Children of Men

2006 futuristic apocalyptic action flick

Rating: 16/20

Plot: It's the year 2027, and things are looking bleak. There have been no births in over 18 years (which, honestly, might not be such a terrible idea), and the world is collapsing under the weight of all those terrible things doomsayers have warned us about. It's probably the fault of our SUV's and doughnuts and bottled water and the election of a female president and homosexual Teletubbies. Clive Owen's ex-girlfriend, Maude Lebowski, wants him to use his connections to transport a pregnant girl to what might be safe hands in a place that might still have daisies. Along the way, he experiences problems, among them an inability to find a good pair of shoes.

My expectations weren't incredibly high with this even with the recommendation from somebody I trust implicitly. And I generally have mixed feelings about these kinds of futuristic things anyway. With the same cast, budget, script, etc., this could have been absolute junk in different hands. It wasn't exactly flawless anyway (the story is a little clunky and there's too much cleverness), but for the most part, I was floored. The action scenes are among the most realistic and naturally tense I've ever seen. I have no clue how some of the extended, one-shot action scenes (one involving a car, another involving a bus, another involving a siege) were filmed. I don't think CGI is the answer. The choreography, attention to detail, teamwork, and artistic vision involved is mindboggling and really made the movie something special. The bleak landscapes and London's disarray created was stunning. The cinematography draws the audience into the film, and (for better or worse) parts of this almost seem like a video game. I could definitely understand somebody's gripe if they claimed it was too video-gamey. I, however, leaned in and soaked it all in.

Note: I had to turn this one way up due to a combination of a running dishwasher and English accents. I might have hearing problems.

Here I am watching Children of Men: