Sci-fi fans will find the endeavor a bit underwhelming.
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
A rare combination of intelligent social commentary and riveting action - a chase movie for the thinking person.
This fascinating portrait of the future is one of the best-directed films of the year.
Utterly convincing in the density of its street-level detail and occasionally awe-inspiring in the bravado of its complicated action sequences...
The miracle of Cuarón's films is that he presents the sanctity of our feelings for our children in ways as rugged, terrifying, and unsentimental as childhood.
...a lot better in its specific realizations of what chaos and murder must look, sound and feel like than in offering anything of lasting sustenance.
Owen makes Theo into the type of modern hero moviegoers want to see today.
The most frightening science-fiction films... take identifiable situations and circumstances and give them an extra, ominous edge. By that standard, 'Children of Men' is one of the scariest films in years...
At times the film is so supercharged that it glosses over the story's thematic richness and turns into a very high-grade action picture. But if that's the worst thing you can say about a movie, you're doing all right.
Cuarón also pulls us deep into the engrossing universe he has created. There is a stark absence of gadget porn in this futuristic adventure; the most advanced device we see is a video game, innovation at its most trivial.
The story, despite its nominally fascinating nature, never barrels forth the way it needs to. It plods. How a director as versatile and inventive as Cuarón managed that is a mystery greater than any found in the film.
It's as if Cuaron sees a future so hellish that all of us retreat into our self-absorbed worlds, leaving society at large to go hang itself. That's a nightmarish vision indeed.
The year is 2027. Famine and pestilence rage unchecked. Infertility is rampant, and the world's youngest person has died at 18. Worst of all, the movies are dull.
As all his films have shown, Cuarón is clearly one of the most original filmmakers working today, and Children of Men should solidify his place at the top of those ranks. With a great script, there should be no stopping him.
Thrilling, important, and invigoratingly bleak, Children of Men is one of the very best movies to come out in 2006.
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