A must see film... Brilliant Sci-Fi drama

Rating: 9/10 (14 January 2007)

My review and slightly spoiler-ish... So, you've been warned.
The premise: In 2027, as humankind faces the likelihood of its own extinction, a disillusioned government agent agrees to help transport and protect a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea where her child's birth may help scientists to save the future of mankind.
The premise was enough to peak my interest, for a simple reason: I enjoy seeing peoples fantasy of what the future brings and it usually poses a lot of what if questions, which make for great discussion. However, when I saw a commercial that said, "Blade Runner for the 21st Century", I knew I needed to see this immediately. Blade Runner is one of my all time favorite films and, really, watching Daryl Hannah run around in skimpy clothing fighting Harrison Ford should be on a list of things you should see before you die. Not to mention that its one of two movies Rutger Hauer was in that you should actually care about (The other is The Hitcher).
Director Alfonso Cuaron is responsible for a few other films you might of heard of, such as Great Expectations (A films whose fault lies in having very proper dialogue in a modern setting, but otherwise a good watch), Y tu mama tambien (Which is a good watch) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (My favorite one visually). He does a great job with direction on this film and chose his shots very carefully (The cinematography really takes center stage in this film, but Ill get very carefully). Not to mention, he really got A+ acting out of all of his actors. Its very rare to see a director do that. I cannot point out one actor who consistently was not directed and did not act well.
Clive Owen was really great in this role is probably his best instance of acting. along with Closer. Secretly, I was wishing the Converse would come out and he would get into a gunfight, but it didn't happen. His character in this film is very alone and just drifting through life in the beginning of the film (Apathetic). However, as the film progresses, his out-view on life changed and he becomes very concerned and very compassionate (Something he was the exact opposite of in the beginning of the film). Also, hes not an action hero in the film (I happened to think the trailer made out to be in a round about way). He has no fighting skills, no guns, no bombs, not even a plan (The guy tries to jump-start a gearshift car while being given chase).He accomplishes a much greater goal by doing small, insignificant things that at the end, are really part a plan he came up with on the spot.
Claire-Hope Ashitey as the pregnant women in question, Kee, fit her role very well and hopefully, well be seeing her in more films. Michael Caine was great Jasper, a pot smoking hippie type. The only character I didn't like in the whole film was the white guy with the dreads (I cant remember his name). He was just a douche. But, at least he was meant to be one.
The cinematography of the film really is the centerpiece. The atmosphere created by the director and the photography is second to none. The Apocalypse-like future never looked so desolate and depressing. The long shots presented at the end of the film were an amazing feat to accomplish, both in driving the films climax and as a technical achievement. The amount of choreography and rehearsal put into making these scenes is mind-boggling.
After I have basically given this film the equivalent of a rim job in this review, I have some minor qualms with the film. First off, Julianne Moore did a good job in the film, but her skin color. I mean, perhaps she was so pale because she meant to symbolize martyrdom (Because of her white like qualities=innocence), but everyone else in the film seems to have so much color and she looks like a sock puppet with red hair. It just urked me. In the grand scheme of the film, not a big deal but it just bothered me. The thing that did urk me and is a more valid complaint is against one of the long shots at the end of the film. I felt that the first long shot of Theo outside of a apartment building was meant to be the first in a series of long shots that were put in place to make you feel like you were watching a army newsreel. Fair enough. But, when someone gets shot, the lens gets sprayed with blood and it stays there, streaking down the lens for the rest of the first long shot. It was just out of place. The idea of shooting it like this was a good idea, but not just for a sequence, it should have been done like this the whole movie. It interrupted my suspension of disbelief for the film and just took me out of the universe the film had set up for me.
Overall, I give this film a 9.5/10. I highly recommend it, it truly is a great sci-fi drama.