Children of Men

C

I had high hopes for this one and had been meaning to rent it since it came out. It was even nominated for best screenplay, and I love a well-written movie. I could see how the paranoid and conspiracists might be so enraptured in a post-apocalyptic world that they could enjoy this. But I want a little more from this type of movie. We're never clued in how the world of 2027 came to exist, only that Britain is one of the last remnants of civilization and they are busy rounding up illegal aliens and closing their borders. Meanwhile women have all become infertile so no one has been born in 18 years. The world is becoming a big retirement home, if it doesn't destroy itself first.

But that's about all we know about the outside world. We see some extras in shabby clothes throwing rocks, and we know there are rebel terrorists and an evil oppressive government. Then there is some shady organization that deserves to have the one pregnant woman in the world instead of the government and it is worth incredible risk and several lives to make that happen. I don't know why that is. If you suspend belief and ask no questions, maybe you'll be happy. Frankly, I couldn't do that. Therefore the movie was very hard to swallow and I didn't understand the motivations of anyone in the entire movie.

Some of the acting is very bad. Aside from the shabby extras (who always, always look like extras), some of the dialogue sounds very forced. Clive Owen, who can play dry and suave so well, is wasted as the confused hero, trying to sort everything out and do what is right. I was very disappointed in the whole thing, even though it did keep my interest and occasionally have me on the edge of my seat. Some of the urban battle scenes towards the end were well done, if a little indulgent on the part of the director. I 'll have to give it a C.

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