I had heard a lot of conflicting things about this film, but I found the concept incredibly intriguing, so I just had to check it out for myself. Examining a post apocalyptic world isn't exactly uncharted territory, but each film maker has a different interpretation of the world they are trying to create and that's the part I find fascinating.
The opening sequence in Children of Men is definitely captivating as we're trying to figure out the circumstances that have brought our world to the brink of demise. Then we find out 'no child has been born for eighteen years', what an unfathomable yet amazing thought that is. This was enough to keep me interested for the first half of the film as I was looking for more clues to piece this world together and enjoyed spotting the subtle differences between our present and the not too distant future.
However once the character of Kee was introduced the entire plot then becomes about trying to save her and her unborn child. For me the film then turned into more of a conventional action/journey flick of these characters being constantly on the run and this is when my interest started to wane. True, that they are protecting 'our future's only hope' and that's a nice sentiment, but the story focuses so intimately on Kee and Theo for the last part of the film that we can no longer see the world around them.
Having said that, there are still some very powerful scenes in the latter part of the movie such as the scene where Kee and Theo are walking through the battle zone with the new born baby, everyone is silent and it's almost like Moses parting the red sea.
I don't necessarily need an ending which wraps everything up in a neat little package but a little bit of resolution is always welcomed upon a film's end. I just found the ending to be incredibly unsatisfying and (spoiler alert!) I'm not referring to the death of Theo. There is absolutely no resolve, but it didn't leave me with anything to ponder by doing so other than 'Well...I guess we're fucked!' which is arguably a strong statement I guess...
Ultimately I thought that there was the potential for a great film here, but they just didn't do enough with the concept. Hopefully 2091, another post apocalyptic tale set for release later this year can break new and exciting ground on the topic!
Monday, July 19, 2010
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What about the single shot scenes... they're cool as fuck.
ReplyDeleteI loved this film btw... been wanting to see it again since I first saw it years ago.
I believe the film you are referring to, set for release later this year, is called '2091, APPROX.'Geez... do your research!!!
ReplyDeleteWith the writer they have on board, I'm sure it'll be nothing short of amazing!
I agree that some of the shots are pretty cool and this movie is brilliant on a technical level, but I guess that I respond more to films with a really strong script and story arch. But that's just a matter of personal taste. Oh and I forgot to mention that I thought Michael Caine was awesome!
ReplyDeleteOh! I thought it was just called that in the draft! hmmm might need to inform imdb of this glaring error!
ReplyDeleteI loooooooooooove this movie! It took me by surprise how awesome it was when I saw it in the cinema. Those single shot sequences blow my mind every time I see them.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree with you Helly, interesting premise, and some cool camera techniques, but just left you feeling a bit empty.
ReplyDeleteI've googled this 2091 and can't find a thing. What's the deal?
ReplyDeleteHa ha Hamish! It's the short film the Bovino brothers are working on!
ReplyDelete