The Future of Mankind

Director Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Great Expectations) has managed to create a film that is both thought-provoking and thrilling - a combination rare in a world where blockbusters are dumbed down so even the mentally incapable can still grasp the story line.

Children of Men opens with one of the most dramatic - yet simple - title cards seen in recent years. The abrupt beginning sets the mood for a movie that asks a simple question: If children can no longer be born, and the lineage and future of man are no more, what kind of world would be in?

The answer, as Cuaron masterfully depicts in this near-future tale, is a world without hope. In this stark setting, the main character and the plot-line are introduced. Clive Owen plays Theo Faron, an ex-activists, who agrees to help export a miraculously pregnant woman from the now-isolationist Britain - in hopes that outside scientists may save the future of mankind.

The screenplay, based on the novel by P.D. James, unfolds incredibly well. Science-fiction is rarely so gritty and convincing. And in that feeling of the film, one that shows basic human reactions and characteristics, Children of Men manages to play out in a fashion that stands apart from any other of its kind. It’s depiction of the near-future is realistic, primal and ultimately breathtaking.

Though the acting of one of the main characters - Kee, played by Claire-Hope Ashitey - is fairly weak, strong performances by Clive Owen and Julianne Moore are enthralling. Moore plays Julian Taylor, head of resistance group that opposes Britain’s harsh immigration laws. The relationship between Owen and Moore onscreen isn’t charismatic by any means, but works well in this often dry and unsaturated film.

Cuaron shows that he’s master at direction. Moviegoers will be amazed by some spectacular single-take shots, incredibly choreographed, that make the scenes dance into one another. One in particular stands out. In a confrontation with British troops, and others, Theo Faron (Clive Owen) stumbles through explosions and wasteland in an beautifully long take with a blood splatter on the camera lens. Whether a mistake, intentional or even added with CGI, this one scene embodies the grit that makes the movie itself so powerful.

Typically, the genre of apocalypse films is packed with excessive explosions and very little substance. Children of Men is a wonderful addition to the genre - showing that in a world on the brink of extinction, the greatest enemy of mankind is mankind itself. The film is packed with inner-turmoils and ulterior motives - enough to make plot and character development the backbone of this very strong, albeit depressing, film.

In recent times, it’s been hard to find a larger budget film that is smart enough to woo the intelligent moviegoer. If you fit that description, look no further. Children of Men, a movie about hope in world with none, is bringing a little hope of its own to the cinema.