Children of Men (2007)

Really slow and dreary

This film had been highly recommended. I found it slow, depressing and the "stunning visuals" not worth watching. The story line was neither original or interesting. I've watched it twice hoping to find something worth praising, but found nothing. If you're into really depressing films hyped as "realistic" this is for you. July 23, 2008

Face the Future

CHILDREN OF MEN is the most accurate cinematic view of a world that will soon, but has not yet fully come to pass. Society in advanced decay, massive social upheaval, fanatical xenophobia, extreme class segregation... what today we see just beginning to bud is depicted horrifyingly and in full fruition in CHILDREN OF MEN. There is no real hope for humanity when even those fighting to save civilization do all the wrong things for all the right reasons. The super rich sit in luxury above the fray, hoarding the treasures of humanity's past glory, yet are themselves blighted by the fact that nothing of redemptive value remains in the world, even for those with the money to pay (this is what idiot Republican's and their wealthy overlords should have considered when they began to disslove economic equilibrium twenty years ago). This movie is very realistic, and those back from Iraq with PTSD should probably avoid it... the rest of you should definitely face the future you have helped to create. July 13, 2008

Men, don't watch when you've been away from your children!

Unless you want to end up a blubbering idiot.


Needing DVDs for a passage, I bought this DVD on an impulse, remembering I had heard "good things" about it. I knew nothing about the plot, camera work, or startlingly realistic birth scene.

Unwarned, and nestled in the V-bearth I put the DVD in my computer and got slammed full-force by a first-rate distopic sci-fi thriller. I didn't even notice the long takes until the refugee camp scene, and I'm a filmmaker. When I miss something like that, that means I was *really* caught up in the movie. July 13, 2008

Amazing and a must have.

You must see this movie.
A very interesting twist on the whole end of the world theatrics.
The entire human race becomes impotent.
Who thinks this stuff up?
Brilliant.
A tear jerker in a few places toward the end.
I'd put this movie in my top twenty any day.
Masterfully directed, superbly acted and very touching.
A must see, but not a movie for kids.
Some very disturbing scenes make it a movie for adults only.
Recommended!!! June 16, 2008

A bleak and moving vision of the future

Alfonso Cuaron's bleak yet surprisingly moving vision of the future features brilliant performances and equally brilliant action sequences. Children of Men, freely adapted from the novel by P.D. James, stars Clive Owen as Theo: a one-time activist that is coerced to transport the last fertile woman on the planet to safety; all the while outside forces attempt to use her for their own means, and the world as a whole seems to crumble around them. Cuaron's filming techniques are what make Children of Men so good, as his vision puts the viewer right in the middle of the chaotic action sequences that follow. Owen is great, while brief turns from Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, and Chiwetel Ejifor are small miracles as well, and the lacings of political and social commentary that abound, along with a hopeful light at the end of the tunnel, all combine to make Children of Men a memorable and spectacular film. All in all, if you've missed out on Children of Men, you are doing yourself a great disservice, and you should definitely give the film a much deserved look. June 2, 2008

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