Children of Men Review
“2007 starts off with a bang…as far as this movie is concerned”
On the eve of a new year and in the heat of award season, movie goers such as you and I faithful readers are now sifting through the “let’s-go-to-the-theater” movies and the “wait-til-DVD” movies. Of course theres the sub category of “this-movie-would-better-be-served-as-a-DVD-that-was-a-coaster-for-my-beer”, but let’s just nix that altogether. It’s a new year, so let’s get it started right. Ok so the skinny…Been to the movies once since good ole 2007 started. Then I bumped into Children of Men. And let me tell you kids, we may have one of the best movies of the year on our hands.
Flat out engrossing, invigorating, arousing…it was how a movie with action should be made. I didn’t say it was an action movie, which I supposed you could make a case for, but moreso a drama with very sci-fi, futuristic undertones…and some good ole action. The general premise is that the movie takes place around 20-30 years from now and has humans witnessing the possible last generation on Earth. Women have ceased to reproduce. As if eating the fucking apple, opening Pandora’s box or founding the Oxyegen channel weren’t enough, women have good old mother earth and the men in it by the proverbial balls. My oh my, what a scary and thought invoking future Alfonso Cuaron makes.
That’s right boys and girls, everyones favorite Harry Potter director, Alfonso Cuaron, throws that faggy wand to the ground for some hardcore sci-fi violence. He really doesn’t pull punches. His direction is so clear and stunning and exampled, that every sequence burns itself into the viewers memory. The days of lightning quick cuts and elaborate car chases are over after this movie hopefully. We truely are witnessed to incredible film making with two action sequences lasting between 5 and 10 minutes of one….continous…shot. That’s right. NO CUTS. Incredible…you can’t get out of the moment if you wanted to.
And let me say this; Clive Owen is one of the best actors of our generation and he delivers once again. I’m not crazy about Julianne Moore, but meh, she can only wreck so many franchises(i.e. Hannibal, Jurrasic Park:The Lost World) She’s subdued here and pretty decent. Michael Caine makes a very endearing and charming role. The side characters do their parts, including the girl who plays Kee, who is pretty convincing.
To get to brass tacks on this; this movie throughout it’s excitement and action and suspense also brings up so many interesting cultural, political and social issues with our world that it strikes home even more. It really is a wonderful mesh of pop cinema and art cinema. It takes a wonderful storyteller to accomplish the feat, as I once again cannot praise Cuaron enough. I really loved this movie. If you don’t like sci-fi, I mean I guess don’t go? To be honest, it really isn’t that thick. It is a future not to distant from now and really has some very important and interesting things to say. This movie gets a 10 out of 10 Bones, because I was trying to find something really wrong with it and couldn’t and because it’s a delicious, full bodied and mind experience worth trying.
RATING: