Review of Children of Men (2006) by Ben L — 07 Jan 2016

Children of Men is a very highly regarded film and I wish I could effectively articulate why I find it so underwhelming. I think part of it is the extreme amount of depression in the movie. At a certain point I think the somber tone started to rub off on me.

I realize in this particular post-apocalyptic world, since there is no hope of a future, depression and apathy are the appropriate emotions. But Children of Men is so bleak in its story, cinematography, and score that even the glimmer of hope they offer in the film isn't enough to pique my interest.

The shaky camera is a big pet peeve of mine as well, even though it probably is the right choice to capture the gritty feeling of this world. Finally, I struggled at times to keep track of all the enemies and their different agendas.

Clive Owen was perfect for the lead role, and I liked that they included a very powerful moment that gave him a logical reason for suddenly starting to care. In fact all the acting was great. The biggest standouts for me, aside from Clive Owen, were Michael Caine and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

They are always spectacular, and in their limited roles here they made a big impact. I also have to give Children of Men credit because it does an amazing job of creating this world without spending hours on exposition explaining how they got there.

Yet, despite the excellent world-building and casting, the overall package is one that doesn't do much for me. To be fair, though, it seems I am in the minority.