Children of Men: Movie Review

Children of Men stars Clive Owen (Inside Man), Julianne Moore (Freedomland), Michael Caine (Batman Begins), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Inside Man), Charlie Hunnam (Green Street Hooligans), Danny Huston (Marie Antoinette), and Peter Mullan (On a Clear Day), and was directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). It is based on the novel The Children of Men by P.D. James. It's The Nativity Story meets Blade Runner. The story revolves around Theo (Owen), a disaffected man devastated by the loss of his only child living in a world devoid of hope. It is the year 2027, and no baby has been born in 18 years, and no one knows why. Theo is a Brit living in a London that even though to us appears to be a bleak shell of the London we know today, as it is besieged by daily acts of terror akin to modern day Iraq, is in one of the last countries still in good standing in the world, the United Kingdom, a country so privileged that it has to capture, cage, and deport (or otherwise dispose of) droves of illegal immigrants on a daily basis. And it is back into this world and into Theo's life that Julian (Moore), Theo's ex-wife and mother to his deceased offspring, comes with a proposition for/favor to ask of Theo. She needs his help getting an illegal immigrant out of the country. The catch? The illegal immigrant is pregnant, and needs to be delivered to the mythical Human Project, who will care for and protect her, as she has the child that could bring hope and light back to a world in the midst of its darkest days (no pressure, Theo).

Children of Men is an overall solid piece of work that's filled with so much suspense, and so many thrills that any questionable points are made moot by their sheer greatness-the best of which is when a firefight is paused by something that we take so for granted in this day and age that it's unbelievably brilliant to behold. Clive Owen is wonderful as Theo. He sets the tone throughout, transitioning from a beaten, hopeless, sad sack to an unbeatable driving force. Owen is also given excellent support by Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Claire-Hope Ashitey (Kee, the pregnant girl), but they are all more or less icing to his cake, flash to his substance. He's ultimately the heart and soul of this film, along with a strong story, and inspired direction. Also, something must be said for how well Cuaron realized the world this is set in. It reminded me a lot of the first Star Wars trilogy in that it is just the right mix of technological advancement and war torn wear. Although, it'd be nice for once to have a film show a happy future, but maybe that says more about the improvements that we need to make in the present than anything else. Whatever the case, whether Children of Men is in any way telling of our future or not, it's definitely knowing, well-made, and will, hopefully, lead us to aspire to better days.