he only thing that strikes a false note here is...the final sequence (and a sound heard over the closing credits)... Otherwise a perfect film.
Children of Men (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:199
Fresh:183
Rotten:16
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Children of Men works on every level: as a violent chase thriller, a fantastical cautionary tale, and a sophisticated human drama about societies struggling to live. This taut and thought-provoking tale may not have the showy special effects normally found in movies of this genre, but you won't care one bit after the story kicks in, about a dystopic future where women can no longer conceive and hope lies within one woman who holds the key to humanity's survival. It will have you riveted.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
US Box Office: $35,286,428
Synopsis: CHILDREN OF MEN is not a popcorn movie. With its almost relentlessly bleak perspective on the future, Alfonso Cuarón's film doesn't make for pleasant viewing. But it's an exhilarating experience... CHILDREN OF MEN is not a popcorn movie. With its almost relentlessly bleak perspective on the future, Alfonso Cuarón's film doesn't make for pleasant viewing. But it's an exhilarating experience because the picture is an amazing dystopian drama that lacks all the typical trappings of the genre. Set uncomfortably close to the present, it paints a frighteningly realistic picture of the future. In 2027, every woman on earth is infertile. With the loss of the ability to have children, the world has also lost hope. Clive Owen (CLOSER) plays Theo, an Englishman attempting to make a life in a hellish world. His estranged wife (Julianne Moore) convinces him to help transport a young woman to safety. When Theo learns that the woman is pregnant, their journey takes on a significance--and a danger--he never imagined. This is Cuarón's best film to date, a strong statement considering his wonderful HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN and Y TU MAMA TAMBIÉN. Filmed using a handheld camera, the action draws the audience close, making the horror that much more real. In addition to its remarkable car-chase scenes, the film features impressive acting. With his expressive face and voice, Owen gives a nuanced performance that ranks with the best of his career. As a reclusive hippie, Michael Caine shares a charming counterculture view of the crumbling world. Chiwetel Ejiofor (DIRTY PRETTY THINGS) brings gravitas to the role of a terrorist. Just when the film threatens to overwhelm with its sense of dread, small moments of comedy show through in Owen's wry sense of humor and Caine's perfect delivery. When the credits roll, CHILDREN OF MEN leaves the audience feeling shell-shocked, not only because of its brutal prophecy, but also because of its brilliance. [More]
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chjwetel Ejiofor
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Peter Mullan, Charlie Hunnam, Pam Ferris, Danny Huston, Jacek Koman
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Screenwriter: Timothy J. Sexton, Alfonso Cuaron
Producer: Hilary Shor, Marc Abraham, Tony Smith, Eric Newman, Iain Smith
Composer: John Tavener
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Children of Men
Director Alfonso Cuarón's stunning big-screen version of the P.D. James novel Children of Men is one of the best pictures of 2006.
What makes CHILDREN OF MEN so exciting and such a wonder is Cuarón's strong direction and the expert cinematography of Emmanuel Luzbecki.
An apocalyptic thrill ride that is as gritty as it is gripping, with a dark terror outgunned only by its daring humanity.
Children of Men feels more relevant than almost every film set in the present day and is better than almost every other film made this year.
Un brillante relato cinematográfico ejecutado con maestría, pero sobre todo una sombría visión del futuro que es en realidad una inquietante metáfora del mundo de hoy.
Why this film didn't receive Oscar recognition for Best Picture, tells you more about the Academy's shortcomings than this picture's.
A thought-provoking glimpse into a desperate future where infertility has spawned violence. This compelling narrative redfines the post-apocalyptic genre.
You feel as if you’re accompanying a war photographer who’s lost a bet. Slogging unflinchingly through humanity’s worst hours, the movie laces the narrative’s forays into science-fiction grandstanding with a gut-wrenching dynamic.
Director Alfonso Cuaron delivers some truly bravura sequences that raise this loose P.D. James adaptation to the level of exhilarating filmmaking.
I have to confess that at times I was so flabbergasted by the incredible camerawork and long shots, I forgot to listen to the story. I loved it.
There is something satisfying about a movie that forces you to hang onto it %u2013 one where the impact grows greater the more you think about it.
Il s'est rarement fait film dénonçant l'incertitude par rapport à notre avenir sur cette planète ainsi que la barbarie et l'égoïsme de l'être humain plus direct et percutant
Immensely thought-provoking and chillingly insightful...a resilient sci-fi fantasy that dares to contemplate the fate of mankind's chaotic impulsiveness.
I did get caught up in Theo's struggle, and Owen and Caine's great performances kept me hanging in to see the outcome of the film.
The startling offhandedness with which tidings of the apocalypse are delivered is the keynote of this bracing, sometimes shocking new film.
What the narrative demands, and what Cuaron provides, is moral ambiguity and a teasing hopefulness that suggests the possibility of redemption.This is quite an achievement.
If Children of Men sometimes oversteps in its political imagery, perhaps pushing current issues a little too pressingly, it never feels anything less than enthralling.
'I went to see Children of Men today, and I need you to help explain it to me,’ partially went the message, from a rather film-literate Eastern seaboarder.
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