I figli degli uomini

The apocalypse arrives on film once again in a plot so simple it's horrifyingly believable. It's 2027 and the world is close to annihilation because no child has been born in 18 years. London office worker Theo (Clive Owen) is offered cash by a radical ex-girlfriend to escort a refugee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) to safety. Their lives are soon at risk from both government and revolutionaries.

Although the camera work and cinematography is nothing short of stunning the focus always with our protagonist, ensuring we're kept in the middle of the action throughout. It is also undoubtedly one of Owen's finest performances to date. Theo is never far from danger yet he struggles on with convincing dignity. Occasionally baffled but far from stupid - Theo is essentially a reckless, underplayed action hero that doesn't jump at every opportunity to arm himself with a gun. This works well with the international ensemble of incredible talent: Michael Caine's charming pot dealing hippie, feisty Julianne Moore, key role Claire-Hope Ashitey, the wonderful Pam Ferris, the increasingly busy, excellent Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Huston and writer/director/producer Peter Cullen (gloriously sadistic Syd) to name a few... This is surely a casting coup to be jealous of.

The episodic nature of the story makes Children of Men difficult to place into one genre alone. Briefly glimpsed futuristic sci-fi technology is grounded in reality and looks entirely achievable while grey, graffiti ridden concrete locations provide an excellent backdrop for the near satirical look of our current social and political climate. There's poignant drama interspersed amongst exhilarating action and yet enough twists to call it a thriller.

This is not to say it's flawless. Some exposition is handled better in places than others for instance. However Alfonso Cuarón has achieved a completely remarkable experience. Arguably the film could have been longer given how strong most of it is. The only really hard pill to swallow is the comedy juxtaposed with some stark imagery that looks all too familiar to anyone who has ever seen the News from the past few decades. Nice to see a Pink Floyd reference though (pigs might fly!), and someone finally found a use for Battersea Power Station.

Ideally an audience should see this film with no preconceptions and know as little about the plot as possible. This will be unlikely though due to a staggered box-office release schedule, word of mouth and a plethora of reviews and trailers that are eager to give much of the game away. Ironic then perhaps that it must be said - Children of Men is a cinematic milestone. Great special effects and an effective soundtrack accompany this heartfelt, moving and thought-provoking film. Easily one of the best films in recent memory.

Imagine there's a time, when being foreign is a crime, when being different is a curse, you can't be treated any worse, than enslaved inside a place, because of language or your race, this could only be some fiction, who could impose such restriction (well you'd like to think that couldn't happen in an island off Western Europe at least - scratches chin and ponders). All because there are no children, Mother Nature has just withdrawn, thrown her teddy out the pram, decided you lot can just scram, had enough of these abusers, who have left so many bruises, an environment in tatters, now you'll see what really matters.

If this doesn't get you engaged with the world today and the possibilities that might be in store for it then rewind, pause, and watch again. Great performances, spectacular cinematography and direction.

this film is one of the best things i have seen this year. It's an improbable cross between "Brazil" "a clockwork orange" and the video game HALF-LIFE2 (from which it borrows it's final sequences and use of on shot action-sequences) it manages to be both entertaining in the Hollywood way (with incredible action sequences and a very clever way of using digital effects) yet very sad and different with a very very dark and realistic overtone. No comic relief, no cartoon character bravery, only human behavior in it's best and most horrible way. This realistic overtone makes the main characters very engaging and moving. CLive owen (whose i have always disliked) is excellent as the man drowned into an adventure too big for him (sorry for my bad English)

It's the same kind of film than V for vendetta (both taking place in a futuristic fascist British society) different from the usual mainstrean studio teenager pleaser crap

GO see it! help intelligent cinema

I never saw it in 06, Only just watched it. I am not going to go on about it much. But its relevance to todays world is astounding.

The action is impeccably done. The battle scenes are mind numbingly realistic. I still can't believe it was made in 05/06. Characters are so real. The atmosphere the attention to detail in scenes are incredible. Things happening in the background out of focus etc is just another layer of a real world that's been created. A huge epic movie with a hero who doesn't ever shoot a gun.

I will give it a week or so and watch it again. The director should've one an academy award.

This futuristic thriller disposes of much of the sci-fi jargon we've come to expect from Hollywood films. There are no outlandish gadgets or chases through CGI-created landscapes; CHILDREN OF MEN, based on a novel by P. D. James, is a realistic thriller through and through. It's set in a recognisable dystopia (full of violence, poverty, disease, segregation and warfare) and the story follows a strict 'journey' template, following a group of characters as they travel through myriad locales, suffering death, defeat and adventure along the way. So far, so predictable. However, this film works because it's literate, it's intelligent and the focus is on storytelling over flashy special effects or action nonsense.

Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron (HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN) is a force to watch out for on the strength of his work here: this is the best direction I've seen in a long while and the film is chock-full of great tracking shots which really emphasise the excitement and danger around every corner. The view of a future UK is nightmarish and believable and the backgrounds and locations are as much a character as the protagonists themselves.

I also enjoyed the fact that the film remains as unconventional as possible as it moves along. Clive Owen, the heroic protagonist, never fires a gun and is definitely an everyman character rather than a hero: he's utterly believable and this is the best role I've seen the actor in yet. Supporting actors are good, but it's the older heavyweights who give the best turns: Julianne Moore, as likable as she's ever been, as a terrorist leader; Pam Ferris as an ally; Michael Caine as an aged John Lennon-type. Chiwetel Ejiofor is also very strong in a minor role. The film does have action, including a ferocious fire fight at the climax, but it's never an action film per se. It's just a great movie that avoids pigeon-holing and never left me bored or underwhelmed once.