engaging, greatly crafted film

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2006)

One of the staples in sci-fi is a dystopia future. Film makers have constantly from films inception, imagined where we are heading into the unknown and unforeseeable. The deterring part is our future is a dystopia hell, utopia is not even a shimmer light in the distant. Based upon P.D. James's, not so distant future, novel, Children of Men shows humanity in its decline, sliding to extinction. Women are unable to become pregnant, with no answer to this mystery. Humanity rests its hopes on the worlds youngest man, Diego Ricardo, who was murdered along with the worlds hope.
Ex-activist, now bureaucrat Theodore Faron, lives in war ridden London. Along with womens infertility, the world is struck with climate change, pollution, illegal immigrants, terrorism and society just falling apart; the seems about to explode. Theo's only escape is friend Jasper, an aging hippie selling marijuana. Theo is contacted by his past lover Julian, who wants to get a refugee girl, Kee, to the coast. Things are complicated when Theo discovers that Kee is pregnant.
When film makers started to predict our future, their vision was decades away, and the likely hood of it coming to fruition was minimal. Lately films of our bleak heading, lurk around the corner, with Children of Men set in 2027, with the plight of womens infertility only a few years away, starting in 2009. Children of Men is basically holding a mirror to our faces, this is where we're heading if things don't's change. An apocalypse not high from above but of our own creation.
Alfonso Cuarón has crafted a master piece of art. Visually Children of Men is exceedingly detailed. So much information, references and detail is placed in every scene. To Alfonso's credit, it never reaches visually overloading, with a style reminiscent to Blade Runner. The cinematography is amazingly shot, with grainy visual harmoniously working to Alfonso's bleak vision; dragging us through trenches, war zones and refugee camps.
With fat to chew, intelligent sub-text is injected. Current war on terrorism, global warming and pollution, governments treatment of illegal immigrants, and the all world collapse with society tear itself inside out. Its looks like time has gone cyclical and humanity is reverting back to caveman ideals; not the sophisticated utopia we always dreamed about. Offsetting the constant downtrodden view, is a wicked slice of humor, perfectly formed in Jasper, and one strange, yet highly effective soundtrack.
Clive Owen believably shows Theo's turn into his unwanted hero status. Dropping his activist dealings, unpleasant being dragged back into the world he left. Michael Caine is solid and heart warming as Jasper, with his childish jokes. Julianne Moore is also strong with hidden strength in Julian. Claire-Hope Ashitey is beautiful and wonderful as Kee.
With so much going on; ideas, concepts and sub-text too dig into, Children of Men is one of the most intriguing and unique films.