Children of Men (2006) - In a dystopian future (only a little more than a decade from now) humanity is faced with total collapse after every woman becomes infertile. The sudden appearance of a pregnant woman pits different political factions against one another while one man tries to get her to sanctuary.
I'm always amazed when Hollywood decides to go the dystopian route. They're just tough movies to sell to the broad audience. Americans like happy endings and this kind of story generally doesn't offer one. When I saw the previews I was excited. It struck me as a great concept and one that hadn't been done to death. Following the sudden end of pregnancy the world goes to hell in a hand basket. In Great Britain they've closed the borders and are actively ridding themselves of illegal immigrants. The resulting society isn't one that anyone would want. It's violent and devoid of humanity. As the government cracks down revolutionary opposition groups pop up (called "The Fish"). Once upon a time Theo (Clive Owen) has been one of them. But as the years went on his idealism died. Walking the streets one day he is kidnapped by the Fish and confronted by his ex-wife (Julianne Moore). She asks him to help the pregnant girl escape to a sanctuary. From the moment he agrees his life is no longer his own.
Based on a novel by P.D. James the movie never quite pulls it off for me. The cast is excellent with Owen, Moore, Michael Caine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor carrying most of the movie. At the end director Alfonso Cuaron leaves us with an appropriate ending for the genre of the story. Somehow it just left me feeling a little on the "meh" side of the equation. There was very little exploration of the issues that create the context for the story. It's mostly treated as just an excuse for chase scenes and firefights.
I had hoped for so much more. If you've got nothing better to do this could fill two hours you could do wors than this.
Rating -*** Worth A Look
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