Brilliant film that falters in its second half

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2007)

In a world with no future for mankind, what's the point? Of working, of peace, of living out your days? Even the audience cannot help but be gripped by this fundamental dilemma, so skillful is the manner in which movie-goers are drawn into the world of 2027.
In fact, the extraordinarily three-dimensional and relevant setting is the film's greatest strength. Down to the details, each piece of the environment displays a moribund hopelessness which immediately draws the audience into its bleak atmosphere. The audience members know they are, of course, the very people living in this miserable London of the near future. This is our world, when we are just a few years older. The crushing closeness of the setting to our own reality makes this film a breathlessly intense ride.
Brilliant cinematography (there are more than a few shots that resemble perfectly-composed photographs) and fantastic casting choices (Michael Caine makes the ideal fatherly hippie) makes this a wonderfully well-crafted film. And while there are clearly metaphorical overtones throughout, the director is careful not to overdo it, or to impart too much information that is not truly relevant to the story.
This film would have been able to hold its own against literary classics like 1984 or Brave New World if only the second half of the movie had been as strong in plot as the first half. Unfortunately, the end of the movie degenerates into an irritatingly generic battle-zone escape sequence, as if a shortage of plot development was filled in with a gluttony of guns. The only moderately satisfying ending does nothing to save the latter half of the movie.
As a whole, this is a movie to see and perhaps to continue musing on for several days afterwards. It would certainly not be appropriate for anyone too young for 'Saving Private Ryan or Schindler's list. But for an adult looking for a film that will expertly seize your breath as well as giving you something to talk about on the way home, Children of Men is highly recommended.