DVD: Children of Men

• Depending on your taste, it's either a highbrow thriller or quite overrated.

Genre: Thriller, sort of
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
DVD released: March 27, 2007
Run time: 1:48
Cast: Clive Owen, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Pam Ferris
Verdict: &&1/2

Children of Men must have one of the highest body counts ever for such a critically lauded film. Based on a 1992 P.D. James novel, it is set in a bleak near future, 2027, in which human females have become infertile and society is coming unhinged. But a new hope arises in a young woman, Kee, who has mysteriously become pregnant, and a small group of protectors attempt to usher her into the care of a group called The Human Project. The movie is essentially one long chase scene as the small band gets caught between warring factions in an increasingly unstable world. Somewhere along the way, I simply lost my interest in whether Kee would make it through the next volley of bullets. There's really no reason to care; with the possible exception of Michael Caine, who provides a few moments of levity as a future hippie, no one infuses any heart into this dark existence, despite an A-list cast. There's no denying that the film is a masterpiece of cinematography, creating a vivid vision of a gritty, hopeless future society that is utterly believable, but technical brilliance alone cannot make me feel. // DVD notes // Deleted scenes and featurettes.

Pictured: A scene from Children of Men shows political marketing alive and well in 2027.