Dystopian future, or fast-forwarded realism?
by AC - permalink
The whole "dysotopic future" theme is old hat, even cliche, in science fiction movies and video games by now. It's a cliche because for a long time it was a worst-case reactionary reality, as in Terminator or Mad Max. But lately the creators of these films and games are taking a more measured, thoughtful approach to what would once have been boilerplate sci/fi. What we're seeing now is properties like V for Vendetta, Half-Life 2, and the movie I rented yesterday, Children of Men.
These are speculative sci/fi works grounded in the present; what if the U.S.'s vindictive war against terrorism created a global climate of fear and, yes, more terrorism, asks Vendetta. What if an alien invasion led to a cooperative police state where even reproduction wasn't allowed and citizens were treated like insurgents, asks Half-Life 2. And what if a world-wide epidemic left everyone infertile, and coupled with multinational strife, anarchy broke out on a global scale? Children of Men asks this one, and the answer is not contained in just another science fiction flick, it's a genre-bending film that everyone should see.
I'm not going to write up a full review of Children, because (and I know it's cheap and I've done this before) I agree with everything said in the A.V. Club's review of it, and you should just read that. But I do want to elaborate on a couple of points that the Club didn't get to.
First, the immersion factor is incredible. The long, long takes this movie is notable for are restricted to the most tense and/or action-packed scenes, and makes already gripping sequences even more realistic and visceral. In addition, the scenery is just unbelievable. The sets are vast and insanely detailed. This is a dystopian reality with broken, decaying streets that stretch on as far as you can see.
Second, this particular dystopia is made all the more realistic by the increasingly popular limited-viewpoint. You are tied to Clive Owen's character physically in that you never see anything he can't, and more importantly you never know more that he does, making his character even more empathetic (and cathartic). The same trick was ground-breakingly used by Half-Life 1 back in 1998, and Half-Life 2 uses it even better. It works so well in Children because Owen gives a particularly strong performance, the best I've ever seen from him. Michael Caine may be getting all the attention (not unjustly, he's terrific), but Owen is believable and likeable in Children, playing a character with a sharp sense of humor but who's stained by depression and as floored by the incredible things going on around him as we are as viewers.
The A.V. Club gave Children of Men an A, and I have to agree. If it weren't for one of those endings that wrap things up but don't actually answer every question, and in fact make room for a sequel, I'd give it an A+. It's definitely a must-own on DVD.
by AC - permalink
The whole "dysotopic future" theme is old hat, even cliche, in science fiction movies and video games by now. It's a cliche because for a long time it was a worst-case reactionary reality, as in Terminator or Mad Max. But lately the creators of these films and games are taking a more measured, thoughtful approach to what would once have been boilerplate sci/fi. What we're seeing now is properties like V for Vendetta, Half-Life 2, and the movie I rented yesterday, Children of Men.These are speculative sci/fi works grounded in the present; what if the U.S.'s vindictive war against terrorism created a global climate of fear and, yes, more terrorism, asks Vendetta. What if an alien invasion led to a cooperative police state where even reproduction wasn't allowed and citizens were treated like insurgents, asks Half-Life 2. And what if a world-wide epidemic left everyone infertile, and coupled with multinational strife, anarchy broke out on a global scale? Children of Men asks this one, and the answer is not contained in just another science fiction flick, it's a genre-bending film that everyone should see.
I'm not going to write up a full review of Children, because (and I know it's cheap and I've done this before) I agree with everything said in the A.V. Club's review of it, and you should just read that. But I do want to elaborate on a couple of points that the Club didn't get to.
First, the immersion factor is incredible. The long, long takes this movie is notable for are restricted to the most tense and/or action-packed scenes, and makes already gripping sequences even more realistic and visceral. In addition, the scenery is just unbelievable. The sets are vast and insanely detailed. This is a dystopian reality with broken, decaying streets that stretch on as far as you can see.
Second, this particular dystopia is made all the more realistic by the increasingly popular limited-viewpoint. You are tied to Clive Owen's character physically in that you never see anything he can't, and more importantly you never know more that he does, making his character even more empathetic (and cathartic). The same trick was ground-breakingly used by Half-Life 1 back in 1998, and Half-Life 2 uses it even better. It works so well in Children because Owen gives a particularly strong performance, the best I've ever seen from him. Michael Caine may be getting all the attention (not unjustly, he's terrific), but Owen is believable and likeable in Children, playing a character with a sharp sense of humor but who's stained by depression and as floored by the incredible things going on around him as we are as viewers.
The A.V. Club gave Children of Men an A, and I have to agree. If it weren't for one of those endings that wrap things up but don't actually answer every question, and in fact make room for a sequel, I'd give it an A+. It's definitely a must-own on DVD.
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