So I saw Children of Men. For those of you not familiar with it here is a quick summary (spoilers). Children of Men is a dystopian christian parable directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu Mama Tambien). It opens in London in the year 2027 with a totalitarian gov’t running london as one of the last surviving nation states. The women have become infertile and no child has been born on earth in 18 years. The Main character Theo (Clive Owen) is a former political activist who by chance is the ex of the current leader of one of the underground political rebellions. He is forced into escorting a woman, who is pregnant, to a rendezvous with a ship aptly called the “Tomorrow”. Julian Moore plays the leader of the rebellion but alas is killed off rather early when the rebellion turns on her in order to take the woman and use her or her unborn baby as a political bargaining tool. Theo has one true friend in this strange existence, which is Jasper (Michael Caine). Jasper helps Theo and the woman escape from the rebelion and make it to Bexhill in order to meet the ship. Bexhill is a quarantined city which is a giant prison, they get there and the baby is born and they make there way through the war that ensues around them with the baby to the ocean on a small ship in order to meet the “Tomorrow”.

First off, Michael Caine is brilliant in the role of Jasper and he is one of the more interesting characters in the movie. I hope to see Caine nominated for best supporting actor for this role. The cinematography was great, Cuarón has left the rails and tripods at home as it seems the entire movie is shot with a steady cam. Some shots lasting much longer than most traditional shots in movies these days. It made me a little dizzy at times but it was beautifully done. The cast was good, there was no lack of talent amongst any of the actors. That being said, I wasn’t all that impressed by the movie as a whole.

I understand it as a Christian parable, with the neo-nativity going on. I understand the social commentary that the movie made about race, nationality and fear. I even liked the reference to the over the counter suicide pill called “Quietus”, which could be seen as “Quiet us” or as a reference to Hamlets “To Be or Not to be” soliloquy. Act 3 Scene 1 Line 83 “When he himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin?” in which Hamlet is considering suicide as a resolution to his internal conflict. Nevertheless when the credits rolled I was not wowed.

I’m not entirely sure what it is. Maybe it’s the way the symbols beat you over the head throughout the movie. Maybe it’s the way the camera moved or maybe it’s my personal disassociation with the story.

I recommend to anyone to see it, as it will undoubtedly be one of the best movies this year. Go make your own judgments. It is a fine film but it did not live up to the hype for me. To tell you the truth it has been a long time since I was truly impressed by a film.