I did get caught up in Theo's struggle, and Owen and Caine's great performances kept me hanging in to see the outcome of the film.
Children of Men (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:199
Fresh:183
Rotten:16
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Children of Men works on every level: as a violent chase thriller, a fantastical cautionary tale, and a sophisticated human drama about societies struggling to live. This taut and thought-provoking tale may not have the showy special effects normally found in movies of this genre, but you won't care one bit after the story kicks in, about a dystopic future where women can no longer conceive and hope lies within one woman who holds the key to humanity's survival. It will have you riveted.
Theatrical Release:22-09-2006
Synopsis: CHILDREN OF MEN is not a popcorn movie. With its almost relentlessly bleak perspective on the future, Alfonso Cuarón's film doesn't make for pleasant viewing. But it's an exhilarating experience... CHILDREN OF MEN is not a popcorn movie. With its almost relentlessly bleak perspective on the future, Alfonso Cuarón's film doesn't make for pleasant viewing. But it's an exhilarating experience because the picture is an amazing dystopian drama that lacks all the typical trappings of the genre. Set uncomfortably close to the present, it paints a frighteningly realistic picture of the future. In 2027, every woman on earth is infertile. With the loss of the ability to have children, the world has also lost hope. Clive Owen (CLOSER) plays Theo, an Englishman attempting to make a life in a hellish world. His estranged wife (Julianne Moore) convinces him to help transport a young woman to safety. When Theo learns that the woman is pregnant, their journey takes on a significance--and a danger--he never imagined. This is Cuarón's best film to date, a strong statement considering his wonderful HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN and Y TU MAMA TAMBIÉN. Filmed using a handheld camera, the action draws the audience close, making the horror that much more real. In addition to its remarkable car-chase scenes, the film features impressive acting. With his expressive face and voice, Owen gives a nuanced performance that ranks with the best of his career. As a reclusive hippie, Michael Caine shares a charming counterculture view of the crumbling world. Chiwetel Ejiofor (DIRTY PRETTY THINGS) brings gravitas to the role of a terrorist. Just when the film threatens to overwhelm with its sense of dread, small moments of comedy show through in Owen's wry sense of humor and Caine's perfect delivery. When the credits roll, CHILDREN OF MEN leaves the audience feeling shell-shocked, not only because of its brutal prophecy, but also because of its brilliance. [More]
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chjwetel Ejiofor
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Peter Mullan, Charlie Hunnam, Pam Ferris, Danny Huston, Jacek Koman
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Screenwriter: Timothy J. Sexton, Alfonso Cuaron
Producer: Hilary Shor, Marc Abraham, Tony Smith, Eric Newman, Iain Smith
Composer: John Tavener
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Children of Men
The startling offhandedness with which tidings of the apocalypse are delivered is the keynote of this bracing, sometimes shocking new film.
If Children of Men sometimes oversteps in its political imagery, perhaps pushing current issues a little too pressingly, it never feels anything less than enthralling.
'I went to see Children of Men today, and I need you to help explain it to me,’ partially went the message, from a rather film-literate Eastern seaboarder.
What I find particularly irksome about it is its pseudo-humanism and its calculating political correctness.
Alfonso Cuarón's futuristic adventure derives its power from a premise as potent and primal as they come
... A work of science fiction that bears a disturbing resemblance to the facts of today.
Invigorating in its ideas and style, Children of Men conceives a dystopian future, but its questions are just as relevant to our modern lives.
There's nothing like a doomsday movie to start off the new year, I always say.
It's a hell of a setup, and for the most part Cuaron and company deliver on that promise.
Call it dystopian or future shocking, but Children of Men is nothing more than a sensational cinematic allegory as bona fide art.
A speculative "what if?" take on human nature taunts Children of Men with the pretense of great science fiction.
... this ugly world of racism, violence and homeland security gone mad is a more likely futuristic scenario than a world in which shared humanity and peace reign supreme.
Children of Men is depressing as hell, but it's also a helluva good movie. 28 Days Later meets V for Vendetta with, thankfully, more in common with the former.
The director and I agree on the future. Though mine doesn’t have a hopeful ending.
It's simply must-see filmmaking all the way around -- as art, as entertainment, as social commentary.
Yes, kids, Children of Men is one of those bleakly futuristic "In a World" movies, a genre that's constantly reproducing itself in the semi-infantile world of adult movies.
There are no more children left in the world! A world where Pixar gives up movies for CG-animated Select Comfort Sleep-Number Bed commercials.
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