Strangely Hollow

Rating: 5/10 (6 November 2018)

Humanity only survives on hope. Children of Men explores a near future where no children have been born in over 18 years. As anxiety turns to fear and fear crashes into chaos, a single pregnant woman emerges. Theo, a british citizen and cynic, takes charge of delivering the immigrant mother and her unborn child to safety. As a whole, the movie feels strangely hollow. There lacks proper execution on moments that could have been cathartic.
Clive Owen's acting is above average. He becomes his character, but the audience doesn't identify with him. From a cinematographic perspective, the camera work is purposeful and even experimental. Children of Men prefers tracking shots and hand held over gimbals and tripods. There are moments that linger too long and others that leave too quickly.
City of Men is sonically deep. Ever shot contains at least three layers of audio that interplay to the ears delight: dialogue, music/score, and background noise. Small inclusions like the barking of dogs and dredging of mud add an authentic note to bleak dystopian England. The only shortfall is control. Many of the extras' lines appear too crisp and loud. Lines that should be dulled and deafened by gunfire are easily heard. The sound is also overly dynamic. I had to constantly reach for the remote so I could turn up the volume during dialogue and then instantly turn it down when a car chase started. General consistency is key.
Overall, Children of Men proves itself enjoyable. There lies within a moral that should make us ponder about how we treat people.