Children of Men: 9/10

If you are an aspiring director, then this is your film to watch and take notes.

Children of Men is an exercise in precise and flawless filmmaking, from the positioning of the shots to the kinetic movement of the shots. Alfonso Curason takes a high-budget idea with a minimal budget (for its genre anyway) and manages to pierce together an intense relentless experience that pulls no punches, and practically throws you in the exact center of the action. In usual science fiction and action movies you are an observer from a distance; with Children of Men you practically become an unwilling participant. You can smell the chaos, feel the blood (and at some points see it spilled on the camera), and sense the grimness that swallows the decaying environment of England.

In one of the best-directed flicks in the past several decades, we follow an everyman (Clive Owen) get caught up in an extremely dangerous mission to transport an important woman out of the country during a time when children cannot be born—leading to panic and apocalyptic results. The cast is small but very effective, from the reliable Clive Owen to the always-entertaining Michael Caine in a small but poignant role. Not to knock the actors or the writing staff (which also includes Clive Owen), but the biggest strength of this movie are the visuals. We'll get to that soon.

Themes of immigration, faith, motherhood, and fate are mixed together in this hearty soup of a script that raises important questions, parallels important issues that have taken place in modern day society, and also dwells into religious tropes. There is a lot of beauty that looms under the shadows of extreme violence and mayhem that will keep you riveted and afraid for what happens next, even if some of the post-apocalyptic clichés pop up in the final act. Children of Men establishes the issues plaguing the society and the characters in the first act, and the film takes off like a lightning bolt starting from the first cleverly-staged action sequence.

This film belongs to Curason and Emmanuel Lubezki, the directing/cinematography duo that have worked well together before (Y Tu Mama Tambien) and since (the also-visually stimulating Gravity). Here they make beautiful dark music together, as they flawlessly and seamlessly shove the camera in the direct center of all the conflicts, and you watch the action and startling images emerge from all different angles as the scene unfolds and becomes lengthier. Why neither got Oscar wins (let alone nominations) remains a major travesty, and same goes with the editing. This was 2006's most impressive technical cinematic work---and don't anybody mention Pan's Labyrinth.

Children of Men is a dizzying action-packed journey worthy of multiple viewings, worthy of many awards that it inexplicably never won, and worthy of being one of the better science-fiction thrillers this entire generation. It is the complete package of a great soundtrack, slick editing, good script unveiled well by a wonderful cast, and then a directing effort that certifies Curason as among the best in the business. Dim the lights, rev up the sound, and prepare for a hell of a trip.