Men Having Children - This Could Only Happen at Halloween! (Children of Men (DVD))

Member Name: katygriff

Product:	Children of Men (DVD)
Date:	18/10/06 (203 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very Interesting.

Disadvantages: None.

I do not seem to be going to the cinema lately and that is because Hollywood seems to be making absolutely rubbish films lately which are just doing my head in. When I first heard a small blurb on Children of Men I thought it sounded extremely interesting and then the more I read and saw about the film I was very eager to go and see it. I managed to convince my fiancé Dave and then sister Sam to come and a couple of weeks ago now we went to see it. I have to say it was one of the best films I have seen in a very long time and if more films came out like this then it would be fantastic.

Obviously this film is still on in the cinema so it is a film only review.

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The Film:

The year is 2027 and the world is in absolute shock. The youngest child on the planet who is affectionately known as ‘baby’ to the whole world has just died. This child was eighteen years old and everybody who is anybody is in a state of abandonment and shedding tears. The reason is because unbeknown to anybody women have become infertile and there have been no baby’s born in years.

The world is a mess and chaotic as with nothing to live for, people have begun to treat everything as nothing with everybody getting caught up in crime and riots and just trying to get on with their lives but knowing that the future is doomed. We follow Theo as he goes about his daily business and spending time with his hippy friend Jasper in his hideaway retreat to get away from all of the chaos.

When his ex-wife Julian gets in touch with Theo asking for his help with some paperwork, he gets himself into a predicament when he realises the person they are trying to get to the coast he will have to go with to allow the papers to work. When he realises just why they are trying so hard to get Kee down to the coast he suddenly understands the big secret and why he needs to use all his might to help Julian and the others.


Verdict on the Story:

Ok so I know I have been quite cryptic in my description of the story but I truly do not want to give anything away as it is so great. I know many of you will already know what happens but for those who don’t you need to watch this film to truly get an understanding of the messages it is trying to give.

What I love about this story is that it plays out so well that the film goes by in a flash as it is interesting and so much happens. The beginning gets you hooked and straight into the action and then the ending is satisfying depending on how you look at it and take it. The most shocking and surprising thing I found about the story though was how believable it all is and it scared me a little bit as I truly think everything in the film would actually happen if women did become infertile.

I would say the story is a little distressing at times and it fully deserves its 15 certificate as at times it can be quite hard and shocking to watch. It plays out so well though that I found nothing that I hated about it as I found the way it has been told on the screen is perfect and I would not have done it any different.

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Cast and Characters:

Clive Owen – Theo
Julianne Moore – Julian
Chiwetel Ejiofor – Luke
Claire-Hope Ashitey – Kee
Michael Caine – Jasper
Pam Ferris – Miriam


Verdict on the Cast and Characters:

Clive Owen as always in my opinion is wonderful and in this film he plays quite a heroic but yet dark role and he thoroughly suits it. He is a great actor and is absolutely fantastic in this lead role as he carries the movie so well playing a character that is not over the top so doesn’t just suddenly think he is invincible and he is believable and realistic to watch which is wonderful.

Julianne Moore is also in this film well cast and I think she is utterly convincing as Julian and I can’t think of anybody that would have suited the role better. Michael Caine though has to be commended for being a druggy hippy which was so funny to see and as always he proved he can act in any role. The rest of the cast are great especially Ashitey in her first major role.

The characters themselves are fantastic and this is because that they are no superhuman and they do not think they are better than everybody else, they are literally just normal people who are in a bad situation. I think Theo is great as the unlikely hero and the fact that everything in this film that is said and that happens can be believed it makes the characters easier to believe. Although you do not get much of a back story on the characters I think the story is so strong this film doesn’t need it so it is ok.

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Things to Know:

Runtime – 109 minutes
Certificate – 15

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Verdict:

What can I say apart from that I found this film exceptional and I have not seen anything like it before so it has lingered in my mind for a long time now because it was that good and I think interesting to watch. The cast are great and the characters and story is believable and seems so real that I just don’t know how anybody can watch the film and not be affected by it and think about it afterwards.

The director of this film needs to be commended for finally making a film that stands out from the rest as it is that different and also that is utterly real and believable and something that you cant stop thinking about. As soon as I came out of the cinema I was thinking well what if it did happen? People would actually react like that and the world would be in the state that it is shown to be in the film.

Camera sequences in the film are great and I have to say I was shocked and surprised at some of the ways they chose to shoot the film. There is a particular part which I think was so shocking that everybody in the cinema just didn’t expect it to happen and the way the camera was just gave us a view that I have not seen before in any film. This is what you will get with this film, something different and something that will get into your mind because it shows you things you do not normally see.

In short though everything about this film is spectacular and although I would not say it leaves you with a nice feeling inside when you have watched it as it is quite depressing, it does leave you thinking about what could happen. For those of you who like watching a film that you have to think about and that will leave you thinking then I think you may like this. It is actually a film adaptation of a book so I am in the process of buying the book to give it a go and see how close the two are matched.

In conclusion this film definitely gets five stars from me and I would give it more if I could for being the best film that has been made in a long time. I wish films that are predictable and just like all the others would stop being made and more original and exciting films like this one would come out. If there is one film you go to see at the cinema at the moment then let it be this one as it is a shocking and realistic view of the future and I think one of the most interesting movies you could watch. Truly recommended!

Thanks for reading.

xxx

Summary: Exceptional.