👍 Another Underrated Movie that Deserves Recognition - CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)

Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Clive Owen, Michael Caine, and Julianne Moore. It's set in the year 2027 amidst a futuristic dystopia, where most of the world has descended into chaos and the only place of relative stability is the rigid police state of Britain. It has thus become a melting pot for immigrants and refugees all over the world, but there is a more pressing problem that we as viewers dread ever becoming a reality.

For eighteen years, infertility has stricken humanity and not a single baby has been born in that time. We are introduced to Theo (Owen), a former revolutionary who now deals drugs and spends time with a retired political cartoonist named Jasper (Caine). Theo's ex-wife and leader of a terrorist group (Moore) approaches him with a mission to extract a young lady (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to a designated location, and Theo soon learns that this lady is pregnant.

From there, we have one of the best science fiction movies of the 2000s, and an excellently filmed one, at that. The cinematogaphy in this movie is absolutely superb, with the action scenes utilizing a method Iñárritu is obviously inspired from; the shot hardly ever changes, like the camera is refusing to blink and drawn similarly to the viewer into the brutal world of Cuarón's nightmarish vision. There is a great attention to detail and even a sense of realism in this seemingly far-away concept.

When you manage to look beyond the amazing camerawork and action sequences, there is a thought-provoking tale in Children of Men that blends slow-winding philosophy and sudden extremities of man's violence toward one another. The actors all do magnificent jobs, not a single one ever jeopardizing the immersing experience of the overall film.

I can't recommend Children of Men enough to fans of darker science fiction and splendid filmmaking. A reason alone to watch this film is seeing how masterfully the camera is put to use and the smart use of angles and lighting. You're in for even more of a treat if you look for a thoughtful narrative with tragedy and glimmers of hope. Children of Men was the Blade Runner of the 2000s.