A brilliant sci-fi thriller that doesn't need all the special effects to make it work

Rating: 10/10 (23 October 2007)

Children of Men is set in the year 2027. The world has become sterile and the youngest humans are in their 20's. Chaos reigns across the Earth. The United States is in a civil war, France is on fire, and Britain is deteriorating. Theo (Clive Owen) is a man who simply doesn't care about most of it until he is asked by his ex-wife to escort a woman to the coast for safety. A woman who may be the first mother in 20 years. It won't be an easy task for Theo though as the military begins to round up illegal immigrants and force them into camps and the Fishes (the illegal immigrants resistance movement) who are attempting to use the new born child as a political tool.
Clive Owen stars in the lead as Theo. Owen put a lot of work into this film as he personally looked over every scene he was in to make sure his character never became too much of a hero. Theo is the classic un-wanting hero. He gets forced into the situation and must deal with it and Owen never strays from this presentation. He gives his best performance since Sin City and really shows that no matter who you are you can always be a hero to someone, in the movie it is Kee, the pregnant girl.
Julianne Moore is only in the movie for about 10 minutes so she really doesn't have time to show off her character in too much detail. The legend Sir Michael Caine gives an off-the-wall performance as a former political cartoonist/ex-hippie who helps Theo and his company get Kee to safety. Caine is only in the film for about 20 minutes but gives a great performance. And to round off the supporting cast there is Claire-Hope Ashitey as Kee. This is only her second or third film but she is wonderful. The connection she makes with Owen in many scenes are great and her acting is top notch for such a new star.
The film will be known for its cinematography more than anything. Several single shots exceeding five minutes in length are present within the film. If you are unfamiliar with this then it means the same shot is being taken the whole time without a switch to another shot or perspective. This is really cool cause the whole time your watching one long cut thinking "Holy sh*t, how did they do this?" The cinematography sets the mood and makes the film even better then it already is because it gives a sense of artsy look to the film.
Cauron sets the mood early and never strays from the feeling of destruction one feels the entire movie. This isn't a post-apocalyptic setting, it is set during it in a way. The film is not without scenes that brings hope to the audience. The last 20 minutes are truly moving as it shows Theo's sacrifices to save Kee and her baby from harm. Cauron holds nothing back in the film. It has its violent moments, its course language and its nudity but it is all needed to set the mood of the film.
The film is set in the future and therefore would be considered sci-fi. Instead of showing a world with hovercrafts and aliens we are presented to a world destroying itself. The films cinematography and setting makes us feel as if we are right in the middle of this hopeless world. The film also shows that lasers, aliens, and outer space are needed to create a great sci-fi film. On the contrary I think the film as better for not having any of these present. Truly a modern day classic that won't be forgotten, make sure to see this amazing picture.
5/5 stars