[attrition] review: Movie: Children of Men

[lyger]

http://attrition.org/movies/cofmen.html

Children of Men
2006
Czarina

I am not sure why, but this movie just didn't compel me as I think it 
should have. I loved the plot idea, but the execution of that idea wasn't 
great or exciting either- it didn't go where it should have. In fact, it 
didn't go anywhere. The technical points and long shots employed by 
Alfonso Cuaron are in reality the only commendable facets of the film. 
There were things about Children of Men that made it sag -- sometimes the 
flow was interrupted; sometimes people did stupid and inane things; 
unanswered questions and unexplained points were plentiful. Those issues 
made the movie, like my last one-night stand, less satisfying than I 
thought it would be.

Children of Men takes place against the backdrop of a conflict-torn world 
in the year 2027. The planet, it appears, has suffered a visit from Four 
Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death for you 
non-Biblical types). Humanity is on the brink of extinction, as for nearly 
two decades women have lost the ability to conceive and bear children due 
to causes unknown. As a result, the world has plunged into utter chaos and 
even the world's strongest and mightiest nations have imploded. 
Governments race against time and each other to solve the fertility crisis 
which has now reached a dire pitch, exacerbating the impending doom of the 
human race. Everyone prays that one day the sound of a child's cry will 
pierce the sounds of explosions, gunfire, and loudspeakers blaring 
propaganda. Tragically, though, the fragile fate of humanity has been 
dealt a shattering blow; the world's youngest inhabitant, affectionately 
named Baby Diego, has died at age 18. It looks as if mankind.s last 
flicker of hope has been extinguished, and the species shall perish.

[...]