There are hundreds of movies about the end of the world, but none of them are quite like “Children of Men.”
Maybe it’s because, in this case, the world is dying a slow death. As the movie opens, the youngest person on Earth has just died — and he was 18 year old. For an entire generation, no children have been born, and society has just about given up. Entire nations have collapsed into chaos, suicide pills are promoted as the ideal solution and only England, with draconian immigration rules firmly in place, has managed to survive — and only barely.
What’s amazing about “Children of Men” — beside a certain blessed event that happens during act II — is the way director Alfonso Cuaron and his crew create a fully-realized world, one that makes the story taking place utterly compelling and completely believable. “Children of Men” is everything a science fiction movie should be — exciting, thoughtful, emotional and, even oddly hopeful. It’s also one of the best movies of the 21st century.
This week on Out of Theaters, Will and Billy sing the praises of Cuaron’s film, citing favorite scenes and comparing it to the very different novel it’s based on. They also answer a few listener questions, discuss the auteur theory, and talk about how their lack of excitement over the next “Star Wars” film.
