Movie Title: Children of Men
Overall score (out of 5): 3.714
Rated: R – graphic violence; excessive explicit language
Running time: 1hr48min
Genre: drama/action
Main premise: In the year 2027, the human race is dying off because women, for some reason, are no longer able to carry and give birth to healthy babies. In London, they’re in the middle of a civil uprising and the government has resorted to violently deporting illegal immigrants back to their homelands. All people who are not British citizens are known as “Fugees” and are looked upon as the scourge of the earth. About twenty minutes into the film, we discover that a Fugee named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), is eight months along with child. The remaining portion of the movie follows the travails of the Theodore Faron (Clive Owens) and the various other people who are attempting to help – or destroy – her.
Overall score (out of 5): 3.714
Rated: R – graphic violence; excessive explicit language
Running time: 1hr48min
Genre: drama/action
Main premise: In the year 2027, the human race is dying off because women, for some reason, are no longer able to carry and give birth to healthy babies. In London, they’re in the middle of a civil uprising and the government has resorted to violently deporting illegal immigrants back to their homelands. All people who are not British citizens are known as “Fugees” and are looked upon as the scourge of the earth. About twenty minutes into the film, we discover that a Fugee named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), is eight months along with child. The remaining portion of the movie follows the travails of the Theodore Faron (Clive Owens) and the various other people who are attempting to help – or destroy – her.
Main Cast (alphabetically):
Kee - Claire-Hope Ashitey
Jasper Palmer - Michael Caine
Patric - Charlie Hunnam
Julian Taylor - Julianne Moore
Theodore Faron - Clive Owens
Overall score breakdown
Storyline and/or writing: 3
1 (amateur) – 5 (brilliant)
Comments (if any): This film was painful to watch because of the believable reality of the premise. Witnessing the walls surrounding the cities, the difficulty of traveling from one city to the next and the abuse of the Fugees was strikingly similar to the clips I see on the nightly news. That familiarity left me uncomfortable, yet that was also its strength. The films weakness came in character development and flow of story. Although they continually focused on billboards stating it was “illegal to avoid fertility testing,” the film never addressed the reasons it was. Nor did it explain why it was that some of the people wanted to kill Kee and there were no concrete suppositions surrounding the issue of worldwide infertility.
Dialogue: 3
1 (inane) – 5 (excellent)
Comments (if any): This film relies heavily on the action scenes and facial expressions to carry the storyline. Surprisingly enough, the writers interjected witty banter into several scenes – some of which worked, while others were simply obscene in their distastefulness.
Cinematography: 4
1 (irregular) – 5 (breathtaking)
Comments (if any): Many of the action sequences were filmed with a handheld camera which tended to lend to the reality of the scenes, but created a sort of roller coaster feeling. For the bulk of one of the longest action scenes which shows the civilian uprising in the streets, the camera lens is splattered with a few dots of red transparent liquid which lent an eerie realness to the situation.
Sets and/or location: 4
1 (common) – 5 (outstanding)
Comments (if any): The film carries an overall feeling of abject disregard and disrespect that was disturbingly believable. The sets were littered with trash, filth, dead bodies and an abundance of animals. The creators were brilliant in contrasting the proliferation and apparent carefree attitude of all animals of all species in juxtaposition to the desperation and degeneration of the human species.
Animation or Special Effects: n/a
1 (satisfactory) – 5 (amazing)
Comments (if any):
Graphicness: 4
1 (intolerable) – 5 (tolerable)
Comments (if any): Due to the premise of this movie, the blatant in-your-face violence was expected, yet agonizing to watch at times mostly because it simply dwindled down to the fact that there was no regard for anything or anyone.
Soundtrack: 3
1 (average) – 5 (extraordinary)
Comments (if any): Interesting mix of new songs, interspersed with re-mixed versions of old activist songs.
Cast and/or Acting: 5
1 (weak) – 5 (powerful)
Comments (if any): I am not a fan of Julianne Moore, yet she played the part of rebel activist with stunning believability. Her performance was flawless and strong. Clive Owens stole my heart with his seemingly innocent hope for the future. His portrayal of the protector and the rescuer came across with a strength of conviction. Michael Caine brought levity into a situation that weighed heavy and was divine as the loveable aged political crusader. Claire-Hope Ashitey was regal in her carriage, delivered her lines with unwavering power and was convincing in her portrayal as the first woman in almost two decades to successfully carry a full-term pregnancy. The character who stopped my heart, though was Patric, played by Charlie Hunnam. He was one rebel activist that I pray to god I never have to face. I felt breathlessly dizzy with fear as I watched his relentless pursuit of what he believed was to be right with absolutely no regard for anything or anyone. Hunnam’s stellar performance far outshone any of the bigger names in this feature.
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