By Robert Scucci | Published
As we quickly approach the year 2027, I’m sorry to say Children of men could end up becoming a dated dystopian sci-fi film over the next decade. At the very least, and after rewatching the dystopian thriller on Peacock for the first time in years, I pray that writer/director Alfonso Cuarón’s vision of the future as depicted in Children of men never happens thanks to its adaptation of the cautionary tale told in the PD James novel of the same name. It’s so easy (and fun) to think of The End Times as an action-packed adventure through no-man’s land with souped-up nitro trucks, mohawks, and flamethrowers, but Children of men‘s This approach, involving the dark socio-economic semantics of a world in distress, is the furthest thing from fun you’ll watch on Peacock this week.
Sterile in every sense of the word
Children of men focuses on Clive Owen’s Thelonius “Theo” Faron, a downtrodden bureaucrat and former activist living a cynical life in a post-war United Kingdom that functions as a militarized police state. Facing a global infertility crisis, the community is shocked when “Baby” Diego (Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi), the world’s youngest living person, dies shortly after his 18th birthday. Set 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 known as the Fishes, led by his ex-wife, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore ).
Known for being 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 ever-elusive Human Project . Operating entirely in secret, the Human Project is determined to solve the infertility crisis and must protect Kee at all costs. Although this seems like a fairly daunting task to undertake, it is worth noting that Children of men (streaming on Peacock) becomes even more complicated because Kee is a refugee and belongs in a concentration camp according to the government.
Improbable comic relief
It’s not all pessimistic Children of men, however, as Michael Caine’s Jasper Palmer breaks the tension every time 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 bad things are as long as someone pulls his finger and shares his enthusiasm for a powerful strain of marijuana he calls “strawberry cough” while helping Theo figure out his next moves.
Breathtaking cinematography
Although the most convenient way to stream Children of men would be on a streaming service like Peacock, I highly suggest watching it on a screen with a higher resolution than the average iPhone has to offer. Children of men doesn’t shy away from long, single-shot sequences that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as Theo and Kee run for cover from mortar blasts, militarized police, and armed resistance citizens .
Having recently watched Children of men on Peacock with my projector, I’ll have to weigh in and say that the practical effects aren’t as impressive as all the propaganda littering the roads, hanging over city streets on billboards, and broadcast on TV screens armored buses to continually indoctrinate every citizen into obeying government orders in the most aggressive manner possible. These background details are everywhere and make you feel like you’re living in a state of surveillance while absorbing the story.
Streaming Children of Men
If you’re looking for a dystopian sci-fi epic in which the future is bleak, the shelters are unsafe, and the streets are littered with propaganda and violence, but not without a glimmer of hope found among the rubble, then Children of men should be the next movie on your watch list if you haven’t already seen it. Better yet, if you’ve already seen it, it’s high time to watch it again.
And when you need a post-apocalyptic palate cleanse, all you have to do is dig out your old Road Warrior DVD and do some breathing exercises.
You can broadcast Children of men on Peacock as of this writing.
