Children of Men

[WiseFilms]

" As a rule, I expect much less of del Toro's compatriot, Alfonso Cuarón, who by the way co-produced Pan's Labyrinth, and I suspected that the raves for his concurrent Children of Men must have come from critics defending their past misjudgments. (A Little Princess, Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, all had their wild enthusiasts.) I got much more than I expected. The basic idea -- from a novel by P.D. James, a departure from her detective fiction -- of a worldwide plague of female infertility, even though not at all original (see The Handmaid's Tale, as a prime example), remains nevertheless a potent metaphor for that science-fiction staple, the End of the World; and the film can thus sensibly refrain from hashing over the significance of a miraculous pregnancy in England, as inexplicable as the plague itself, eighteen years after its onset in 2008. A potent metaphor, that, for Hope, even Faith. The young black woman's deadpan protestation of virginity is of course only her own little joke. What she is carrying is not the Second Coming of Christ so much as that of Adam. Or, as it happens, Eve. Forget, for now, the need of a mate. First things first.

Because the world went so fast to hell so near in the future -- "Only Britain soldiers on" -- the film is not overburdened with production and special effects. It shoulders just sufficient texture and detail for an illusion of reality: the unswept litter and uncollected trash in the streets, the electronic animated billboards, the pirated artworks preserved for no one's edification at the Tate Modern, the gratis government-issued suicide kits (brand name: Quietus; ad slogan: "You Decide When"), the concentration camps for illegal aliens (the director's nationality adds a layer of meaning), etc., etc. And let's not even count the redundant ashen pallor of the image. There is really not much in the way of a story -- underground dissidents squiring the expectant mother through chaotic countryside to an offshore
rendezvous with a shadowy do-good organization known as the Human Project -- but Clive Owen, the principal squirer, an uncommitted mercenary, has the ideal demeanor for the grimness of the mission; and the trek is nothing if not eventful, a mild word for an itinerary that includes three virtuoso action set pieces: an ambush of the getaway car on an empty road through the woods, an attempted flight at the break of dawn in a car whose engine won't turn over unless (like the one in Little Miss Sunshine's VW bus) the vehicle is in motion, and a raging firefight in the coastal port at the spot of the rendezvous. If Cuarón's camera sometimes calls attention to itself with its showboat mobility, and at one point with its blood-spattered lens, his staging of the action is always thorough and thought-out. As, for that matter, is his staging of the nonaction, in particular the hero's interplay with his ex-wife (Julianne Moore) and an aged flower-child friend (Michael Caine), abubble with emotional undercurrents. The director's moderation in the use of closeups, a rarer and rarer thing these days, disdains the easy way out. " - Duncan Shepherd, San Diego Reader, 11 January '07

This was the most delightful surprise I've seen in the last year, and the one that finally lives up to all the hype (unlike Babel or Borat).
It should win Best Picture, for sure.

[JamesM]

I was also taken aback by this film.

[Carmel]

It sounds very like a film from the 70's "Population Zero", i was wondering is it a remake of this film the one im talking about starred Oliver reed.

[ChristineCB]

Here is a case where the film's bombastic TV previews turned me off and I ignored it, and only now am learning it could be one of my favored "End Of World As We Know It" films.

Thanks for these comments. I'll pay attention to a showtime now. HANDMAID'S TALE almost slipped past me, too, although I tend to notice Robert Duvall films just for his contribution alone.

[DB7]

Originally Posted by Carmel It sounds very like a film from the 70's "Population Zero", i was wondering is it a remake of this film the one im talking about starred Oliver reed.

The film contain echoes of a few past apocalyptic science-fiction films but the most scary aspect is that with bombs going off in London, a police state and heavy emphasis on immigration it feels almost contemporary. I'm also beginning to enjoy Clive Owen; Sin City, Closer and Derailed were eminently watchable.:

[Phil Turner]

I felt that Children of Men didn't really fulfil its potential. The ideas were interesting but not fully explored and I thought the script could have been sharper. More attention seemed to be paid to the 'look' of the film, rather than on getting the basics right. A missed opportunity in my book.

Regards
Phil Turner

[ChristineCB]

The DVD's bonus interviews are excellent. I think I enjoyed that 15-minute addition more than the film itself. The author, playwrite, the director and a few other folks chip in and talk about the choice of England as a location (as opposed to countries with land-neighbors), and England's traditions and politics as being factors for the choice of the novel's location.

The author also spoke of the film's differences with high approvals, too. "Caine as a hippie was more interesting to me than that character as a retired academic."

Deleted Scenes were not too worthy except we seen a discussion between Theo and his landlord, Theo's long-past-due rent and the likelihood of his eviction. Hence the early discussions of "knowing Theo needed the money"...

[Jim]

Originally Posted by ChristineCB The DVD's bonus interviews are excellent. I think I enjoyed that 15-minute addition more than the film itself. The author, playwrite, the director and a few other folks chip in and talk about the choice of England as a location (as opposed to countries with land-neighbors), and England's traditions and politics as being factors for the choice of the novel's location. The author also spoke of the film's differences with high approvals, too. "Caine as a hippie was more interesting to me than that character as a retired academic." Deleted Scenes were not too worthy except we seen a discussion between Theo and his landlord, Theo's long-past-due rent and the likelihood of his eviction. Hence the early discussions of "knowing Theo needed the money"...

What a coincidence! A few days ago i picked up this book at a charity shop for 50p, and have just finished it! As usual, it sounds like 'they' have been doing a bit re-writing. Theo was never in schtuck with his landord!

I do remeber thinking whilst reading it that it would make a good 'end of the world' film - and it's already been made!!!

PS Christine - how's the babe?

[ChristineCB]

The babe's doing very well. Her weight's going up, mine's slowly coming down, Daddy-o's being driven a little more crazy (I have a long, long way to go to reduce him to Steve levels, I figure - all of which are richly deserved).

Like some of the reviewers above commented, "missing the mark" is what I took from the film. On the other hand, it is slightly different from my usual "First Half Good, Last Half Bad" review of films of this genre. I thought the refusal to stick in this "Theo owes rent" scene but the inclusion of several "Theo needs money" scenes shows a filmmaker error.

Why not leave out the "Theo needs money" comments completely? Why couldn't his ex-wife say, "I need it, the people need this to occur" as her argument?

The DVD's bonus interviews discuss the allegorical nature of the tale, too. I don't know if I'll rewatch it enough to dwell on those tangents, but they're well-argued and understandable.

[grillreaper]

Originally Posted by Phil Turner I felt that Children of Men didn't really fulfil its potential. The ideas were interesting but not fully explored and I thought the script could have been sharper. More attention seemed to be paid to the 'look' of the film, rather than on getting the basics right. A missed opportunity in my book. Regards Phil Turner

An absolute pinpoint on my opinion. Very disapointing but some of the bullets explosions were cool. huh huh huh

[ChristineCB]

The bonus interviews gave me the impression that the various speakers were more interested in the story's allegorical possibilities than the film itself. I'll remember those discussions more than the film.

[batman]

Originally Posted by JamesM I was also taken aback by this film.

I wish I'd taken it back ... to Blockbuster before I sat through it. I found it to be very unfocused with too many plot (and I use the term loosely) strands left dangling and/or unexplained. I also felt that the performances were lifeless and that no real empathy could be made with any of the characters. The production values were high, however, and the thing did look good .... but IMHO it was just too dull and, ultimately, pointless.

Bats.