Movie Review: Children of Men

If you have followed, up to this point, the career of Director Alfonso Cuarón (which I cannot say that I have), then you would be aware of the fact that he has made a few small, but intelligent films. His only major credit (and by major, I am referring to something that mainstream America would recognize) is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. But no matter what your level of exposure is with Cuarón's work, there is one thing that is unmistakable - the man has some serious visual style.

It is that visual style that sets the tone in his latest film, Children of Men. From the first, shockingly bold scene of the film on, Cuarón paints a vivid portrait of our world, 19 years in the future, where women can no longer have babies and mankind itself is fading into oblivion.With a meticulous hand and a keen eye, Cuarón creates a futuristic world that does not fall into the conventional pitfalls. There are no flying cars, no personal jetpacks; just a depressed, chaotic world that is believable and eerily logical. To say that his vision has created a completely fictional world of the future would be false, this world could stand as a telling reminder of what our world could be if we do not handle it right. But whether you see a work of fiction or a political statement, there is no denying that the environment in this film is what first grabs you.

What continues to captivate you is the story, which was adapted from a book of the same name by P.D. White. It is a story that focuses on Theo (Clive Owen), the classic anti-hero. We meet Theo as a man whose hope has been drained, and like most of the rest of the world he is just biding his time, waiting for the end. That is, until he is tapped by a secret organization led by his ex-wife (Julianne Moore) to help them transport a young girl (Claire-Hope Ashitey) who has miraculously been impregnated. Seeing the girl as the last hope for all mankind, this group will stop at nothing to get her to the coast, where a group called The Human Project will take her into their care and keep her safe.