Children of Men [WS] [Blu-ray] [2006]

Nuclear war has ruined many parts of the earth and the survivors are no longer fertile for more than 18 years. Society has started to crumble across the world, but Britain still stands as a nation. There is still cable news from around the world and oranges (not grown in England) can still be smuggled in to a refugee detention city (logic gap). To support the declining British society and resources, the government is rounding up illegal refugees to deport them back to mainland Europe, as they no longer have jobs for them. Then in the background, there is trash everywhere and there are farm animals dying in the countryside, as they don’t have citizens to perform the work. Wait… not enough labor to clean up trash or farm in a post nuclear earth, but the government’s answer is to deport the immigrants who can perform the work??? The detained illegal refugees are sent to a British city for deportation, which has turned into a huge slum (similar to New York City, in the movie Escape from NY). But somehow, in gun control England, the illegal immigrants have access to dozens of automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades??? Sigh… Caught in the script’s confusing socialist background (the extra feature interviews provide insight to their political views) is a divorced father who has been recruited by his former wife to escort refugee out of England, as he can obtain a travel pass to travel different security zones (similar to what was implemented in formerly communist controlled eastern Europe). Wait, why one asks, why would a refugee need to be smuggled out of England when the government is rounding everyone up for deportation? The refugee could simply surrender and then be given a free ride out of England. It is because she is special and the wife is trying to protect the refugee and what she represents. Then there is a confusing rebel group involved that gets into a big gun battle with the British Army, which sends in tanks and dozens of troops into the refugee detention city. Huh? Oh wait, being held in a post nuclear prison allows one to gain access to automatic weapons and rockets… By the way, if you have the special refugee, would you hide and avoid combat to protect the asset from being shot to bits or deliberately get into a gun fight against the tanks and dozens of troops? Logic dictates hiding and waiting, but for movie reasons, a gun fight breaks out. Overall, the movie is entertaining with some very well filmed action sequences, but has some significant logic gaps.

There are lots of impressive things about this dystopian vision of a near-future in which no babies have been born for 20 years. The bleak locations, including city streets running for entire blocks in 2027 England, are convincing right down to the rubble, dead bodies and burned-out buses. Clive Owen gives a very believable performance as a former activist who has become numb to the disintegrating civilization around him, without going the usual deadpan-ironic Nicolas Cage route. And the screenplay, adapted from the novel by mystery writer P.D. James, takes at least two interesting plot turns that audiences won't see coming. But the best thing about "Children of Men" is something that sounds like a filmmaking gimmick but which works amazingly well: lengthy takes -- often several minutes long -- in which a handheld camera follows the action without any cuts. When that action consists of following characters who are in the middle of running gun battles between rebels with rifles and RPG launchers versus military men with tanks, the result is grippingly "you are there." Director Alfonso Cuaron deserves a lot of credit for executing what sounds like an ostentatious technical stunt -- think Scorcese's show-offy nightclub tracking shot in "Goodfellas" -- in a way that genuinely serves the story instead of drawing attention to itself. (One frustrating exception: The camera is a little too close to a character who gets shot at one point, and several drops of "blood" stay on the lens so long that you can't help wishing they had been digitally erased -- or that Cuaron had gone ahead and used an edit earlier than he finally does. When an edit finally does come, it is so seamlessly executed that the shot still looks like the same take, except the drops are gone.) The aspect of "Children of Men" that may inspire the most discussion is its portrayal of how future Britain treats unwanted war refugees and other illegal immigrants (namely, by locking them in brutally inhumane camps until they can be forcibly deported). Michael Caine gives an interesting performance as a very aging hippie who lives in his own isolated world way out in the woods. Julianne Moore is a rebel leader protecting a certain very important refugee. Danny Huston is Owens' brother, curator of a London art museum that has rescued major pieces of art such as Guernica and the statue of David from apparently conflict-overrun countries. The sight of David with a steel rod taking the place of part of his missing marble leg is even more jarring than seeing Pink Floyd's inflatable pig moored outside a window. Recommended!

Children of Men may come off to some as such a weird title, but is far from strange. It is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, even considering it's main plotline revolves around the apocalypse. The movie is about a cynical man named Theo Faron, played by Clive Owen, who has given up hope on humanity's survival. He lives in a world where women are infertile and can't have babies and the government carries a close resemblance to the N@zis and/ or the Combine in Half-Life 2. Just as he is about to give up completely on hope that a child will be born and that this is the end, his ex-wife pops up into his life to offer him a proposal: Escort a woman to a safe zone where she can ... have her baby. One of the best movies I have ever seen with some of the best performances from Clive Owen and Michael Caine, who plays Theo's hippie-like buddy, and probably the best cinematography and visual effects I have seen in years, this movie isn't anything short of brilliance. Beautifully directed by Alfonso Cuaron, this movie makes you feel like you're really in the movie and takes you on a completely unexpectedly wild ride of depression, happiness, and horror. I recommend this to anyone and everyone.

Children of Men was a movie that came out of nowhere to grab me by the throat from the first 5 minutes and never let go until the credits finished rolling. Outstanding achievement in film-making that never seemed to get the respect that it probably deserved like it seems like many films that get pigeonholed as science fiction. There's not enough space battles and explosions for folks that want their science fiction loud and exploding, but it's too far flung for the crowd that want their dramas told straight. One of my 2 favorite movies of early Bluray releases along with The Fountain. Children of Men is far less difficult story to like than The Fountain, but both make it very hard not to think about what you just watched (and think and think some more). The Bluray is very well done though suffers a bit from being an early generation production compared to more recent efforts. I wish someone would go back and make a true Special Edition, but I suspect it's small following wouldn't make that financially very sound.

Children of Men is easily one of the best movies of the decade and a new classic in the science fiction genre, along with Blade Runner. But it also fits into the recent category of post 9/11/geopolitical thrillers which have a noirish and pessimistic outlook on where our world is heading. It is the best of this genre (which contains overrated movies like The Constant Gardener, Syriana, and Babel) because it doesn't point the finger at any particular enemy or problem but instead uses it's infertility plot as a plea for the planet to start respecting life. The movie is a thrilling action picture unlike any other: no fancy stuntwork or special effects but raw, harsh and gritty events that raise the tension and give a feeling of authenticity. The extras are average but the documentary titled The Possibility for Hope is the worst: it is merely a collage of unused footage with rambling commentaries that pigeonhole this complex allegory to the left-winged mentality; this movie is for both wings.

Chances are you’ve seen this movie or heard about it many times, so I won’t bother with reviewing it. The movie itself is a modern classic, the blu is.....decent. PQ is in and out. There are times it looks fantastic, and others it looks like I’m watching the dvd. The AQ is fantastic. If you have a 5.1, it sounds great. Gunshots are loud, horse chases sound fantastic, the overall surround is great. The other odd thing is the omission of the director commentary and the directors cut (which was only a few added scenes). If you have the old 2 disc dvd set, keep it for the extras. This is the best Tombstone has looked and sounded, so worth the upgrade for >$10.

Children of men.Directed by Alfonso Cuaron.staring Clive Owen.Julianne Moore.and Michael Caine....The flim is set in England in the year 2027.ware women can no longer have children.the world is on the verge of dieing.the last person of the age of 21 years of age is killed.it looks like there is no hope untill an actavist played by Clive Owen meets his ex wife played by Julianne Moore who is now a rebel leader trying to transport a woman back to her country.she turns out to be pregnant.on the way they meet a political cartoonist played by Michael Caine.who beleaves that the woman is a sign of hope for the world torn by war and sickness.A geat flim much like the si fi flim solint green that makes you question the things we do to each other and to are world..

One of the great technical and visual feats of our time. Superb direction from the great Alfonso Cuaron with the same superb performances that we have come to expect from Julianne Moore and Micheal Caine. The standout performance, though, has to be Clive Owen. His character goes through such an emotional arch and he conveys that arch so seamlessly throughout the whole film. His wonderfully gritty performance, Cuaron's flowing direction, and the realistically choreographed scenes made this seem like a mocumentary throughout most of the film. In fact, I sat there in the theatre and caught myself thinking that I was watching a documentary on the future. Together with the Matrix, this is one of the best sci-fi films I have ever seen.