What happens when the world has lost all hope for the future? That’s one of several weighty questions raised in Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men. The movie opens in the year 2027 in London, the last bastion of civilization in the world. It’s a world with no more children--the last child was born 18 years earlier, and in fact that 18-year old get murdered in the first 15 minutes of the film, an event which only elevates a depressed population's sense of despair.
CoM may be classified as a science fiction movie for its near-future setting and end-of-the-world scenario. There’s a little of the post-apocalyptic feel of Blade Runner or Mad Max, but the future aspect isn’t emphasized. It’s a recognizable future. The hints at new technology aren’t significant, and the settings look more third-world than future world.
In the middle of all that chaos, Theo Faron (played by Clive Owen), a former activist, gets involved with a disorganized fringe group and a plot to smuggle a miracle--a pregnant girl--to a sanctuary that may only be a rumor. To complicate matters, the girl is an illegal immigrant, which makes her a threat to the government.
Excellent performances by Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine (as a pot-smoking recluse radical) serve to solidly ground the film. Need a second opinion? Check out Joe Lozito's review of the theatrical release of Children of Men.
Video
CoM, like Blade Runner, exhibits a bleak, grayish color scheme that’s intentional and emphasizes the pallor of the times. The fact that the movie takes place in England also helps explain that--the weather is constantly raining or overcast. For that reason, don’t expect your TV to come alive with vibrant colors during this flick. On the other hand, there’s lots of depth and dimension to the grays and blacks, and within them, occasional colors do pop out at you.
Details are usually sharp without any sign of artificial edge enhancement. The handheld-style camera work doesn’t give you a lot of opportunity for close analysis of details, but the 1080p picture does look great.
Audio
The surround sound track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. It’s a rich soundtrack wrapped in 60s rock songs from the likes of King Crimson. One would think that with all the car chases and street riots going on that the rear channels would be full of action. Unfortunately, the rear speakers don't take on much more than some ambient background, and the subwoofer also tends to snooze through this film. That’s not to suggest that the audio isn’t done well. It’s just not Saving Private Ryan.
Bonus Features
The Blu-ray comes with a healthy offering of additional material. Some is just filler, such as the ramblings of a social philosopher on the implications of the film, while others are especially intriguing, such as the U-Control. U-Control, Universal’s name for BonusView picture-in-picture, allows you to view extra relevant material while the movie is playing. The most interesting of the U-Control material includes faux commercials for products seen or referenced in the film, such as the suicide pills the government distributes with first aid kits. In one segment of the film, when the camera pans across a wall of newspaper clippings, U-Control lets you zoom in to read the headlines and articles.
You also get a few how-they-did-it features on the making of the film and some background on the main characters. CoM is also BD-Live enabled, though Universal doesn’t offer anything but a few movie trailers.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let the sci-fi banner scare you away from this movie. The themes are completely contemporary and thought-provoking. The video presentation is top-notch, and while the audio treatment won’t have you pulling this one out to show off your new speakers, it complements the film nicely.
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