Future world of 'Children of Men' worth seeing
By Jonathan McDonald
According to Hollywood, if humanity loses one commonplace thing, it's the end of the world.
In "Mad Max," it was oil. In "Waterworld," it was land. In "Children of Men," it's babies.
Women have become infertile in this futuristic thriller, masterfully directed by Alfonso Cuarón ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," "Y tu mamá también") and based on a novel by P.D. James.
The plot centers on Theodore Faron, a cynical ex-political activist played by Clive Owen ("Inside Man," "Sin City") who lives in London.Ã
Without hope of a future, society has come undone. Even Great Britain, one of the few nations to maintain order, is a war zone under constant siege by radical revolutionaries and desperate refugees.
Cuarón doesn't shy away from the disturbing details of his moribund world, lingering on cages of harshly-treated refugees and other atrocities.
Hope for the future of this dystopia reveals itself in Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), who, after 18 years of global infertility, has become pregnant.
Theo is called upon by his firebrand ex-wife (Julianne Moore) and her comrade (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to escort Kee to the Human Project, a secret team of scientists searching for a cure to the infertility that plagues humanity.
Theo and Kee must evade the draconian government and fight their way through the anarchic British countryside to meet with the Human Project.
Owen was made for this tough guy role. Michael Caine (who plays a philosophizing hipster and retired journalist) and Moore deliver typically brilliant performances, as does newcomer Ashitey.
The plot is as fast-paced and suspenseful as it sounds. The intelligent and thought-provoking tale ends rather abruptly and leaves many questions unanswered.
Just remember the old adage that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters, and you'll be too caught up in the engaging storytelling and incredible cinematography to notice this singular flaw.
The brave new world of "Children of Men" is not established through the long opening monologues or scrolling text common to post-apocalyptic films but through context alone.
The story of earth's destruction is told by newspaper clippings on the walls and public service announcements on televisions mounted in the armored double-decker busses which carry soulless workers past mobs of destructive rebels and hedonists.
Imagery is everything in "Children of Men." The cities are decayed and morose, with walls adorned by end-of-the-world graffiti and advertisements for suicide kits.
From the deceptively quiet forests to a factory eerily reminiscent of a Pink Floyd album cover, the desolate scenery creates a tangible, apocolyptic atmosphere and makes for a very immersive experience.
Every aspect of the film reveals a thought-out and detailed world, and you can't help but be astonished by and immersed in Cuarón's horrifyingly realistic vision of a dystopian future.
Theo encounters crazed religious extremists and must deal with fanatic revolutionaries and wicked opportunists at every turn.
The action scenes are as exciting as they are technically astounding. Long, complex shots--one of which is seven minutes in length--waft through a choreography of bullets and bombs in gritty battles as realistic and exciting as anything ever put on film.
"Children of Men" absolutely enraptures from explosive start to thrilling conclusion and, if anything, ends too soon.
Grade: A
Contact Jonathan McDonald at jmcdonald@scu.edu.