DVDSleuth.com is your source for daily DVD news and reviews.
Children of Men (2006)
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Blu-ray Disc Released: 5/26/2009
All Ratings out of 
Movie: 1/2
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Review by Mike Long, Posted on 5/13/2009
"I believe the children are the future.", Whitney Houston once sang in her
famous song. And people are always saying that we should conserve today so that
our children will have something tomorrow. But, what if there weren't any
children tomorrow? What if humans suddenly stopped having babies? What would the
world be like then? That's the question posed by the bleak futuristic thriller
Children of Men.
Children of Men is set in the year 2027, and, as noted above, infertility
has struck humanity and there hasn't been a child born in over 18 years. Our
story takes place in London, where the city is torn asunder by rebel groupS,
such as The Fishes, who fight the government -- which has cracked down on
foreigners and illegal aliens entering the country. Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is a
mild-mannered office worker who simply lives day-to-day, trying to get by (and
survive terrorists bombings). One day, he's kidnapped by The Fishes, and is
surprised to learn that his ex-lover, Julian (Julianne Moore), is one of their
leaders. Julian reports that her group is helping a young refugee cross the
country and they need for Theo to use his connections to get her the proper
documents. Theo is shocked to see Julian again, but he agrees to help.
Theo is able to secure the papers -- through a cousin -- but they stipulate that
he must escort the young woman. So, Theo finds himself and Julian traveling with
the woman, Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), an older woman named Miriam (Pam Ferris),
and their driver, Luke (Chiwetel Ejiofor). The party is attempting to reach the
coast so that Kee can board a boat and flee England. They experience some
difficulties along the way, and are forced to make several stops. During this
time, Theo begins to learn the truth about the political factions involved, and
more importantly, he discovers the important cargo which Kee is carrying. Theo
then realizes that it is up to him to help preserve the future of humanity.
Children of Men is a film which I predict will really divide audiences.
Not, as one would suspect, because of the politically-charged subject matter,
but because there are essentially two movies going on here. Exploring them both
will help to illuminate my point.
First of all, this movie is an amazing technical achievement. Director Alfonso
Cuaron, director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki, production designers Jim Clay
and Geoffrey Kirkland, and set designer Jennifer Williams have worked together
to create a film which is a visual feast. The locations and sets look fantastic,
as they present a world which looks much like ours, save for the fact that there
is at once more visible technology (mostly in the form of video displays) and
more decay. The film has shied away from what we typically consider a
"futuristic" look, and, according to one of the Disc's featurettes, has instead
gone for an "anti Blade Runnder" feel. (Many times I found myself
wondering where the film was shot due to the long streets showing urban rot.)
Into this realistic setting, Cuaron has infused the film with some of the most
stunning shots which I've ever seen. There are several very long takes which
involve many extras and a lot of action. I can only imagine that Brian De Palma
looked on in wonder at the car-chase scene which is comprised of one shot. This
approach only adds to the realistic feel of the film and really draws the very
into the action. This also lends tension to the scene, as we find ourselves
waiting for that cut which should bring some relief, but it doesn't come.
Children of Men is worth seeing for the photography alone.
Which brings us to the other aspect of the film -- the story -- which isn't
quite as impressive. Cuaron, plus four other screenwriters, are credited with
bringing author P.D. James novel to the screen. So, it's surprising that with
five writers on board that the film doesn't have a more compelling and coherent
story. At the outset, we get the basic facts of the film; humanity has been
cursed with infertility, political upheaval is everywhere, and a fascist
government is in place. (No exact cause for the lack of babies is given, but
there are some subtle clues.) From there, we meet Theo and the other characters,
and the trip with Kee begins. But, from that point on, the story becomes very
murky. The political intentions/affiliations of some of the characters are
confusing, the exact point of the plan to transport Kee becomes lost in the mix,
and the ending is ambiguous. This fuzzy plotting makes the heart of the story
difficult to embrace and at times, the motivations for what is happening is
unclear. And while the film takes a somewhat unique look at the future, several
scenes made me think of Escape from New York.
I realize that my opinion posted above is going to be an unpopular one with many
people, and some will say that I didn't "get" the film. Oh, I understood every
bit of it, but given the buzz about the movie, I had suspected to take away more
from it. I've read several on-line comments about the film's "subtext" and that
there is no "literal meaning", and that's fine, but this isn't a David Lynch
movie. 80% of the film has rhyme and reason, so it's not out of the question for
me to criticize that lapses in the story. Aesthetically, the film is nearly
flawless, as the photography is outstanding, the art direction is awe-inspiring,
and the acting is top-notch. But, a movie of this caliber should have a greater
effect on the viewer. This is one child which I didn't mind babysitting, but I
wouldn't adopt it.
Children of Men is brought into this world on
The Children of Men Disc carries a few extras. There are 3 DELETED SCENES which run just over 2 minutes and are all short incidental moments. "The Possibility of Hope" is a 27-minute documentary directed by Cuaron which uses comments from experts and political scientists to focus on current world issues, such as over-population, global warming, and globalization, to talk about the future. In "Children of Men Comments by Slavoj Zizek" (6 minutes), the philosopher and cultural critic discusses the film's subtext. In "Under Attack" (8 minutes), we get a behind-the-scenes look at how the long-take shots were achieved. This focuses mainly on the car chase, which is very informative, but I would have also liked to have learned more about the final battle scene. Owen and Moore's characters are examined in "Theo & Julian" (5 minutes). "Futuristic Design" (9 minutes) lets us in on how the film's look was achieved, from the initial ideas to the creation of the locations. "Visual Effects: Creating the Baby" (3 minutes) gives us a detailed look at the many layers which went into creating one shot. The "U-Control" feature has three options; "Commercials" gives us a closer look at the TV commercials which play in the background of some shots; "Info" allows us to look at newspaper headlines which give background on the story; "Picture-in-Picture" offers interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
Review Copyright 2009 by Mike Long