Children of Men marks director Alfonso Cuaron’s return to the realm of cinema for grown-ups, but his homecoming is not entirely triumphant.
Children of Men is a good film, but it still pales in comparison to his 2001 must-see Y Tu Mamá También, and thus anything short of greatness inevitably looks a little shabby.
For one, Children of Men lacks Y Tu Mamá’s humor, and instead seems to revel in the darker side of humanity to a point of near-grimness. The actors also perform well, but they seem dispassionate.
The movie flips the script in the later parts and turns into a full-blown action juggernaut, but it’s distressing to see Cuaron—a director who depicts human drama with flair—stoop to Bruckheimerian tactics aimed at a larger audience. Yes, Children of Men is well-made and engaging, and Cuaron’s visual flair makes the film beautiful, but it nonetheless lacks the spirit of his masterpiece.
B+
No no no…
This movie is about 20X better than 300, which was enjoyable but shallow as hell.
In my opinion, the story moved very organically, leading to the action-y bit at the end, but even that wasn’t really very action-y, unless you consider a movie like Apocalypse Now to be Bruckheimerian.
It to had big explosions, but is hardly an action movie.
Anyway, love the blog and all, but this deserves the A-, not 300.
The low review reflects my high expectations for Cuaron’s work. Sure, metaphysically speaking, 300 is tripe, but as far as pure entertainment goes, it’s aces. I also forgot to give kudos to Peter Mullan as Syd. Anytime he pops up in a flick, look out! I appreciate the feedback.
Personally, I couldn’t get on board with the film’s premise–that the decline of humanity on Earth was something to be sad about.