Rent Children of Men (2006)

An interesting film that does have its weaknesses (such as a flip-flop-wearing hero) - Children of Men review by Philip in Paradiso

This is a good film and I enjoyed watching it but, let's face it, it is not as good as most reviewers have said over the years, and it is not as profound as most people seem to think. The storyline is actually quite simplistic: Britain in 2027 (in a few years' time, that is: brace yourselves, folks!) has turned into a Fascistic state where anti-immigrant policies are enforced by the Army; civilisation is collapsing as worldwide infertility has hit women. It is an interesting premise, but the movie somehow fails to live up to its stated purpose. In passing, it is interesting to note that the future of humanity is embodied in a black woman speaking with an African accent (the actress, whose acting is good overall, in fact, is British, of Ghanaian origin): the sub-text on the terminal decline of the West is obvious, as London is shown to be a filthy, violence-ridden urban jungle.

First of all, it looks a bit cheap at times (and yet, the budget was considerable): it is just the way it is filmed; it somehow looks like a low-budget movie, to me. Second, the characters lack any sort of genuine depth and some details are baffling or preposterous. Can you imagine an American movie of this kind where the lead male actor ends up with his feet in a bucket of warm water on more than one occasion because he has footwear-related issues, and, for a prolonged part of the film, is actually wearing flip-flops. Yes, flip-flops. Only a film set in Britain could come up with such an idea, quite frankly. The alternative would have been sandals, obviously. Third, the dialogues are not particularly inventive or memorable, much of the time: 'Terminator' films have more humour to offer than this film, which rather takes itself seriously, in fact.

My problem is also Clive Owen. He seems to be a likeable person (I have no idea whether he is in real life). But every character he plays, from what I have seen over the years, is the same (and whether he is playing himself, as a person, or not!): someone who is cynical, blasé, depressed (hence depressing), pessimistic, gloomy, dishevelled, and who has basically given up on fellow human beings and life. Then, something happens in the story whereby he decides to rise up to the occasion and do The Right Thing. But he is still, right through, depressed, gloomy, dishevelled and pouty. He seems to be thinking, all the time, that, really, 'Life is horrible.' (I am being polite.) In this film, his uncouth and filthy appearance reaches new depths as he staggers about in his flip-flops, lurching from one disaster to the next. It gets a bit limited and annoying after a while. It is also rather formulaic. Is the character (and C Owen's acting) capable of more than one theme/ strand of emotions/ take on life?

Having said all this, it is an interesting film and the end (the last 25 mins or so) is actually moving and good, so, I recommend the movie. And of course, Michael Caine, in his minor part as an ageing hippie living in the woods, is excellent, as he always is.

mesmerising - Children of Men review by CP Customer

There's really no other way to describe this movie than 'mesmerising'. It's fast, well-acted, brilliantly realised, and most of all, totally and completely plausible. There are two tracking shots--one of five minutes and the other of ten--that are absolutely beyond anything in cinemas these days. Technical achievement and directorial achievement are supreme here. Highly recommended.

Interesting Film - Children of Men review by EC

Worth watching I found this interesting not sure if I like it or not. I found the cast list on the disc paper cover odd as it has Nihal Anathnayake (apologies if I have spelt his surname wrongly) who is currently a presenter on radio five live. He has a miniscule part as a Radio announcer. Michael Caine on the sleeve notes would encourage more people to watch this. He has a good role in the film.

Fantastic Dystopian Thriller - Children of Men review by GI

A stunning and really compelling thriller set in a dystopian 2027 UK. The world's societies are collapsing and, for reasons unexplained, the human race has become infertile with no babies having been born in eighteen years. The UK has become an extreme right wing controlled country with forced deportations. Theo (Clive Owen) is a lowly Government clerk, cynical and trying to keep a low profile when he is approached by his ex wife (Julianne Moore), now the leader of a subversive group proscribed as terrorists by the Government. She wants him to help a young woman Kee (Clare-Hope Ashley) to escape to the coast where she will be taken to a sanctuary. Theo is reluctant until Kee's secret is revealed to him. But soon he begins to mistrust the group that claim to be on their side. Portraying a bleak and grimy environment with toned down colour and with an exceptional support cast (Michael Caine, Danny Huston, Chitwel Ejiofor, Peter Mullan, Charlie Hunnam and Pam Ferris) this is a superb film, a fantastic story, littered throughout with religious imagery, which, whilst set in the near future, doesn't attempt to be a sci-fi story, it's a human drama narrative that is very well written and excellently directed. This is one of those films where you can see hints of what society may become but it's also a story of hope. A film that I cannot recommend enough, it's simply topnotch.