I don’t know if it was the fact we sat in the front row of the stadium seating at CineArts at Santana Row or the guy next to us who was laughing loudly at not funny parts of the film or the movie itself, but I couldn’t get into this story for the first 35-45 minutes of this movie.
The movie is good, the cinematography is excellent and Clive Owen is great, but Children of Men is not deserving of the praise it is currently receiving. I think a lot of people rate this movie highly because they believe by exalting this picture it may have some affect on the current political landscape and or because it could be an indictment of what they see as failed government policy. If that is the case, so be it, but a film is not good, or bad for that matter, just because it does or does not support your own political view. So be warned, liberal-minded people will tell you this is a great film because it contains moments that are a slam against present day conservative-minded people, politicians, and government.
This movie is a little similar to Crash, in that they both paint such an unrealistic and ugly world that the smallest ray of hope or indication of positive change is to be taken as profound or inspiring. To me, that is film making at its weakest, something for television after school specials. Show me a plausible or possible world that differs little from my own in experience, then open my eyes to show me what I am missing or ignorant to or what is possible to improve life. Don’t mute or water down the world so much that I should believe the color beige or tofu are the greatest things ever to happen.
Review Score: 8.1 / 10