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Movies / Upcoming / Children of Men
Children of Men

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Children of Men (2006)

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92 %
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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

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Children of Men

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101 - 120 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
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Easy to watch and hard to shake, Children of Men is an action-adventure film/socio-political nightmare.

Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
01/02/07
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

With this panting, ragged chase through the end of the world, Cuarón and Lubezski have reinvented the language of the action film.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Weekly | comment Comment
01/02/07
Sean Burns
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly

Dystopian take on a world without children that includes pointed to current abuses in the "war on terror" and the xenophobia gripping Great Britain and other countries.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/02/07
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Even if you don’t buy the main conceit, the scumbled texture of the movie makes it feel not just plausible but recognizable, and Cuarón takes care never to paint the future as consolingly different.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
01/02/07
Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is how humanity ends ... annihilated not all at once, but piecemeal, slowly ground to bits between the codependent ideologies of terror and fascism.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/01/07
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Film Journal International

What an amazing and thought-provoking film!

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
12/30/06
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

Narratively, the film may be an uneasy blend of genres, but technically it's brilliant, with lengthy set pieces-- staged and shot in gritty style with handheld camera by ace lenser Emmanuel Lubezki and his team--that should serve as textbook material.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
12/29/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Fans of the novel may argue about Cuarón's many departures. Some heighten the story's connections to present-day crises; others cloud James' moral vision.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
12/29/06
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Christianity Today

Bloated adaptation of P.D. James's thoughtful, compact novel.

Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | comment 6 Comments
12/29/06
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While it's best to know as little as possible about this movie going into the theater, the story is so fast-paced that you won't be thinking about this review or any other.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
12/29/06
Peter Hartlaub
Peter Hartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle

In Cuarón's highly-skilled hands, Children of Men continuously threatens to develop into something more fascinating than it is.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
12/29/06
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

The picture is a conceptual muddle. Fortunately, Cuarón is such a talented filmmaker that the movie is interesting on other levels.

Full Review Source: MTV | comment Comment
12/29/06
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
MTV

I did enjoy the film overall, but didn’t get bowled over by it as so many other fans have.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
12/29/06
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

A second viewing, which Children of Men richly rewards, deepens our understanding.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
12/29/06
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Scott Mantz' Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/29/06
Scott A. Mantz
Scott A. Mantz
Scott Mantz' Movie Reviews

There is a genuine feel, in the film's look, of a world on the brink of total collapse.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
12/28/06
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Cuaron's script, co-written with Timothy J. Sexton, is incredibly tight, Owen is palpably comfortable in Theodore's skin, and the issues of immigration and cultural ambivalence that the film centers on are more than compelling.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
12/28/06
Stephen Saito
Stephen Saito
Premiere Magazine

Filming Children of Men as if it were a war documentary enhances its urgency, but Cuarón allows quieter moments to disturb us as well.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
12/28/06
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

This is sort of "Brazil" without the intentional surrealism.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
12/28/06
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

This is real movie magic... We know they can create anything in CGI, make anything happen with tricky editing and the like. To actually take that out of an equation may not be obvious to everyone, but it registers.

Full Review Source: Can Magazine | comment Comment
12/27/06
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
Can Magazine
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
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