Review of Children Of Men

I watched {Children of Men} last night without knowing much about it beforehand. I knew it starred Clive Owen and was about a future where humans lost the ability to procreate. That’s all. Boy was I surprised at the radical futuristic view and the authentic feel of the future. It takes place Great Britain in 2027 and evidently the world has fallen apart. immigrants get deported and the cities are filthy, violent, and extremely crowded. It’s a sobering view of the potential future if things were to get really bad. Somehow, one woman becomes pregnant and a group of underground activists try to get her to a secret lab called “The Human Project” where scientists might be able to find out how she got pregnant. Needless to say they encounter difficulties along the way.

While the plot is really intriguing, I was incredibly impressed by the cinematography. It was directed by {Alfonso Cuarón} who seems to favor very long handheld type shots that catch the action in a unique way. Some of the long shots are actually trick editing but that doesn’t bother as long as it looks real. In fact I think one the shots is almost 10 minutes long. It’s really a cool thing to see in a world where the quick edit rules. A few scenes in the film are just AMAZING as one shot scenes.

{Julianne Moore} and {Michael Caine} are both excellent. They have smallish roles but make the most of their screen time.

This film is a great treat for people who like the art of filmmaking and for people who enjoy futuristic thrillers. I definitely think it is worth your time and money to watch it.

{Here is an interview} with the director where he discusses his vision and some problems he faced.