Films about a not-so-distant apocalyptic future tend to focus on dystopian civilizations and totalitarian governments and the struggle for humanity to accept and reach their expected extinction from existence. George Orwell´s "1984" and Fritz Lang´s "Metropolis" are two classic examples of films that fall into this genre. George Lucas touched upon this subject matter with his early film "THX-1138." Terry Gilliam has made it an art form with the powerful "Brazil" and later "12 Monkeys." Animation´s "Æon Flux" has found a big screen adaptation with similar overtones. In recent years, the number of films produced in this sub-genre of Science Fiction has slowed. With so much social discontent with various governments of the world today, this has been surprising. These films provide the perfect platform for suggesting the dangers of our current lifestyles. Recently, the genre has been bolstered with another classic entry where man faces annihilation at the hands of a global health outbreak.
The setting for Alfonso Cuarón´s "Children of Men" is Great Britain in the year 2027. Mankind is being destroyed by an inability to reproduce and the youngest living human is over eighteen years old. The world is crumbling, as social ills have spread with far more destruction than any super-virus or modern day "Black Plague." The last country to hold some semblance of order is England and this is accomplished with a stringent police state and fascist government that has taken away many personal liberties to preserve control and a paper-thin order over the insanity that has swept over the remaining ninety-five percent of the world. Though the appearance is given to the general populace that England is a Utopia, it is far from it. The nation has become a martial-law driven society that persecutes any foreigners or non-British born citizens with death camps not far from the Nazi death camps of World War II.
In "Children of Men", Theo Faron is a former activist who lives a depressed state of being and acts as one of the sheep the government herds. He has lost a child and has come to accept that the End of Days quickly approach. His calm and peaceful world is shattered when a coffee shop he patrons is destroyed by a terrorist´s bomb and his hearing is nearly destroyed. The rumors spread that the government was behind the bombing and these thoughts are reinforced when he is kidnapped by a former lover, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore) and asked for a special favor. Theo and Julian had been a happy couple when the world was still right and had a baby together. Unfortunately, the baby succumbed to the ills that would soon eradicate fertility and they split and both became depressed beings.
Julian is now the leader of terrorist organization called the Fishes. She is public enemy number one for the British government and looks to Theo as the only person she can trust with a wonderful secret – a pregnant girl that may hold mankind´s salvation. The girl, Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), does not trust Theo at first and shows expressions of strong dislike towards the man Julian has trusted to escort her out of England and to a special boat and society called the Human Project. Theo is reluctant to aid Julian at first, until a large sum of money is dangled as persuasion. His involvement becomes far more serious when Kee reveals the secret of her pregnancy. Theo first enrolls the help of an old friend, Jasper Palmer (Michael Caine) to help get Kee to the boat that will take her to safety, but before long, Kee and Theo must find a trust of one another and find themselves alone in their plight to rescue Kee´s baby from the mayhem that has engulfed England.
There was a lot of hype revolving around the futuristic nature of "Children of Men." This was one of the attractions I had originally held in wanting to see the film. The situation of the world and the dire straits that Theo, Julian and Kee find themselves in could happen in a future world, but aside from television and advertising technology, very little of "Children of Men" is reminiscent of a futuristic society nearing collapse. The environment is a destroyed, garbage-ridden world where vehicles look much as they do today, but with futuristic body panels. Aside from Japser´s "Zen Music," the songs the characters listen today are songs that we enjoy in our present times. There was more trash and wreckage in "Children of Men" than there was in Gilliam´s "Brazil," but both films took a similar approach to the future. It is gritty, dirty and violent. Dress attire, the big red busses of London and military hardware are all what we see today. In this regard, "Children of Men" feels like a problem that is society nearing the brink in a far more recent future than dated in the film.
Julianne Moore and Michael Caine have slim supporting roles in "Children of Men." Moore quickly exits the film with a surprising plot twist. Her involvement was important, but brief. Michael Caine is absolutely outstanding as the pot smoking hippie that hides refugees from the evil axis of law. He commands as much screen time as Moore, but is able to stick around deeper into the film. With the two biggest names having extended cameos, "Children of Men" completely relies on the strength of the performances from Clive Owen and Claire-Hope Ashitey. Ashitey´s name doest not appear on the advertised credits, but she is the film´s leading lady and the newcomer does a very good job. The growth of the relationship between Theo and Kee is a fine example of intertwined character development and Owen and Ashitey breathe true life into "Children of Men." This film is about them, their characters and it succeeds in large part to their performances.
"Children of Men" is a very good film that depicts a Dystopian society where any foreigner to the atomic society is cast away in a vile manner and where government resorts to fascist control in the face of impending extinction. The film looks at the dangers of a Big Brother society and shows how government control can be far more evil and destructive than a terrorist organization. This is not a film of enlightenment and certainly does not strive to neatly tie up the film´s plot with a feel-good ending. In the film´s world, where personal liberties are violated, where trash is almost ankle deep on city streets and where the military has every privilege to drive into a decrepit city section and pummel it to the ground with no regard to human life, "Children of Men" strives to keep the viewer uncomfortable with its apocalyptic message. There is no sugar-coating of the reality it paints. This has been a trademark of this science fiction sub-genre and the film keeps true to the conventions. Universal had forced Gilliam´s hand with the theatrical release of "Brazil" and that storied failure of a feel-good film has been well documented. Of course, "Blade Runner" was hit with the same desire to make a happy ending to a dark and foreboding picture. Thankfully, "Children of Men" is allowed to stay dark, violent and unhappy.
The setting for Alfonso Cuarón´s "Children of Men" is Great Britain in the year 2027. Mankind is being destroyed by an inability to reproduce and the youngest living human is over eighteen years old. The world is crumbling, as social ills have spread with far more destruction than any super-virus or modern day "Black Plague." The last country to hold some semblance of order is England and this is accomplished with a stringent police state and fascist government that has taken away many personal liberties to preserve control and a paper-thin order over the insanity that has swept over the remaining ninety-five percent of the world. Though the appearance is given to the general populace that England is a Utopia, it is far from it. The nation has become a martial-law driven society that persecutes any foreigners or non-British born citizens with death camps not far from the Nazi death camps of World War II.
In "Children of Men", Theo Faron is a former activist who lives a depressed state of being and acts as one of the sheep the government herds. He has lost a child and has come to accept that the End of Days quickly approach. His calm and peaceful world is shattered when a coffee shop he patrons is destroyed by a terrorist´s bomb and his hearing is nearly destroyed. The rumors spread that the government was behind the bombing and these thoughts are reinforced when he is kidnapped by a former lover, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore) and asked for a special favor. Theo and Julian had been a happy couple when the world was still right and had a baby together. Unfortunately, the baby succumbed to the ills that would soon eradicate fertility and they split and both became depressed beings.
Julian is now the leader of terrorist organization called the Fishes. She is public enemy number one for the British government and looks to Theo as the only person she can trust with a wonderful secret – a pregnant girl that may hold mankind´s salvation. The girl, Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), does not trust Theo at first and shows expressions of strong dislike towards the man Julian has trusted to escort her out of England and to a special boat and society called the Human Project. Theo is reluctant to aid Julian at first, until a large sum of money is dangled as persuasion. His involvement becomes far more serious when Kee reveals the secret of her pregnancy. Theo first enrolls the help of an old friend, Jasper Palmer (Michael Caine) to help get Kee to the boat that will take her to safety, but before long, Kee and Theo must find a trust of one another and find themselves alone in their plight to rescue Kee´s baby from the mayhem that has engulfed England.
There was a lot of hype revolving around the futuristic nature of "Children of Men." This was one of the attractions I had originally held in wanting to see the film. The situation of the world and the dire straits that Theo, Julian and Kee find themselves in could happen in a future world, but aside from television and advertising technology, very little of "Children of Men" is reminiscent of a futuristic society nearing collapse. The environment is a destroyed, garbage-ridden world where vehicles look much as they do today, but with futuristic body panels. Aside from Japser´s "Zen Music," the songs the characters listen today are songs that we enjoy in our present times. There was more trash and wreckage in "Children of Men" than there was in Gilliam´s "Brazil," but both films took a similar approach to the future. It is gritty, dirty and violent. Dress attire, the big red busses of London and military hardware are all what we see today. In this regard, "Children of Men" feels like a problem that is society nearing the brink in a far more recent future than dated in the film.
Julianne Moore and Michael Caine have slim supporting roles in "Children of Men." Moore quickly exits the film with a surprising plot twist. Her involvement was important, but brief. Michael Caine is absolutely outstanding as the pot smoking hippie that hides refugees from the evil axis of law. He commands as much screen time as Moore, but is able to stick around deeper into the film. With the two biggest names having extended cameos, "Children of Men" completely relies on the strength of the performances from Clive Owen and Claire-Hope Ashitey. Ashitey´s name doest not appear on the advertised credits, but she is the film´s leading lady and the newcomer does a very good job. The growth of the relationship between Theo and Kee is a fine example of intertwined character development and Owen and Ashitey breathe true life into "Children of Men." This film is about them, their characters and it succeeds in large part to their performances.
"Children of Men" is a very good film that depicts a Dystopian society where any foreigner to the atomic society is cast away in a vile manner and where government resorts to fascist control in the face of impending extinction. The film looks at the dangers of a Big Brother society and shows how government control can be far more evil and destructive than a terrorist organization. This is not a film of enlightenment and certainly does not strive to neatly tie up the film´s plot with a feel-good ending. In the film´s world, where personal liberties are violated, where trash is almost ankle deep on city streets and where the military has every privilege to drive into a decrepit city section and pummel it to the ground with no regard to human life, "Children of Men" strives to keep the viewer uncomfortable with its apocalyptic message. There is no sugar-coating of the reality it paints. This has been a trademark of this science fiction sub-genre and the film keeps true to the conventions. Universal had forced Gilliam´s hand with the theatrical release of "Brazil" and that storied failure of a feel-good film has been well documented. Of course, "Blade Runner" was hit with the same desire to make a happy ending to a dark and foreboding picture. Thankfully, "Children of Men" is allowed to stay dark, violent and unhappy.
Films about a not-so-distant apocalyptic future tend to focus on dystopian civilizations and totalitarian governments and the struggle for humanity to accept and reach their expected extinction from existence. George Orwell´s "1984" and Fritz Lang´s "Metropolis" are two classic examples of films that fall into this genre. George Lucas touched upon this subject matter with his early film "THX-1138." Terry Gilliam has made it an art form with the powerful "Brazil" and later "12 Monkeys." Animation´s "Æon Flux" has found a big screen adaptation with similar overtones. In recent years, the number of films produced in this sub-genre of Science Fiction has slowed. With so much social discontent with various governments of the world today, this has been surprising. These films provide the perfect platform for suggesting the dangers of our current lifestyles. Recently, the genre has been bolstered with another classic entry where man faces annihilation at the hands of a global health outbreak.
The setting for Alfonso Cuarón´s "Children of Men" is Great Britain in the year 2027. Mankind is being destroyed by an inability to reproduce and the youngest living human is over eighteen years old. The world is crumbling, as social ills have spread with far more destruction than any super-virus or modern day "Black Plague." The last country to hold some semblance of order is England and this is accomplished with a stringent police state and fascist government that has taken away many personal liberties to preserve control and a paper-thin order over the insanity that has swept over the remaining ninety-five percent of the world. Though the appearance is given to the general populace that England is a Utopia, it is far from it. The nation has become a martial-law driven society that persecutes any foreigners or non-British born citizens with death camps not far from the Nazi death camps of World War II.
In "Children of Men", Theo Faron is a former activist who lives a depressed state of being and acts as one of the sheep the government herds. He has lost a child and has come to accept that the End of Days quickly approach. His calm and peaceful world is shattered when a coffee shop he patrons is destroyed by a terrorist´s bomb and his hearing is nearly destroyed. The rumors spread that the government was behind the bombing and these thoughts are reinforced when he is kidnapped by a former lover, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore) and asked for a special favor. Theo and Julian had been a happy couple when the world was still right and had a baby together. Unfortunately, the baby succumbed to the ills that would soon eradicate fertility and they split and both became depressed beings.
Julian is now the leader of terrorist organization called the Fishes. She is public enemy number one for the British government and looks to Theo as the only person she can trust with a wonderful secret – a pregnant girl that may hold mankind´s salvation. The girl, Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), does not trust Theo at first and shows expressions of strong dislike towards the man Julian has trusted to escort her out of England and to a special boat and society called the Human Project. Theo is reluctant to aid Julian at first, until a large sum of money is dangled as persuasion. His involvement becomes far more serious when Kee reveals the secret of her pregnancy. Theo first enrolls the help of an old friend, Jasper Palmer (Michael Caine) to help get Kee to the boat that will take her to safety, but before long, Kee and Theo must find a trust of one another and find themselves alone in their plight to rescue Kee´s baby from the mayhem that has engulfed England.
There was a lot of hype revolving around the futuristic nature of "Children of Men." This was one of the attractions I had originally held in wanting to see the film. The situation of the world and the dire straits that Theo, Julian and Kee find themselves in could happen in a future world, but aside from television and advertising technology, very little of "Children of Men" is reminiscent of a futuristic society nearing collapse. The environment is a destroyed, garbage-ridden world where vehicles look much as they do today, but with futuristic body panels. Aside from Japser´s "Zen Music," the songs the characters listen today are songs that we enjoy in our present times. There was more trash and wreckage in "Children of Men" than there was in Gilliam´s "Brazil," but both films took a similar approach to the future. It is gritty, dirty and violent. Dress attire, the big red busses of London and military hardware are all what we see today. In this regard, "Children of Men" feels like a problem that is society nearing the brink in a far more recent future than dated in the film.
Julianne Moore and Michael Caine have slim supporting roles in "Children of Men." Moore quickly exits the film with a surprising plot twist. Her involvement was important, but brief. Michael Caine is absolutely outstanding as the pot smoking hippie that hides refugees from the evil axis of law. He commands as much screen time as Moore, but is able to stick around deeper into the film. With the two biggest names having extended cameos, "Children of Men" completely relies on the strength of the performances from Clive Owen and Claire-Hope Ashitey. Ashitey´s name doest not appear on the advertised credits, but she is the film´s leading lady and the newcomer does a very good job. The growth of the relationship between Theo and Kee is a fine example of intertwined character development and Owen and Ashitey breathe true life into "Children of Men." This film is about them, their characters and it succeeds in large part to their performances.
"Children of Men" is a very good film that depicts a Dystopian society where any foreigner to the atomic society is cast away in a vile manner and where government resorts to fascist control in the face of impending extinction. The film looks at the dangers of a Big Brother society and shows how government control can be far more evil and destructive than a terrorist organization. This is not a film of enlightenment and certainly does not strive to neatly tie up the film´s plot with a feel-good ending. In the film´s world, where personal liberties are violated, where trash is almost ankle deep on city streets and where the military has every privilege to drive into a decrepit city section and pummel it to the ground with no regard to human life, "Children of Men" strives to keep the viewer uncomfortable with its apocalyptic message. There is no sugar-coating of the reality it paints. This has been a trademark of this science fiction sub-genre and the film keeps true to the conventions. Universal had forced Gilliam´s hand with the theatrical release of "Brazil" and that storied failure of a feel-good film has been well documented. Of course, "Blade Runner" was hit with the same desire to make a happy ending to a dark and foreboding picture. Thankfully, "Children of Men" is allowed to stay dark, violent and unhappy.
The setting for Alfonso Cuarón´s "Children of Men" is Great Britain in the year 2027. Mankind is being destroyed by an inability to reproduce and the youngest living human is over eighteen years old. The world is crumbling, as social ills have spread with far more destruction than any super-virus or modern day "Black Plague." The last country to hold some semblance of order is England and this is accomplished with a stringent police state and fascist government that has taken away many personal liberties to preserve control and a paper-thin order over the insanity that has swept over the remaining ninety-five percent of the world. Though the appearance is given to the general populace that England is a Utopia, it is far from it. The nation has become a martial-law driven society that persecutes any foreigners or non-British born citizens with death camps not far from the Nazi death camps of World War II.
In "Children of Men", Theo Faron is a former activist who lives a depressed state of being and acts as one of the sheep the government herds. He has lost a child and has come to accept that the End of Days quickly approach. His calm and peaceful world is shattered when a coffee shop he patrons is destroyed by a terrorist´s bomb and his hearing is nearly destroyed. The rumors spread that the government was behind the bombing and these thoughts are reinforced when he is kidnapped by a former lover, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore) and asked for a special favor. Theo and Julian had been a happy couple when the world was still right and had a baby together. Unfortunately, the baby succumbed to the ills that would soon eradicate fertility and they split and both became depressed beings.
Julian is now the leader of terrorist organization called the Fishes. She is public enemy number one for the British government and looks to Theo as the only person she can trust with a wonderful secret – a pregnant girl that may hold mankind´s salvation. The girl, Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), does not trust Theo at first and shows expressions of strong dislike towards the man Julian has trusted to escort her out of England and to a special boat and society called the Human Project. Theo is reluctant to aid Julian at first, until a large sum of money is dangled as persuasion. His involvement becomes far more serious when Kee reveals the secret of her pregnancy. Theo first enrolls the help of an old friend, Jasper Palmer (Michael Caine) to help get Kee to the boat that will take her to safety, but before long, Kee and Theo must find a trust of one another and find themselves alone in their plight to rescue Kee´s baby from the mayhem that has engulfed England.
There was a lot of hype revolving around the futuristic nature of "Children of Men." This was one of the attractions I had originally held in wanting to see the film. The situation of the world and the dire straits that Theo, Julian and Kee find themselves in could happen in a future world, but aside from television and advertising technology, very little of "Children of Men" is reminiscent of a futuristic society nearing collapse. The environment is a destroyed, garbage-ridden world where vehicles look much as they do today, but with futuristic body panels. Aside from Japser´s "Zen Music," the songs the characters listen today are songs that we enjoy in our present times. There was more trash and wreckage in "Children of Men" than there was in Gilliam´s "Brazil," but both films took a similar approach to the future. It is gritty, dirty and violent. Dress attire, the big red busses of London and military hardware are all what we see today. In this regard, "Children of Men" feels like a problem that is society nearing the brink in a far more recent future than dated in the film.
Julianne Moore and Michael Caine have slim supporting roles in "Children of Men." Moore quickly exits the film with a surprising plot twist. Her involvement was important, but brief. Michael Caine is absolutely outstanding as the pot smoking hippie that hides refugees from the evil axis of law. He commands as much screen time as Moore, but is able to stick around deeper into the film. With the two biggest names having extended cameos, "Children of Men" completely relies on the strength of the performances from Clive Owen and Claire-Hope Ashitey. Ashitey´s name doest not appear on the advertised credits, but she is the film´s leading lady and the newcomer does a very good job. The growth of the relationship between Theo and Kee is a fine example of intertwined character development and Owen and Ashitey breathe true life into "Children of Men." This film is about them, their characters and it succeeds in large part to their performances.
"Children of Men" is a very good film that depicts a Dystopian society where any foreigner to the atomic society is cast away in a vile manner and where government resorts to fascist control in the face of impending extinction. The film looks at the dangers of a Big Brother society and shows how government control can be far more evil and destructive than a terrorist organization. This is not a film of enlightenment and certainly does not strive to neatly tie up the film´s plot with a feel-good ending. In the film´s world, where personal liberties are violated, where trash is almost ankle deep on city streets and where the military has every privilege to drive into a decrepit city section and pummel it to the ground with no regard to human life, "Children of Men" strives to keep the viewer uncomfortable with its apocalyptic message. There is no sugar-coating of the reality it paints. This has been a trademark of this science fiction sub-genre and the film keeps true to the conventions. Universal had forced Gilliam´s hand with the theatrical release of "Brazil" and that storied failure of a feel-good film has been well documented. Of course, "Blade Runner" was hit with the same desire to make a happy ending to a dark and foreboding picture. Thankfully, "Children of Men" is allowed to stay dark, violent and unhappy.
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