This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 11th, 2007 at 7:20 pm and is filed under Action, C, Science Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Claire Hope-Ashitay, Michael Caine, Charlie
Hunnam, Peter Mullan
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
This movie came out with a blast of hype; something about being the only movie that will be remembered in 50 yrs or something. A pretty bold claim and I don’t know anything about it carrying the film studies flag for future generations, but it is a good movie, with a kind of Blade Runner vision of a dark future for humanity.
In 2029, women have been struck by infertility. The youngest people are 18 years old and society is breaking down with political, scientific, religious and terrorist groups sprouting up and clashing with each other and an increasingly authoritarian government. In England this also includes a savage crackdown on illegal immigrants. This policy is carried out by a dept. called Homeland Security in the year’s most unsubtle analogy. In this environment, a pregnant illegal immigrant is a complicated issue that many groups want control of. Who should Earth’s last mother (Chiwetel Elijofor ) trust to get her and her unborn child to safety? She chooses a cynical ex-activist named Theo Faron (Clive Owen).
Usually films that attempt grand futuristic visions stumble over the size of their target, but this one manages to pull if off without gaping plot holes. It has a tense well-written story and very good performances throughout, even by the many actors with small roles. This is made possible by a script that creates no stock characters, but individuals. Even Owen’s character is virtually one of a kind; an action hero who doesn’t use violence. This is an intelligent action movie and well worth seeing, but it is far from simple. Follow along carefully to enjoy it.
