Review of Children of Men (2006) by Mark J — 11 Nov 2013
Children of Men presents a dystopian future in which the human race has become sterile and Britain has morphed into a police state under siege by refugees, and terrorised on the inside by its own security forces fighting an ongoing battle with homegrown terrorism.
Into this mix comes Clive Owen, the world weary ex-freedom fighter, who is pulled back into this clandestine world by an unorthodox visit from his ex-wife (Julianne Moore). So what's it all about? Well, that's not something we get many answers to.
After a nod to Casablanca with Owen obtaining letters of transit for a crucial plot device, the MacGuffin is dutifully put into service to enable our hero to get from A to B. But the plot is irrelevant to the ultimate star of this movie; breathtakingly brilliant cinematography which evokes a believable dystopian near-future.
The production design is so authentic it creates one of those rare things in movies, a feeling of actually being there. To cap it all off, the direction - particularly in the action scenes - is wonderfully rendered in long takes, which takes the realism to a higher level.
This review of Children of Men (2006) was written by Mark J on 11 Nov 2013.
Children of Men has generally received very positive reviews.
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