Children of Men

[sachmo71]

Anyone seen this movie? Fucking brilliant and powerful. While the world portrayed is a bit much, and perhaps the message is a little much, the acting was top notch and the story very engaging.

[B & B]

WTLM

[MrBug708]

I thought there were too many twists in it but I enjoyed it as well

[GoSeahawks]

One of the best films I've seen in recent years. I think if I watched that movie prior to having a child I wouldn't have liked it so much. But I agree it is a great movie.

[Eaglesfan27]

I thought the ending was somewhat weak and out of phase with the rest of the movie, but otherwise agree that it was an excellent movie.

[NoMyths]

Darren Aronofsky is one of the most gifted filmmakers of his generation.

[miked]

I liked it alot, although when I left the theater I was still trying to digest it. The ending was a bit weak though, sort of a let-down, but it was a great film.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

Darren Aronofsky is one of the most gifted filmmakers of his generation.

Agreed, but this was directed by Alfonso Cuaron - also a very gifted filmmaker.

[LloydLungs]

This movie was incredibly well done from a filmmaking standpoint. It got a little bit too "run and chase, near escape"-ish near the end, but overall, a very good movie. Michael Caine's death scene is amongst my favorite in all cinema history. I only hope my last words are "pull my finger."

[Chief Rum]

I thought the acting was terrific, the world portrayed very real, the cinematography was brilliant--and the whole movie was undone by an awful unresolved ending that singlehandedly dropped the movie from a potential 9+ to a 6 with me.

Given the ending, the most overrated movie I saw last year, and the most thorough disappointment, given the people involved and the overall quality of the movie for most of it.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by LloydLungs

This movie was incredibly well done from a filmmaking standpoint. It got a little bit too "run and chase, near escape"-ish near the end, but overall, a very good movie. Michael Caine's death scene is amongst my favorite in all cinema history. I only hope my last words are "pull my finger."

Exactly. This scene was great. The scene where he and the girl come out of the apartment building and everyone stares quietly amidst a war as they pass, just tons of poignant moments in this film. The moment with the motorcyclist shooting into the car (don't want to say more for fear of spoiling for those who haven't seen it) and how that was done was one of the single most amazing filmmaking moments I have seen pulled off realistically--just shocking in its suddeness and all the filmmaking aspects related to it.

So it was so amazing that they really dropped the ball at the end. I'm sure it's an artistic thing--great films don't suddenly become shite at the end. They did it for a purpose, probably as some sort of emphasis for the theme of the movie. That's all fine and good, but the movie essentially "promises" a reoslution that ends up being very unsatisfying, IMO.

[Izulde]

I really liked this movie as well and agree the ending was meh-ish.

[Bad-example]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Just can't understand all the praise this one has gotten. The movie lost me about 30 minutes in, although I did manage to watch the whole thing. I would agree the ending didn't fit the rest of the movie.

[NoMyths]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Agreed, but this was directed by Alfonso Cuaron - also a very gifted filmmaker.

Doh! That's what I meant to say, and the percosets got me confuzled.

Alfonso Cuaron (like Aronofsky) is one of the most gifted filmmakers of his generation.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Exactly. This scene was great. The scene where he and the girl come out of the apartment building and everyone stares quietly amidst a war as they pass, just tons of poignant moments in this film. The moment with the motorcyclist shooting into the car (don't want to say more for fear of spoiling for those who haven't seen it) and how that was done was one of the single most amazing filmmaking moments I have seen pulled off realistically--just shocking in its suddeness and all the filmmaking aspects related to it.

So it was so amazing that they really dropped the ball at the end. I'm sure it's an artistic thing--great films don't suddenly become shite at the end. They did it for a purpose, probably as some sort of emphasis for the theme of the movie. That's all fine and good, but the movie essentially "promises" a reoslution that ends up being very unsatisfying, IMO.

While I expected the ending, or at least hoped for it in a "I've watched a lot of dark movies lately and I'd really like a happy ending" sort of way, I didn't think it was a letdown.

How would you have liked it to end?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

While I expected the ending, or at least hoped for it in a "I've watched a lot of dark movies lately and I'd really like a happy ending" sort of way, I didn't think it was a letdown.

How would you have liked it to end?

I want to know how it's resolved. We don't know who is coming at the end there. It just ends. We also never really get an explanation for why women stopped having babies in the first place, and why suddenly this one could. I don't really care if the ending was happy or sad, it just wasn't the ending. There was more story here left untold.

As I said, end it happy, end it sad, I don't care. I love the end of Seven, and that's a famously "bad" ending. What I sought and didn't get was a resolution, some closure.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

I want to know how it's resolved. We don't know who is coming at the end there. It just ends. We also never really get an explanation for why women stopped having babies in the first place, and why suddenly this one could. I don't really care if the ending was happy or sad, it just wasn't the ending. There was more story here left untold.

As I said, end it happy, end it sad, I don't care. I love the end of Seven, and that's a famously "bad" ending. What I sought and didn't get was a resolution, some closure.

Spoiler

Well, the ship was the Traveller, so we know they were from the Human Life Project (I think that's what they were called). I too would have liked to know more about why the birth rate went down...I felt like they were steering me toward biological warfare, what with the miscarriages and all.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

Spoiler

Well, the ship was the Traveller, so we know they were from the Human Life Project (I think that's what they were called). I too would have liked to know more about why the birth rate went down...I felt like they were steering me toward biological warfare, what with the miscarriages and all.

Understood, I saw that, too. It still felt like not enough. Plus, the whole movie has been about how corrupt this world is, evewn the ones trying to make it better. We never really know much about that organization except that they're the end goal, and they ain't on the island.

I just don't think this movie is set up for me to accept the ending as shown on faith. We needed something more concrete. Just my opinion, of course.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Understood, I saw that, too. It still felt like not enough. Plus, the whole movie has been about how corrupt this world is, evewn the ones trying to make it better. We never really know much about that organization except that they're the end goal, and they ain't on the island.

I just don't think this movie is set up for me to accept the ending as shown on faith. We needed something more concrete. Just my opinion, of course.

No, fair enough. I just wanted to be sure you saw the same clues that I did.

[cthomer5000]

I too felt the ending was a let down, but a lot of the setup and the actual shots were among the best I've seen in a movie in a very long time. They built a very convincing world in which the movie took place. Definitely enjoyed it overall, but i can see where Chief is coming from in calling it a disappointment. The potential for greatness was definitely there and they settled for OK.

[Peregrine]

One of my favorite movies of the last ten years, just brilliant.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Terrible film that was too self-aware,

Please explain what you mean by this.

[amdaily]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Terrible film that was too self-aware, considered itself too important and mostly contradicted the book it was supposed to be based on. Just a horrible film.

Ditto. Even though I rushed to rent it after alot of friends to me how great it was, I thought it one of the worst movies I've seen all year.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by amdaily

Ditto. Even though I rushed to rent it after alot of friends to me how great it was, I thought it one of the worst movies I've seen all year.

Agreed, i thought it was garbage. Horrible ending.

[timmynausea]

I agree with those that felt it was a disappointment. There were some great scenes and ideas, but as a whole it was just ok.

[NoMyths]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

I mean that we were one short step away from a chorus line of "Look at us and the great message we are sending. Don't you wish you could be of such grand and fantastic usefulness in the universe? Now bite me!"

Just an utterly worthless film. Read the book and get a real story.

Yeah, that money could have been completely better spent funding another Adam Sandler film. The nerve of ambitious films!

This message paid for by the Committee to Reduce Hyperbole in Film Critique

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

I mean that we were one short step away from a chorus line of "Look at us and the great message we are sending. Don't you wish you could be of such grand and fantastic usefulness in the universe? Now bite me!"

Just an utterly worthless film. Read the book and get a real story.

I got that at first, but when I thought about how people would feel in a world without children, it made sense to me.