Film makers and authors alike have had visions of what the future may hold for us all. Some of these have been positive, though many have been quite negative. With things like global warming, extinction of organisms, pollution and a number of other negatively impacting events taking place across the globe, it seems as though the darker possibilities of a bleak future may be more of a reality than we care to admit.

Children of Men is just one of many of the less than favorable looks at what the future may hold in store for us all. Based on the novel by P.D. James, the tale is set in the not too distant future of 2027. Much of the world has fallen into chaos and disarray and standing tall above the mayhem is the United Kingdom. Things aren’t necessarily perfect however, and the problems of the rest of the world have found the country overran with illegal immigrants coming to look for a better way of life, a raise in terrorism, and that’s definitely not the worst thing to occur.

Eighteen years ago something happened with the world’s population and mankind can no longer reproduce. It started slowly, but now children are no where to be seen and one of the youngest has just been killed. With the population growing older by the year, it seems that humanity might be on the brink of extinction. For Theo Faron (Clive Owen) however, things are about to change when he once again meets his estranged wife Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore.) She has a simple request and needs him to prcure a travel permit for a young African refuge, but Theo is about to discover something even more extraordinary. The girl, Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) is pregnant and due very shortly and soon, the two find themselves hunted by those who were supposed to protect them, the government, and just about anyone else who feels they can profit in some way from the two.

The idea behind Children of Men isn’t one that I find to be too outlandish like some science fiction films, and with the way things keep declining in the world presently, this dire future prediction could very well be one that isn’t too far off. This also isn’t some high tech thriller, but instead a world made up for technology that appears to be rather well used, not too drastically different from our own, and something that actually isn’t’ too difficult to identify with in some ways. The same is true of the characters, and unlike many heroes, we find that Theo is something of an anti-hero. It isn’t that he a bad guy, but he’s found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and quite literally had this responsibility forced upon him.

At first, the idea is to deliver Kee to the rumored Human Project that Theo is convinced doesn’t exist, but he soon finds that the revolutionaries that his now late wife was a member of really have no intention of helping Kee that much and instead intend on using her baby as a political puppet. The only choice is to find a safe house, something that Theo hopes his friend Jasper Palmer (Michael Caine) will provide, but not for long. He soon flees with Kee, and Miriam (Pam Ferris), a former child physician, and the three find a way to actually get into a refugee camp in hopes of meeting a boat to take Kee and her child to The Human Project.

Children of Men is a very hypnotic film and one that really manages to drag you into its world for the long run. This is accomplished in quite a few ways. The DV aspect of photography and filming is one that I often don’t care form, but it works extremely well here. If you’ve seen another British import, 28 Days Later, you know the type of look I’m referring to. Children of Men look gritty and dark, almost like a documentary to some extent, and that really helps to add some life into the movie. The characters are all very likable but what helps them even further isn’t the script itself, but it’s some of the techniques that director Alfonso Cuarón has used for this movie.

There is occasion in cinema where you see long, drawn out shots, and these often don’t work to the advantage of the film. They feel longer than they should be, they are noticeable, and quite often, they are stationary and make you feel rather restricted. Children of Men does use a number of long shots, but they are done brilliantly. One of the best examples in the film finds our cast in a car which is soon attacked by refuges and as the chase ensues, action is happening everywhere. The camera stays in the car, moves constantly to focus on what’s gong on, who’s speaking, and so forth, and this all occurs over a 12-minute time frame where the fact that there is just a single shot is never even noticeable. Towards the end of the film as well, you’ll find another drawn out shot during the middle of a tense military battle that is extremely well done and this aspect of the film helps to further pull you into its world.

The disc does come with a few special features as well. There is a collection of deleted scenes and a making of that nearly runs 30 minutes. The Theo and Julian short looks at the relationship of these two characters in the film, but it also examines the other characters to some degree. Under Attack though is one of the best segments and shows exactly how the car attack sequence was devised, and it’s quite an elaborate setup. You’ll also get a look at some of the design of the film, a quickly look at how the birth scene was done, and the film also includes commentary. Overall, it’s a very good set of extra material and includes things that are actually worth watching, not just some half thought out things that were grabbed from a trash heap to try and make buyers happy.

The future never looked quite as bleak as it does in Children of Men, and in this case bleak is actually very entertaining. This is the type of film that won’t cause non-science fiction fans to stay clear as it is more home based futurism instead of out of this world creationism. Children of Men is a thought provoking, inspiring movie that is quickly going to be one of those films that not only is loved by the casual movie buff but also those looking at how to make a movie properly, and this definitely illustrates that above and beyond what is normally found in cinema today.

-mike-