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Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - May, 2010

"Children of Men" (Blu-ray) - Reviewed by Jim Milton

Synopsis

No children. No future. No hope. In the year 2027, eighteen years since the last baby was born, disillusioned Theo (Clive Owen) becomes an unlikely champion of the human race when he is asked by his former lover (Julianne Moore) to escort a young pregnant woman out of the country as quickly as possible. In a thrilling race against time, Theo will risk everything to deliver the miracle the whole world has been waiting for. Co-starring Michael Caine, filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men is the powerful film and disturbing vision of the future.

 

Commentary

Alfonso Cuaron (with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki) capture the action with you-are-there intensity. Many scenes are shot in single, long takes without break-aways. This technique adds to the realism and certainly adds to the anxiety level. The movie’s bleakness is off-set by Caine’s character, who adds humor and humanity to the plot. Many things are not explained in the film (why are cow carcasses burning?), but they don’t need to be as the story is about the “now” and not how the future got into the state it is in. A solid story with solid acting, Children of Men is a harrowing, bleak look into the future that leaves you with a feeling of unease. The ending gives humankind hope mixed with uncertainty, but along the way, the story is so compelling you will not want to take your eyes off of the screen. Easily a movie you will want to see more than once.

Technical

Picture quality is excellent in this transfer. Many scenes are shot with muted daylight and and the color palatte ranges from an almost monochromatic look to vibrant solid colors. I only noticed a slight "black crushing"  in some of the darkly lit room scenes, but for the most part, shadows are dark with plenty of detail and depth. Audio was very impressive and immersive...especially during the "uprising" near the final act of the movie. Bullets whiz all around you and the tank rounds will give your sub a kick in the seat. The dank, grimmy slums of the Bexhill detention center are so realistically portrayed, you'll want to shower after the credits roll.

Bonus features include deleted scenes, commentary, design and visual effects and 2 documentaries: "Possibility of Hope" and "Creating the baby".