The Children of Men

I have been intending to review Children of Men, but each week I just can't seem to articulate my feelings about it. I originally got excited about the movie, and then read the 1992 book by P.D. James, which the movie both copied and diverged from. Clive Owen, Michael Caine et. al. live in 2027 London; the social decay is such that suicide is supported by the government, refugees are in concentration camps, shortages abound, and there is total infertility worldwide. It is completely depressing (my sociological bent led me to find 35 separate social issues and problems brought up by the film), but there is a cinematic beauty to the atmosphere created in the movie, and ultimately the story is about redemption and renewal. If you like to bury your head in the sand, don't see it; if you are a thinking Christian, this film will keep you pondering for a while. I'm going to use the dvd as a teaching tool in my sociology class; I would recommend using the novel for book club or Bible study discussions. It is also full of religious symbolism, intentional or not. My only complaint is that the very ending included a trite and superfluous detail--the name of a ship--as if we couldn't get the symbolism on our own. Other than that, I found it to be a fair and intelligent adaptation of a great story.