Mesmerizing -- an absolute must see, a truly original masterpiece!

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2007)

Note: I have intentionally left out any commentary on specifics of the plot or message of the movie, as I would strongly recommend you see this with as little preconceived impressions as possible.
It's hard to put this movie into any one category: an epic drama, an action-packed, fast-paced thriller, a character-driven 'emoticoaster', a documentary on the human and societal condition. It really is all of these wrapped neatly into a crisp, tight story that leaves no inch of film to waste. It is by far one of the most intriguing movies I have watched in some time and kept me thinking for some time after it ended.
The film brings all critical elements together to lose the audience in its reality, making you believe you are almost watching a documentary of a place and society that exists in our world today. The sets served as a believable canvas on which the story was told. In numerous scenes the background of the film was as important as the immediate action, often revealing subtle, reinforcing details that provide more context to the story.
I was equally aware of how unobtrusive the camera work was to the film, always putting the audience right where they needed to be to get the full scope of any scene. I often felt like I was in the movie as a passive participant because it was so engrossingly filmed. Some parts of the film were admittedly graphic, but done so in a way that added materially to the condition of the characters and their plight. I truly appreciated how in touch I felt with everything going on, and credit the camera direction with that.
The soundtrack was great: lifting your spirits and dropping them low; amplifying the emotions of a moment and also cunningly removing itself at times of suspense. This was very well done.
The acting by all involved was superior. Clive Owen gave mightily to Theo, revealing a character who adapted as more information was learned by him throughout the movie. Owen transformed Theo from complete apathy and despair to a hero of sorts fighting for the future of the world. Julianne Moore played a minor role, but was excellent as always. Michael Caine was truly enjoyable to watch as a post-modern hippie. He added much needed levity and humor to give the audience some rest. Claire-Hope Ashity was very convincing as the unexpected vessel of worldwide hope, balancing well her personal motherly tendencies with her obligation to the human race. There were several of other very interesting and fun characters as well, all necessary threads in the overall fabric of the film.
I was not initially aware the film was based on a novel, but I was blown away by the originality of the story. It was entirely believably and thoroughly examined the implications of the twist that the human race has found itself in. Even in the most gloomy of circumstances with the fate of the human race hanging in the balance, the script did well to show that in the end, we are all just humans; with the same faults that we have in the real world -- competing interests, greed, power, a deteriorating moral value system, and so on.
Add to all of that excellent direction and you have a film that is epic in scale and scope; tackles deep moral and ethical issues in society; provides some of the most suspenseful and realistic action/war fighting sequences I have ever seen; gracefully analyzes the emotional spectrum that people in a hopeless world could exhibit; and masterfully follows the story of a small group of people making their way through that world to restore hope. The movie was edited with straight-forward story telling but packed with tremendous amounts of information at every turn. In 1 hour 50 minutes, I felt the movie still could have been much longer, but was amazed how effectively it tackled all of its subject matter so succinctly. The result is a movie that is very raw, gritty, and powerful, opening your mind up to what our world could come to in any number of varying paths. A must see, and definitely near the top of my all time favorite list.