessarily fun. "Interesting" is the word that should be used if you had to sum up Children of Men in one word.
What has made Children of Men so "universally acclaimed," according to metacritic.com, is its all-to-realistic look at the not-so-distant future, where one problem (along with many other small ones) can make everything go wrong. In the case of Children of Men, all women have become infertile. The youngest person on the earth, who was born in 2009, dies at age 19 as the film begins. As it progresses, Children develops some very intriguing characters, mainly Theo (Clive Owen) and Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey). Ashitey delivers a very good performance as Kee, a woman who is discovered to be the only fertile woman left on the planet. It is up to Theo and a few of his acquaintances to save her and have her deliver the baby.
I can't even begin to talk about the mastery of the second half of Children of Men. It is truly like nothing I have ever seen before. A war has broken out in London (the main setting in the movie), and for nearly 20 minutes, the only camera being used is a hand-held one which follows Theo and Kee around the war zone as they attempt to find a save ground for the newly born baby. At one point, blood gets on the camera, and things keep rolling. It's little touches like that that can make a movie so great.
When I left the theatre a week ago after witnessing Children of Men, I didn't feel too high on it, but after looking back, it's very evident as to how much smart planning went into it from the mind of Alfonso Cuaron. The film is so realistic in terms of presentation that you actually feel like you're sitting right next to Cuaron himself as he directs (as cliché as that may sound, it's true). I didn't like the movie as much as some, but thought it definitely was an experience that I recommend to most people who enjoy intriguing plot lines and smart film-making. -Nick Harvey
Good) The whole idea, presentation & production, great vast number of entertaining characters Bad) not really much fun, can drag a bit 137) The number of movies I was on track to see in 2007 after finished watching Children of Men