Surprisingly Flat Political Sci-Fi.

Rating: 6/10 (25 September 2006)

After arriving on a wave of hype Children of Men had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately the result was a huge disappointment. Don't be fooled by the trailers like I was, don't expect high tension or a gripping sci-fi plot.
The premise of a near future where human kind is facing extinction due to women becoming infertile (surely science could find a solution?)should be enough to craft a gripping drama. However the result is strangely flat and unmoving and lacking in tension. There is plenty to marvel at technically, from 10 minute+ tracking shots and chaotic street battles however throughout this I never felt the tension or terror that a post apocalyptic movie really should be able to evoke. This is not helped by the fact that many of the moments of 'comic relief' come during the most tense scenes.
It seems young director Cuaron has perhaps taken on more than he can manage with this project. The screenplay seems to lack realism and focus, straying from the original gritty Sci-Fi setup to drama then to a thriller then to a pro immigration/unity message and never really hitting a nerve along the way. I had gone to see a Sci-Fi and ended up getting the director's (or author's) political views delivered in a confused vessel of a movie. Much of the story centred on a vision of a future Britain where immigrants are caged in the streets and then sent to Gantanamo style camps and the battle between the state and the immigrants and the freedom fighters instead of the idea of a world without children.
The performances are OK on the whole, only Michael Caine is really 'on form' and Clive Owen is his usual moody self and struggles to carry the movie at times but does a decent job on the whole in a very difficult role with little material to work with.
Overall Children of Men is a Sci-Fi drama that is low on the Sci-Fi and only just above average in the drama department. Most of the positives are in the marvellous technical achievements on show and a first quarter that delivered a horribly plausible future vision and a sombre atmosphere that unfortunately was not built upon. Falls short of expectations, if you are looking for a gripping vision of the future try the mini series 'The Last Train' which pulled off the terror and drama of a post apocalypse Britain with superior results.