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Thursday, May 17, 2007

DVD Watch: Children Of Men

Alfonso Cuaron' s Children of Men is simply a work of beauty. It is one of those movies where all the pieces work together so seamlessly that it makes you appreciate the medium itself. Everything fires on cue here - Clive Owen's lead performance, the deep colors of the cinematography, and of course Cuaron's often brilliant directing. Some of his scenes are done in extended takes using specialized cameras and the effect is mesmerizing. In one part it makes the movie feel more like a documentary and forces the viewer to feel sympathetic to the characters and action on the screen. In another, it's simply a marvel of technical movie making.

Pieces of the plot at worst feel a little haphazard but at best supplies the story with a wide landscape of a world gone slightly insane. Not the random wildness of a Mad Max style apocalypse, but more a dreary backdrop of a culture that has had hope pulled away. This is a work of speculative science fiction that cuts so close to the modern age that you'll barely notice it wasn't shot outside your window.

Highly recommend.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Both Ms. Z and I wholeheartedly recommend this film. It succeeded in all the ways that Land of the Blind didn't.

Unknown said...

Fine. I'll watch it already.

I've had it on the table beside my usual perch at home, but haven't had (or made) the time to watch it. I've considered putting it into PSP format so I can watch it on the run.

Greg Tannahill said...

It's just that good. Easily the best film of last year, in an admittedly poor year for cinema.