Children of Men – Cinematography of All
About thirty minutes in, just when it’s getting extra crazy, our power went out! We had to just sit there and twiddle our thumbs until the power company fixed everything about an hour later.
Anyways, great movie.
Tori’s thoughts below!
Pre-viewing:
I know nothing about this movie. The title is vaguely familiar. My best guess is that it’s about… the children of men. (I’m brilliant, I know)
Post-viewing:
One thing about marrying a film buff is that I’ve started to notice things that I never would have noticed before. The primary thing for this film being how incredible some of the shots were. I may not have even realized how spectacular the shots were if it weren’t for the ‘blood splatter’ that stayed on the camera lens through the whole building/bombing scene at the end.
Overall, this was a really good film. There was definitely a powerful message there and I shed a tear or two near the end when everyone from all sides of the conflict just stopped and stared in awe and reverence. The ending slightly let me down. Nick insists that it’s a message of hope. For me, there were so many near misses for our protagonists the entire time that I needed to see the actual safe rescue to feel like there was a positive resolution to their journey.
I’ll let my handsome husband take it away with his expert thoughts now.
Nick’s Thoughts:
I was going to complain that this didn’t win the Oscar for best cinematography. But it lost to Pan’s Labyrinth, so while I don’t agree – I understand. The visuals were incredibly impressive, even more than I remembered. The number of one shot scenes blew me away; I’m always a sucker for those.
I think this movie does a great job at blocking its actors and bringing the world to life, starting with the very first scene. It does not let you forget where you are or what you’re watching. The film does not relent, just as the characters can’t relent or they will die. You feel like you’re in the thick of it with them.
This is a rare action movie where the main character doesn’t use a gun or commit any acts of violence, despite the war going on around him. He is solely focused on saving others and preserving the future of humanity.
I probably won’t revisit this for a very long time because of how bleak it was throughout, but the ending note of hope hit hard. I would recommend this to anyone who likes movies about futuristic dystopia or statements about the future of our world. It has a lot to say. I think the more I sit and digest it, the more I will come to enjoy it. Like a nice warm bowl of spaghetti.
