Children of Men (2006)
88%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
49 wins & 89 nominations total
Children of Men works on every level: as a violent chase thriller, a fantastical cautionary tale, and a sophisticated human drama about societies struggling to live
Children of Men is a visually stunning film that takes place in a world where hope is scarce and Michael Caine is a scene-stealer. The action scenes are intense and realistic, but the plot falls short in its attempt to tie everything together. Despite this, the film offers a humanist message that is both achingly optimistic and dreamy. Cuaron’s filmmaking is top-notch, with extended shots that will leave you in awe. Overall, Children of Men is a class act that takes filmmaking to a whole new level.
Production Company(ies)
Lucasfilm,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Montevideo, Uruguay
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 49m
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Language(s):English, German, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Arabic, Georgian, Russian, Serbian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2006 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 23, 2008
Genre(s)
Mystery & Thriller/Sci-Fi
Keyword(s)
starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, Danny Huston, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, written by Alfonso Cuarón, David Arata, Timothy J Sexton, Hawk Ostby, Mark Fergus, mystery, thriller, sci-fi, box office, budget, reviewed by Christopher Orr, Ryan Gilbey, Anthony Quinn, Nigel Andrews, Tim Robey, Jim Schembri, Brian Eggert, Graeme Tuckett, Jason Adams, Fico Cangiano, David Walsh, Michael Caine, Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Hilary Shor, Iain Smith, R-rated, violence, infertility, bureaucrat, extinction, human drama, societies, survival, Earth’s population, demons, hope, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS, Flat (1.85:1), limited release, streaming, Universal Pictures
Worldwide gross: $70,595,464
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $101,132,796
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,015
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 11,028,658
US/Canada gross: $35,552,383
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $50,931,203
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,061
US/Canada opening weekend: $501,003
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $717,721
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,319
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $76,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $108,875,160
Production budget ranking: 353
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $58,629,274
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$66,371,639
ROI to date (est.): -40%
ROI ranking: 1,620
Julianne Moore – Julian
Michael Caine – Jasper
Chiwetel Ejiofor – Luke
Charlie Hunnam – Patric
Danny Huston – Nigel
Self – Alfonso Cuarón (Director/Writer)
Self – Marc Abraham (Producer)
Self – Eric Newman (Producer)
Self – Hilary Shor (Producer)
Self – Iain Smith (Producer)
Self – David Arata (Writer)
Self – Timothy J. Sexton (Writer)
Self – Hawk Ostby (Writer)
Self – Mark Fergus (Writer)
Director(s)
Alfonso Cuarón
Writer(s)
Alfonso Cuarón, David Arata, Timothy J. Sexton, Hawk Ostby, Mark Fergus
Producer(s)
Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Hilary Shor, Iain Smith
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
49 wins & 89 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (256) | Top Critics (65) | Fresh (235) | Rotten (21)
Children of Men founders in its latter moments — not a lot, but enough. Its failure is less one of plot than of something deeper, a composing idea to undergird the plot.
April 1, 2015
Christopher Orr
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
A film that has much to recommend it, not least the proof it offers, as if any more were needed, that Alfonso Cuarón is one of the most visually inspired directors working today.
April 1, 2015
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Alfonso Cuaron stages some terrific set-pieces, and the production designers deserve credit for making London in 2027 look like the grunge capital of the world, ie, like now, only more so. One small problem: I didn’t believe any of it.
April 1, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Anthony Quinn
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
P.D. James’s novel must have made more sense than Cuarón’s cheerful but incoherent screen adaptation.
April 1, 2015
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
For all Cuarón’s expertise in whipping up his film’s elements into a pungent and frightening stew, the movie’s technical brilliance can be blinding. The story and characters remain all but skeletal.
April 1, 2015
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
If you thought the battle scenes in… Saving Private Ryan were tough going, the final 20 minutes of Children of Men will not only shake you, they’ll have you revising your expectations about just how realistic cinematic portrayals of combat can get.
April 1, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/5
Jim Schembri
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Children of Men is an achingly, almost dreamily optimistic film in the face of such brutally cynical conditions, offering a humanist message that neutralizes political debate.
February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Cuaron takes this dense material and fashions an exceptional film.
January 7, 2022
Graeme Tuckett
Stuff.co.nz
Best Movie of the year. Cuaron just went to a whole new level with me. The class of filmmaking – the extended shots! those shots! my god! – here is astonishing.
July 6, 2021 | Rating: A
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
Alfonso Cuarón delivers a masterpiece that explores humanity and love in a world that’s scarce of hope. [Full review in Spanish]
May 25, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
It’s good to be hopeful, but it’s even better to be hopeful on the basis of something substantial and fully thought out. The difficulty is that the film’s various elements do not fully cohere.
February 14, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
As always, Michael Caine manages to steal every scene he’s in with effortless, offbeat comedic charm.
November 18, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
In the dystopian world of 2027 London, humans have been incapable of reproducing for 18 year for an unknown reason, meaning the imminent extinction of the species. Britain is the one remaining civilized society on the planet, which has resulted in people wanting to migrate there, so it has become a police state to handle the immigrants, who are placed into refugee camps. Lowly government bureaucrat Theo Faron, once an activist, is approached by the Fishes, deemed a terrorist group, led by his ex-wife Julian Taylor, whom he hasn’t seen in almost 20 years, since their marriage disintegrated after their infant son Dylan’s death during the 2008 flu pandemic. Although the Fishes did use terrorist means in their on-going revolution against the state in the fight for immigrant rights, Julian vows that they now garner support solely by speaking to the people, and she wants Theo to use his connections to get transit papers for a young immigrant woman named Kee who needs to get to the coast. Although initially reluctant to do it because of the difficulty, Theo is able to grant Julian this favor, however with the change that he now needs to accompany Kee on her journey. As Theo and Kee progress on that journey, Theo learns more and more about what’s going on, including the reason that Kee needs to get to the coast, the fact that no one in the group knows if their end destination even exists, and that his and Kee’s lives are in greater danger than he believed when they started the journey. But Theo’s sole mission becomes to help Kee at any cost for the survival of the species.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Children of Men.
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