Skip to contentPhysical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
By Robert Scucci
| Published
As we quickly approach the year 2027, I’m sorry to say that Children of Men it may become an old fashioned dystopian sci-fi movie over the next decade. At the very least, and after re-watching the dystopian thriller on Peacock for the first time in years, I pray that writer/director Alfonso Cuarón’s take on the future as depicted in Children of Men never happened thanks to his adaptation of the cautionary tale told in PD James’ novel of the same name. It’s so easy (and fun) to think of finish times as an action-packed romp through no-man’s land with souped-up nitro trucks, mohawks, and flares, but Children of Men‘s approach, which includes the bleak socio-economic semantics of a world in distress, is the furthest thing from fun you’ll watch on Peacock this week.
Barren in every sense of the word
Children of Men centers on Clive Owen’s Thelonius “Theo” Faron, a bureaucrat and ex-activist living a cynical life in a post-war UK that operates as a military police state. Faced with a global infertility crisis, the a community becomes upset when “Baby” Diego (Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi), the youngest living person in the world, dies shortly after his 18th birthday. Content to live out the rest of his days behind a desk, everything changes for Theo when he is kidnapped by an aggressive refugee rights group called the Fishes, led by his ex-wife, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore).
Known to be a force of nature as an activist before abandoning his idealism, Theo is tasked with transporting Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), the first woman to become pregnant in 18 years, to the Human Project ever-bad. Operating in complete secrecy, the Human Project is determined to solve the infertility crisis, and needs to protect Kee at all costs. Although this is a daunting enough task to undertake, it is worth noting Children of Men (streams on Peacock) only gets more complicated because Kee is a refugee, and belongs to a concentration camp according to the government.
Unlikely Comic Relief
It’s not all doom-and-gloom in Children of Men, however, as Michael Caine’s Jasper Palmer breaks the tension whenever he is seen on screen. With a head of long, flowing gray hair, Jasper – Theo’s old friend and the film’s eccentric voice of reason – doesn’t care how serious things get as long as someone pulls his finger and shares his enthusiasm for stress strong marijuana he calls “strawberry cough” while helping Theo figure out his next moves.
Stunning cinematography
Although the most convenient way to stream Children of Men it would be on a streaming service like Peacock, I strongly suggest watching it on a screen with a resolution greater than what the average iPhone has to offer. Children of Men He doesn’t shy away from long one-shot sequences that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as Theo and Kee run to safety from mortar blasts, militarized police, and armed citizens belonging to the resistance.
Watched recently Children of Men on Peacock with my projector, I’ll have to weigh in and say that the practical effects aren’t nearly as impressive as all the propaganda littering the roads, hanging over the city streets on billboards, and plays on the television screens of armed buses to continuously indoctrinate all citizens to do the government’s bidding as aggressively as possible. These background details are ever-present and make you feel like you’re living in a state of vigilance while absorbing the story.
Streaming Boys
If you are looking for a dystopian sci-fi an epic where the future is bleak, safe houses are not safe, and the streets are full of propaganda and violence but not without a glimmer of hope found among the wreckage, so Children of Men it should be the next film on your watch list if you haven’t seen it already. Better yet, if you’ve already seen it, then it’s high time for a second viewing.
And when you need a post-apocalyptic palate cleanse, all you need to do is dig out your old palate Road Warrior DVD and do some breathing exercises.
You can stream Children of Men on Peacock as this writing.
